Considering a chinchilla as a “pet”? Chinchillas are highly social, active animals with unique needs that require special attention and care. Here are important things to know before you adopt one from a shelter or a reputable rescue group.
Are You Prepared for a Long-Term Commitment?
When well cared for, a chinchilla can live for up to 20 years or more. That means potentially more than 20 years of providing the right environment, maintenance, veterinary care, food, enrichment, and more. This care is costly and requires lots of time and energy.
Are Chinchillas Good for Kids?
Chinchillas are highly sensitive and may bite out of fear if a child suddenly reaches into their cage, startles them with a loud noise while they’re sleeping—they’re most active at dawn and dusk—or handles them too roughly. Since these rodents have extremely sharp front teeth, a bite can be deep and painful. Chinchillas are also delicate, so they can easily be injured by improper handling. Children should never handle one without strict supervision. These small animals should only be held carefully with two hands so that they feel protected and safe. They should also never be picked up by the tail. In their natural habitat, chinchillas flee from predators and potential threats—but those confined to a cage, with nowhere to escape, may act “aggressively” if they feel cornered.
Can You Provide the Right Environment?
Chinchillas are not “starter pets,” and providing the right environment for them comes with a long checklist. You’ll need to consider the following.
Space requirements: Did you know that chinchillas can jump up to 6 feet in the air? An enclosure for a single chinchilla should be 4 feet wide and 3 feet tall at a minimum—but more space would be ideal, as these animals have lots of energy and can easily become frustrated or distressed if they don’t have enough room to run around, jump, climb, and play.
Housing needs: Chinchillas are curious and love to explore their native habitat, so an enclosure should be multilayered with ramps and shelves. Since chinchillas are naturally prey animals and can easily be startled, they also need hiding places (such as nesting boxes) to retreat to for comfort.
Bedding: 1 to 2 inches of bedding should be placed in the enclosure so that they can keep warm—but it must be of high quality and safe to eat. Paper-based bedding is preferable. Don’t use cedar or pine shavings as bedding, because they can irritate a chinchilla’s respiratory tract if ingested.
Dust baths: An enclosure should have a shallow tray filled with clean fine sand for a chinchilla to take daily “dust baths,” which are an essential part of their grooming routine.
Temperature requirements: Chinchillas are prone to suffer from heatstroke, so they must be kept in a cool, dry area with good ventilation away from direct sunlight. The temperature should be below 75 degrees, so keep a thermometer near the chinchilla’s cage. In addition, the humidity should be below 40 to 50%.
Enrichment and exercise: Chinchillas like to gnaw and chew because their teeth grow continuously, so it’s essential to provide them with toys made of wood, rope, cardboard, or pumice (not plastic toys). Their toys should be replaced regularly. They also need a large exercise wheel in their enclosure so that they can remain active. A sedentary chinchilla can develop serious health issues, such as painful foot sores.
Social requirements: In nature, chinchillas live in large colonies with as many as 100 or more individuals. When housed alone, they become lonely and distressed. It’s recommended that a “pet” chinchilla should have the company of at least one other chinchilla. That means they need double the space, toys, food, and more.
Drinking water: A chinchilla should have constant access to clean drinking water from a bottle, which should be checked at least twice every day.
Can You Meet a Chinchilla’s Needs?
When you consider all the specific needs of a chinchilla, caring for one starts to look like a full-time job. You’ll need to do the following.
Provide a specialized diet: Chinchillas have sensitive digestive systems, so they need a balanced diet consisting mainly of good-quality hay, which should be available to them 24 hours a day. They also benefit from small amounts of grass-based pellets (1 to 2 tablespoons) daily. Only feed chinchillas dried fruit and root vegetables as treats. Chinchillas cannot eat many foods, including nuts and seeds, citrus fruits, corn, and high-sugar vegetables. Many vegetables, such as asparagus, peas, cabbage, lettuce, and broccoli, are poisonous to them. Lots of research and proper monitoring are required to ensure that they’re eating the right foods.
Maintain their environment: Chinchilla cages need to be spot cleaned for about 15 minutes each day to remove poop, wet bedding, and leftover food. Food and water containers should be cleaned daily with soap and water. More thorough cleanings are required at least once a week by emptying out the cage, wiping it down with soap and water, and changing the bedding.
Provide them with specialized veterinary care: Like cats and dogs, chinchillas need to be taken to a veterinarian regularly. Some veterinary clinics may not be able to accommodate the needs of a chinchilla, so you will need to find one that treats “exotic” pets. Chinchillas don’t need vaccines, but they do need to be dewormed, have a full body checkup, and get a dental exam. A regular checkup for a chinchilla may cost $200 to $300. You will also need to consult a veterinarian about spaying or neutering. The procedure for spaying female chinchillas is highly invasive and can be very dangerous, so it’s generally recommended to sterilize only male chinchillas or to keep them in same-sex pairs to avoid unwanted pregnancies.
Consider the Costs of a Chinchilla
Here’s what everything might cost.
Cage with setup and accessories: ~$700
Healthcare: >$200/year (just for a checkup, not including any extra procedures or healthcare costs)
Toys: $50/year
Dust (for dust baths): $50/year
Bedding: ~$150/year
Food: >$150/year
Keep in mind that most of these aren’t one-time costs—are you prepared to pay for bedding, food, toys, medical care, and other necessities for their entire life?
Where to Get a ‘Pet’ Chinchilla
Most people don’t have the time, finances, space, energy, or experience to care for a chinchilla properly. But if you are prepared to provide two or more bonded chinchillas with a lifetime of compassionate care, please adopt and do not shop. Many shelters don’t have the resources to take in chinchillas, so if you’d like to adopt one, look up reputable chinchilla rescue groups in your area. Forever Feisty Chinchilla and Petfinder are great places to start.
Chinchillas are surrendered at a high rate because families often purchase them on impulse or under the false impression that they’re appropriate as “starter pets” for children. Animal shelters across the country are already overflowing with unwanted cats, dogs, rabbits, and other animals—and those that adhere to problematic “no-kill” policies end up turning many animals away. Cruel breeders and pet stores churn out animals as if they’re merchandise, exacerbating the already-dire animal overpopulation and homelessness crisis.
Where Do Stores Like Petco and PetSmart Get Chinchillas?
Chinchillas sold at pet stores often come from squalid breeding facilities, where suffering is widespread. One federal probe released in July 2024 found that a chinchilla breeding factory in Ohio confined numerous chinchillas in filthy conditions and denied them veterinary care. A 2020 PETA investigation into a breeding facility and pet store supplier that is now closed down revealed that chinchillas were suffering from open wounds, chronic eye ailments, severe matting, and other painful, untreated conditions.
Every Chinchilla Is Someone
Chinchillas are sensitive, feeling animals who don’t exist to be bought and sold like toys. Please never buy them—or any other animal—from a breeder or pet store.
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