Before buying a pet you must make sure that you can care for it properly.

You MUST be able to:

• provide the right housing
• have room for it to exercise
• feed and water it daily
• handle it daily
• exercise it daily
• groom it regularly
• clean out the cage daily to control germs
• check for signs of illness or disease
• take your pet to the vet for regular health checks and other procedures
• know someone who will look after it for you when you are away
• give him a good home for his entire life (around 15-20 years)

Once you are happy that you can provide everything that your new pet will need you can then find the perfect chinchilla for you. Make sure that you have everything ready for him before you bring him home, so he can go right into his new home as soon as you arrive. he will probably be a bit frightened and you should let him spend the first 24hrs getting used to his new environment. Dont forget that he is naturally timid and will be missing his brothers and sisters. He will like you to talk to him and will soon get used to the sound of your voice. We suggest you dont handle him too much for the first day or two, but give him plenty of clean water and some food, and allow him to get accustomed to his new home. You will soon know when he has started to settle in because he will begin to eat, drink and groom himself.

Which Chinchilla will you choose?
There are two types of chinchilla

• the Chinchilla lanigera with a pointed nose and angular face;
• the Chinchilla brevicaudata larger than the lanigera with thicker neck and shoulders but a shorter tail

All chinchillas have thick, dense fur. Through selective breeding, there is a wide range of coat colors. These include Silver, White, Platinum, Black Velvet, Sapphire, Rose/Apricot, Chocolate Brown and Albino.