Timothy Our Chinchilla

Meet "Timothy" our Chinchilla

This is Timothy our 3 month old Chinchilla.

We brought him home on January 19, 2005.

Isn't he just the cutest little thing?

Meet our Chinchilla. His name is Timothy.

Chinchillas originate in South America from the Andes Mountains.
(Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina).
Their habitats are cool and dry.

Timothy tried to play with our bunny.

Chinchillas and rabbits are both rodents, we let them play together a few times and the bunny tried to pull Timmy's hair out. It's always wise to keep a careful eye on them. Chinchilla's teeth are ever growing so they need toys to chew on. Chinchilla's and ferrets can NEVER play together as ferrets are mousers and will try to instinctively hunt & kill any rodent.

Timothy exploring

Chinchillas can not be kept in temperatures that are too hot. They like it around 60 to 70 degrees. If it gets higher then 86 degrees. It can kill them.

Timothy playing on the bed

Chinchillas are the softest animal in the world. Their fur is
incredibly soft and plush and you should take care not to get their fur wet at all.

Check out his long whiskers that he uses for sensory adaption

Chinchillas are nocturnal so they are up all night but they also can play in the day too. They will use the same corner of their cage to urinate but seem to poop everywhere. Their feces is very tiny like a mouse and dries quickly so it's easy to clean up and it has no real distinct ordor. These little critters need an hour a day at least out of their pens to run, jump and play.

Chinchillas are shy but fun to play with

Chinchillas have soft padded hands and feet and a 4inch tail that curls up behind their backs. They are also vegetarians. They love raisins and apples but only give these treats in moderation or they may get sick.

Click on the thumbnails to see larger images

If you have allergies then chinchillas are great pets because they don't have any dander and they are odorless. A Chinchilla's fur is dense and full of lanolin,so fleas do not infest them.

The reason their fur is so lush and thick is that they have as many as eighty (80) hairs for each follicle.

This is the reason their fur has been so coveted for making fur coats and now the wild Chinchilla is on the endangered species list. So think twice before you wrap yourself in fur. How many of these little guys had to be destroyed to make your coat?

Click on the thumbnails to see larger images

In a chinchilla's natural habitat they use volcanic ash to roll around and take a bath in.

Chinchillas must have a "dust bath" at least twice a week. Domestic Chinchillas taking a bath is an amusing site! They will roll around and play in the dust pan to ensure their coats stay soft and plush.

Timmy loves to take a dust bath!

Timmy is getting ready to roll again..

Look at him go!

Could he ever be happier?

Timmy has to check his tub for holes...

Looks like everything checks out okay.

Most Chinchillas can live 8 to 10 years. Some have lived as long as 20! Even though they are shy and easily frightened Chinchillas liked to live with one another, or alone.
In the wild they can live in groups as large as 100 of them.

A roomy cage to climb is a good idea.

Chinchillas need a lot of room to run and jump and climb. It's a good idea to have a large cage with ladders and a few perches. A glass water bottle is better than plastic because Chinchillas will chew through almost anything. And a nice place for them to run and hide, is also helpful. An exercise wheel is another toy they like to play in.

Look at that sparkly fur!

I bet you're wondering if Chinchillas make any sounds or noise? They do! Chinchilla's communicate to each other through sound. Since our Chinchilla is new to his environment, last night we heard him squeak out a "warning call". He was afraid of one of the cats who was stalking closer to his cage in the dark.

You can hear the amazing sounds of the Chinchilla here.
Have a listen, it's pretty cool.

And you can see photos of baby Chinchillas and really cute video of them here!

Timmy has gotten a little bigger.
June 17, 2005

Sasha loves him and takes care of him for me!

Timmy likes his leap & ledges.
January 15, 2006

This helps him get a lot of exersize.

We switch them around when he gets board.

And then he memorizes the new patterns.

November 17, 2008
After 3 years of having Timmy my chinchilla, I decided that he wasn't getting enough attention from us so I found a nice girl to adopt him. I gave her his huge cage and all his accessories. It was quite a process screening out people and choosing the right family to adopt him. I finally found Lauren and we met halfway so she could pick up Timmy. I went through all my goodbyes and detached myself from him for 2 hours before he went to his new home. I felt like I had found the right match and Timmy would have a great new life!

November 17, 2008
Timmy get his last dust bath with us.

Timmy absolutely loves taking his dust bath!

There he goes rolling in the dust. You don't have to teach him this, they know how to do it instinctively!

He pops up again!

Timmy is so cute!

Sasha says goodbye to Timmy...

Goodbye Timmy my sweet little friend, we love you!

December 2008
Here is the update on little Timmy!
Lauren says he is doing great and that she got him a little female friend and it took them awhile to get to know each other but now they live and sleep peacfully together.
Her name is Eclipse and she is a Ebony so she's all black with a white nose. She got her from a breeder and she was 2 months pregnant when she got her. She says Timmy is so sweet with her and she will send us some photos soon.

February 7, 2009
Lauren sends us these photos of Timmy & Eqlipes, his new girlfriend!

January 16, 2009
Here is the update on Timmy!
Eqlipes the pregnant female and Timmy are inseperable! Timmy tries to mate with her even though she's already pregnant. Lauren said she also got two more male chins from someone and Timmy hates them and won't let them near his girl! She has to keep the 2 males in another cage or Timmy will fight them. She said Timmy is so protective over his new g/f that even the dog gets yelled at if he comes to close to the cage. How funny is that! Timmy has a whole exciting new life with friends to love and fight with! Just like a real family!

Eqlipes is twice the size of Timmy, but they are oh so cute together!

Leonard & Soren her other two male chins.

Timmy & his girlfriend love the leap 'N ledges!