Do you want your chinchillas to reach its optimum age of 20 years? Chinchillas can last that long, but only if you care for it well enough. A lot of people have no idea how proper chinchilla care should even be done and end up relying on their own instincts. Chinchilla are delicate creatures and relying on "gut feelings" to know how to take care of them will only compromise its health and ultimately shorten its life. If you love your pet chinchilla, you surely want neither of that.
Moderating the Temperature
The function of sweat glands is to release the heat in the body in liquid form. This way, your body can adapt to increasing temperature without causing a breakdown in your system. Ever notice how your body starts sweating when you're just too tired or the heat is becoming too much to bear? That's your sweat glands at work.
Unlike you, your chinchilla doesn't have sweat glands. Obviously, this means that it doesn't have an ingenious way of adapting to increasing temperatures. Once the temperature becomes too much to take, it will most likely suffer of heatstroke. The threshold of chinchillas when it comes to handling temperature is much lower, partly due to its lack of a complex immune system and tiny body. The ideal temperature is 65-70. Anything beyond will be harmful for your chinchilla.
Also, if you think its thick fur will protect it from the cold, you are alarmingly mistaken. Immediately beneath its thick layer of fur is its skin. In other words, the only thing protecting your chinchilla from harsh temperatures, including the cold, is its fur. If the environment gets either too hot or too cold, your chinchilla will have undesirable complications and may even die.
Finding a Vet
Though chinchillas make perfect pets, they are classified as exotic. This doesn't just mean that they are endangered and are not allowed to be used for animal clothing. In pet lingo, this means that they're much harder to care for and required much more attention that your average domesticated pet. Unlike cats, you can't simply leave food for them and expect them to get through the day. Chinchillas must be taken to the veterinarian regularly.
How do you find a veterinarian for exotic pets? Consider it a challenge that you will have to go through. Don't settle for just any vet who claims to have an experience with rodents. Make sure you get someone that actually knows how to deal with chinchillas.
The price you will be paying the vet for your chinchilla should be no more than what you'll pay for other pets, like dogs or cats. You want the best chinchilla care, but be careful about getting overpriced services. It all boils down to how well you look for a vet that 1) has a specialization in exotic pets such as chinchillas and 2) knows how to name the price right. With both bases covered, you will have found a veterinarian that will do everything in his or her power to extend your pet's lifespan to its optimum age.
Moderating the temperature and finding the perfect vet are just two of the many ways by which you can show your pet chinchilla love and affection. Consider these two steps as a positive start to a long life with your adorable rodent.
Unfortunately, many veterinarians say they treat all exotic pets, but really know little about chinchillas. If one is ill, they simply administer an antibiotic that is generally used for rodents. That is, if you don't live in a metropolitan area and there is no scarcity of exotic pet or small animal veterinarians.
ReplyDeleteAs for the temperature, I really have a problem with that as I live in the Colorado desert where summer heat rises sometimes to 115-120 degrees. I keep the air conditioner at 79 degrees, but that should really be lower. However, the cost is heavy and I have a hypothyroid condition that makes me feel cold even when it is 80 degrees inside.
Still, my chin, Danny Boy, going on 9, and I are doing fine. Thanks for your advice.