Pre Chin questions

[Richard]

Hi everyone, my wife and I both would love to get a Chinchilla but are worried about several points and hope someone could give us some advice before we dive in and get one.

Our main problem and worry is how susceptible to heat stroke they are. We currently live in Chengdu China where the average temperature for July and August is between 22 - 30 degrees C. Clearly a big problem for a Chinchilla. The room we will keep them in has air conditioning but we couldn't promise to have it on constantly. We were hoping to make sure there were Chinchilla-chillas in with him or her constantly as well as possibly ice packs wrapped in a towel. Would this be acceptable way of keeping them cool for the next month until the temperature starts to fall.

I should probably note that we do have a friend who has a chinchilla and has kept it for the last 2 years by using a type of cooling box and the Chinchilla store we would buy him/her from doesn't appear to have any special cooling system. This may be a very stupid question but are Chinchillas who have been born and bred in slightly hotter and more humid conditions have a better tolerance to heat stroke?

The other main worry we have is how badly they are affected by products that say the are suitable for chinchillas but are not. As we are in China i'm worried about not having the right material. For example we have a packet of wood shavings made by ono that are lavender flavored but I have no idea what type of wood it is and it doesn't say. If anyone has any information about international companies that are made in China which we may have a chance of getting over in China.

We believe everything else we will be ok with. We can play with it everyday, keep it in a room that it won't get hurt in (with the exception of heat), we have a number of other people around us who are great with pets and are willing to help us take care of it should the need arise and we both love having pets around. But if anyone has any other points that they think we need to consider before getting a chinchilla please tell me. We just want as much information as possible so we can give our future pet the best possible life.

Thanks.

 

[javachin]

Unfortunately, you really do need constant AC if its going to be that hot in your area. Chillers or tiles cannot substitute a colder environment. And no, if bred in a warmer environment will not make the chin susceptible to heat stroke.

In terms of supplies, I'm sure you'll be able to find something. Don't use anything flavored or scented. Do you have feed stores nearby? I would imagine you have cattle and horses around the more rural areas, so try somewhere that has supplies for them. Pine shavings used for horses are usually fine to use.

 

[greychins]

^ is right, there really is no substitute for air conditioning. If you wouldn't be able to have it on constantly, then my personal suggestion would be to look for a pet that's more tolerant of heat. While you may go to work for several hours a day, if the chin has to sit home in the heat, they're not going to be comfortable and could get heat stroke.

Also, just cause the place that sells chins doesn't have cooling doesn't mean that the chins are doing well. The chins there could be dying and the store could be replacing them if they pass away. If they always have grey chins, it might always appear that it's the same chin there, when its possibly not. Maybe that's morbid to think about, but I know quite a few pet stores here in the US that go to the cages first thing in the morning, pull out the dead animals, and get new ones in later in the week.

I wouldn't think the chins bred in hotter climates would be less prone to heat stroke. People in Africa have dark skin to protect them against the sun because of ages and ages of evolution. Chins just haven't been around as pets for that long to develop a subspecies that is less prone to problems like that.

My advice would be this: if you aren't able to say, 100%, that you can turn the air conditioning on every time the house goes over say 21-22 C, and keep it on until the temperature dips below that (and meanwhile, in the house, keep the temp in the 21-22ish range), I wouldn't get a chin. They're just too susceptible to heat for that to be a consideration.

 

[Zoaea]

Chinchillers and ice packs are more of an emergency backup for power outages and such. Chinchilla coats don't really vary with temperature like some animals might, so being raised in heat would not protect them. =(

The thing I would add to the list of considerations is that chinchillas are usually not cuddly, they like to run and play but not sit still to be pet (there are some that enjoy it but it is super rare). They also seem to have more complications in breeding than the average rodent, so I wouldn't recommend casually breeding them, so if you buy a pair from a pet store make sure they don't mess up their genders. Pet stores mess up genders a lot on small mammals. >.<