1. Living habits of chinchillas
Chinchilla originally lived in the Andes Mountains of South America, and was a fellow countryman with guinea pigs. Because the temperature difference between morning and evening in this area is relatively large, and chinchillas are mainly active in the evening, so they grow very thick hair, and each pore can grow 60-80 soft and slender fluff, which is very soft to the touch.
Thanks to its thick coat, chinchillas are not afraid of cold, dry weather, nor the threat of parasites such as lice and fleas, because these parasites It is difficult to reach their skin through the hair. But chinchillas are very afraid of heat. Although they can withstand the cold weather of -10°C, if the ambient temperature exceeds 25°C, it may cause the chinchilla to suffer from heat stroke. In order to live more comfortably for chinchillas, the ambient temperature should be kept between 8-22°C. If you encounter high temperature in summer, you need to take measures to prevent heatstroke and cool down in time for chinchillas, such as turning on air conditioners, air conditioner fans, putting ice packs, ice nests, etc.
Second, the eating habits of chinchillas
1. Daily diet
Chinchillas are herbivores, so they Like rabbits and guinea pigs, hay is the main food. Usually, chinchillas can eat alfalfa grass and timothy grass, and occasionally a small amount of hay such as oat grass, grass rhinoceros, dandelion, wheat grass and barley grass can be fed to adjust the taste.
The teeth of chinchillas, like rabbits and hamsters, can grow for life. Eating hay can help chinchillas grind their teeth and prevent excessive growth of teeth from affecting feeding. We can also prepare some teeth grinding snacks for chinchillas, such as apple branches, teeth grinding stones, sweet bamboo, etc. In addition, because alfalfa grass has high protein and calcium content, it is usually more suitable for chinchillas in the juvenile development period. The pet owner can start adding a small amount of timothy grass to the alfalfa grass when it is about to become an adult, and wait for the chinchilla to gradually adapt to Timothy. After the smell of grass and the willingness to eat the grass, slowly adjust the ratio.
2. Diet matching
In addition to hay, chinchillas can also eat a small amount of Chinchilla food allows chinchillas to take in more comprehensive nutrition. Daily feeding is recommended twice a day. If the food on the day is not eaten, the feeding amount needs to be appropriately reduced the next day to avoid food accumulation and deterioration affecting the gastrointestinal health of chinchillas.
Chinchilla’s daily drinking water is also very important. It is generally recommended to feed fresh drinking water or cool boiled water. Chinchillas will drink 20-40ml of water every day. Pet owners can Prepare the amount for 1-3 days at a time. If you don’t drink it for more than 3 days, you must replace and clean the water bottle
in time.
3. Snacks
Chinchillas can eat apple slices, apple rings, freeze-dried, etc. Snacks, some dried fruits with relatively low sugar and water content can be eaten by chinchillas, but be careful not to feed them often, at most 1-2 per day is enough to avoid chinchillas being picky eaters. Be careful not to give chinchillas peanuts, melon seeds and other foods with high oil content to avoid excessive obesity. Fresh vegetables with heavy water should not be eaten, otherwise it will cause chinchilla diarrhea.
The above is about the living habits and eating habits of chinchillas. Do you have a clearer understanding of chinchillas? If you have any other questions, you can leave a message in the comment area to discuss!
