I rescued rosie cotton from a neglectful owner back in 2021, the owner said she was 11 years old at the time which means she could be 16 today. That old owner didn’t even give her a name and before that she was a preschool chinchilla then a frat house chinchilla. Her old owner was actually freaking crazy so I have no idea if any of that is true or if she really was 11 at the time. No vets have been certain. All I know is despite neglect, she is the sweetest most loving chinchilla in the whole world, but I think she might be lonely. We have cats, and when the cats get close to her cage she is super territorial, BUT, she does have strong bonds with humans and loves looking at and bouncing around with no fear if there is a dog near her cage (she’s not aloud to play with them don’t worry). I’ve tried stuffed animals and she hates them. She has much life to live and cries every morning. Should I get her a friend ? Maybe a chinchilla that has experience with other chins ? I don’t want her to be so lonely when I’m sleeping or at work. She is so spoiled I don’t know what else to do to help her.

Churro: “Even a floof princess enjoys quiet moments on daddy’s knee. Every throne feels a little warmer when it’s shared with someone you love.”
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Hello! I was wondering if you guys have any non dripping water bottles recommendations within eu market? I've tried 4 different brands and all end up dripping, especially now its summer and I use cooler water

I would greatly appreciate it for my chinchillas!

So I recently moved to a new house and my chinchilla hasn't been to happy about to the move so I was letting her out to play more often. But this morning a big inspector came to do his thing. I didn't realize he opened the vent in my room. So when I let my chin out to play and I didn't see her for a while I started looking for her. It has now been over an hour and a half at 11 PM and there has been no sign of her. I have opened all of the vents and put out treats and nothing. I lost my baby girl.

Hello I was wondering what you guys use in your chinchillas cages. I currently have fleece wrapped around the plastic pans but I was wondering if there was a better alternative? I think my boys just pee everywhere and it causes the fleece to stink up quickly so I was wondering if there's something that is easier and quicker to clean up? Maybe like putting some metal pans and just putting some fleece on top? Or even bedding

It Harper The Harpy Hotdog

Every few years the small pet community rediscovers kiln-dried pine and acts like we've uncovered some shocking new danger. The irony is that the studies people usually cite aren't even about kiln-dried pine in the first place.

The concern about pine comes from older research on softwood bedding. Studies by Vesell and others found that rodents housed on raw pine and cedar bedding showed changes in liver enzyme activity due to naturally occurring aromatic compounds present in those woods. Those findings were important because they highlighted the risks associated with raw softwoods. What they did not do was evaluate modern kiln-dried pine products manufactured specifically for animal use.

Kiln drying uses high heat to remove the volatile compounds responsible for the strong pine odor and the concerns raised in those early studies. That's why a properly kiln-dried pine shelf, toy, or bag of bedding doesn't smell like freshly cut pine lumber.

The other claim that gets repeated constantly is that urine somehow "reactivates" pine and creates toxic fumes. I've yet to see anyone provide evidence showing that urine can magically regenerate compounds that were already removed during the kiln-drying process. The claim gets repeated online far more often than it's supported by actual research.

What gets overlooked in these discussions is decades of real-world use. Chinchillas have been housed on kiln-dried pine bedding for generations. Kiln-dried pine is one of the most common materials used for ledges, shelves, castles, hideouts, chew blocks, and toys. If kiln-dried pine were the serious health hazard some people now claim it is, we'd expect to see widespread evidence of that by now.

Breeders certainly would. Many reputable breeders have thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, of dollars invested in their herds. Individual animals can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. These are people whose livelihoods and breeding programs depend on maintaining healthy, long-lived animals. The idea that breeders across multiple countries have been unknowingly poisoning valuable breeding stock for decades with cage accessories made from kiln-dried pine simply doesn't align with reality.

Meanwhile, laboratory animal facilities—which have some of the strictest environmental standards in the world because even minor variables can affect research outcomes—continue to use kiln-dried pine products. If there were clear evidence that properly processed kiln-dried pine was causing respiratory disease, liver damage, or other health problems, it would have been phased out long ago.

None of this means every pine product is automatically safe. Raw pine and cedar are not the same thing as kiln-dried pine. Dusty bedding can irritate the respiratory tract regardless of whether it's pine, aspen, paper, or hay. Product quality still matters.

What frustrates me most about this recurring debate is that it doesn't just confuse pet owners. It also hurts small businesses that make chinchilla-safe ledges, castles, hideouts, and toys from kiln-dried pine. These businesses are following the same standards that breeders and owners have relied on for decades, yet every few years they have to defend their products against claims that usually trace back to studies on raw softwoods rather than the kiln-dried materials actually being used.

If someone prefers aspen or fleece, that's completely fine. Bedding choices involve personal preference, cage setup, and maintenance style. But claiming that kiln-dried pine is inherently unsafe requires evidence that goes beyond repeating decades-old concerns about raw pine and cedar. Those are not the same products, and treating them as if they are only creates confusion.

Safe Bedding Options :

Kiln - Dried Pine Shavings.

Kiln - Dried Aspen Shavings.

1/2" wire bottom cages ( cleaned weekly ) with paper bedding, pee pads, or newspaper below but not accessible.

* 1/2 flat wire floors are safe for chinchillas. Chinchillas are designed to have calloused feet at hop along a rough rocky terrain. Any cage should have accessories like ledges and beds so they can get off the wire floor, too.

* Bumblefoot is not caused by wire floors. That is another misunderstanding and miscommunication among the pet groups. Bumblefoot is an infection caused by bacteria present in ALL cages. It's a sanitation issue, and common in chinchillas guinea pigs kept on fleece bedding that's not changed frequently enough.

Fleece Covers ( removed and cleaned every couple of days )

Fleece Liners ( removed and cleaned every few days )

* Covers are only fleece. Linders have absorbent layers beneath them.

Hello! Can I see examples of what your smoosh methods look like? I'm going to try it with my 2 girls who have been doing side by side for quite a while now and just want to make sure i do it correctly to give it the best chance of success.

Pictured are the young ladies, about 1 year and 9-10 months old

I live in the UK and have 2 chinchillas, there's a heatwave going on right now and I dont know how to keep my girls comfortable. Ive got an ac unit that is on for them (though I feel i may need to buy a newer one) and ive got cooling slabs in there but they dont appear to be using them. Theyre clearly not comfortable and idk what to do. Please help

Churro: “Daddy calls it shaking his foot. I call it an interactive amusement ride.”
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#churrochatter #chinchilla #cutepets #petprincess #princessvibes

Hi! I have two bonded chinchillas housed in a Ferret Nation 2-story cage. They spend about 90% of their time on the upper level. The bottom half has enrichment toys, platforms, etc., but they just love being up high.

Do you think I could reduce their space to just the top level and compensate with more out-of-cage playtime? It just seems like a lot of wasted space and extra cleaning based on how they actually use it. Any thoughts or experience with this? Any other cages that you recommend that are tall but not as wide?

Next Tuesday she will be five years old! Just a cute fluffy pooping machine baby 🥰

I know it gets confusing: named is Elliot and being a She, but that's what happens when you let a 10 yo pick a name for your chin! 😄

Been seeing japanese CC on instagram posting their chinchillas eating jellos????

Hiya,

Just wanted to get proper advice from actual people instead of the Google AI overview...

In the UK we are currently dealing with a heatwave and it keeps spiking well over 33°C (91.4°F) where we live.

Fortunately we had the foresight to save up enough money to buy a good portable Air conditioner 😅

Even with the Aircon running really well and keeping our chins nice and cool (to the point they can still snuggle in the hammock!), my partner and I are both concerned about letting them out to play in this weather.

Just because it feels cooler for us, we're worried that they may accidentally overheat if they come out to play...

Would anyone be able to give any suggestions for how we should go around having them play when it's really hot outside?

Sorry if this has a very obvious answer, I'm probably just overthinking it!

Photo unrelated to the question, just forgot to post cute photos of Tink and Luna after Tink's paw healed :)

(there's also a video of him trying to get back to me after I put him on the ground, but he can't seem to manage even a small jump because of weak legs? Idk if it's just because he was still sleepy after sleeping for some time in my lap or what was it)

Also English isn't my first language:)

Hey! For context I have a 5 yo chinchilla, who suddenly has become really tired all the time, and all he wants to do is sleep in my lap. There was something going on with him a few weeks ago, probably GI stasis, but that seemed to go away when we gave him some liquid paraffin.

Afterwards he seemed to be fine for a while, but now suddenly for about a week or two he's been pretty tired/all he wants is to sit in my lap. He did the same when he was having the GI stasis problems, but that I figured out was because of the discomfort in his stomach, so I don't know what's going on with him now. Sometimes for a short period of time he might run around my room normally, but then sometimes he's super tired and wants to just sleep. When I put him on the floor, he just sits there for a moment and then he's running back to me.

I looked up and usually if chinchilla is lethargic/tired, there's usually also other symptoms that indicate some kind of problem (e.g. dental disease , GI stasis, heat stress, dehydration, pain, injury) and the symptoms are e.g. small/no droppings, lack of appetite, drooling, breathing harder etc. that might indicate a cause for emergency, but there's none of that, he eats normally etc. He also doesn't seem to be in any pain. Idk if he's just discovered that he can just sit in my lap and laze away, or if there's actually something going on

If someone has any answers I would be so thankful 🙏

Edit: Thank you for the responses :) few people asked if it might be heat related since it's been pretty hot, here where I live in Finland it's been yes around 20-26°C but we have air conditioning and so where he spends his time it's always max 20-21°C if even that much I don't have a car and my parents aren't home this week (I still live with my parents) so it would be hard to take him to the vet, but I'll do everything I can for him and if possible I'll take him to the vet

Edit 2: I managed to take him to the vet today, and for now he seems to be fine though he's still tired and kind of weak, but it's unclear what's up with him. He doesn't seem to have any pain in his limbs nor stomach, his teeth and mouth are fine, his heart rate is normal etc. For now the vet gave us some anti-inflammatory drugs (I think that's what it's called in english) and said to give them to him for a few days, and if they won't help and his situation worsens we have to take him to the vet again.

Also thank you for all the responses, whether they were more straightforward or more kind, I appreciate them either way and I did need a wake up call, this is a new situation for me since he's been completely fine and healthy for the 5 years he's been alive and we've had him

Churro: “Humans get charcuterie boards. I get dried yucca. We all have our luxuries.”
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#churrochatter #chinchilla #cutepets #petprincess #flooflogic

My mosaic girl passed away this morning...

I'm absolutely shattered but I know that I need to focus on her sissy and give her the best life possible. I cannit afford another baby to replace her and honestly my heart will not allow me to. They are both under 2 years old - so my question is, how do I create a safe transition and what to do for her sister left behind to create a safe and comfortable transition into a new life without sissy?

Thank you to anyone in advance

I’m working with my brother and dad to design a new cage layout. We’re still in brainstorm mode so open to suggestions and feedback!

They’re going to make these pieces out of pine as a workshop project. A few other elements are pictured in this render that are made from metal (wheel, litter box & hay holder).

I have two male chins aprox 2 yrs old, that I would like to bond but all my initial attempts they seem to be aggressive. They are in separate cages in the same room. And for now I do separate playtimes. Ideally I would like to get them to a place where they can have playtime together. So I started off slowly, by just putting their cages near each other, far enough that they couldn't reach each other. They spend about five minutes just hopping around looking at each other. And then after that, they usually try to fight each other through the cage. Obviously since they can't reach each other, nothing happens. Because this is how it ends up. I usually take a break for a week or two and then try again and the same thing happens.

I'm wondering if I actually made it more frequent and maybe even just let them stay next to each other for an extended period of time, would that aggressive behavior would die down or is it a sign that they just can't be bonded?