Chinchillas live to be 10-15 years old on average, which must be taken into consideration before adopting. Having a chinchilla join your family is a long-term commitment.

Chinchillas can be noisy and talkative animals. They delight in making noise by running in their exercise wheels, shredding paper, chewing wood, and simply bouncing off their cage walls. Since chinchillas are nocturnal, most of this activity takes place at night, which means that you may not want to have the chinchilla cage in a room in which their activity might disturb someone's sleep.

If you are looking for a companion for another chinchilla, we can give suggestions for introducing new and old chinchillas to future playmates. However keep in mind that, in most cases, we do not spay or neuter chinchillas, so if you already have a chinchilla you need to choose the gender of a new chinchilla carefully. Most rescued animals are of unknown parentage and history, therefore it is recommended that they not be bred.

Chinchillas are sensitive to heat and can die from heat stroke. If temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit) and humidity add up to 150 (e.g. temperature is 90 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity is 60%, the sum equals 150) then that is dangerous to the chinchillas. The chinchilla comfort zone is 65 degrees to 80 degrees Fahrenheit tops. Humidity should be around 30% to 40%. Remember, if you are uncomfortable from either heat or humidity, your chinchilla will also be uncomfortable. If you live in a hot humid climate, a chinchilla may not be the best pet for you.

Chins can and do bite. Even well-mannered pets will give warning nips if unhappy or mishandled by their owner. This is one reason that we do not recommend chinchillas as pets for young children.