Over the years, we’ve covered some great topics. Here are our most important posts organized by category. Click through and read whichever articles you find most helpful. Read on and share away!
What’s a Chinchilla?
- Chinchilla Basics 101
- How to Handle and Hold Your Chinchilla
- Chinchillla-to-Chinchilla Relationships
- How To: Bond With Your Chinchilla
- Chinchilla Parenthood – It’s Ongoing!
- Should I Get Another Chinchilla?
Chinchilla Health
- Plastic is Bad, Wood is Good!
- Safe Chinchilla Woods and Chews
- Chinchilla Essentials for Warm Months!
- How To: Weigh Your Chinchilla
Chinchilla Care
- How To: Chinchilla Dust Baths
- Chinchillas and Cleaning
- Chinchillas, Music, and Television!
- Chinchillas and Babysitters
Chinchilla Food
Custom Chinchilla Cages
- Ferret Nation Cages: Pros and Cons
- How To: Build Your Own Custom Chinchilla Cage
- Explore Our Custom Cages!
Chinchilla Cage Accents
- Chinchilla Cage Accents
- How To: DIY Chinchilla Hanging Toys
- How To: Build Pine Litter Boxes
- How To: Prepare Chinchilla Wood
Chinchilla Playtime
- Tips for Chinchilla Playtime!
- How To: Chinchilla Photography
- How To: Chinchilla Holiday Photography
- How To: Create Chinchilla Videos
LY Chinchillas Treat Donation
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As always, don’t forget to reach out and stay in touch with LY Chinchillas on social media! We’re on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
We’ll be sure to update this list as the years go on and the feedback comes in, so don’t forget to leave us some commentary and follow the blog! 🙂
LY Chinchillas 
i need help! my chinchilla chillibug, got het paw stuck in a latch that latches her cage together, we are going to take her to a vet she seems okay but we are going just incase. anyway what are the best cages in the world or that you know of that will prevent this from happening again. thanks
-heart and chillibug
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Hi friend! Yes, definitely take her to see a vet and get that paw checked out. Typically, with finger and paw injuries, if it’s a superficial injury, it should heal quickly as long as the wound is cleaned and watched. However, sometimes there may be bone peeking through, which is very painful and may require more of a care procedure. I hope Chillibug is okay! As for cages, I currently have a Ferret Nation 182 setup, which has its pros and cons, but it’s very user friendly and is fabulous for keeping a stern eye on your chins! I have a list of pros and cons here: https://lychinchillas.com/2015/04/08/ferret-nation-cages-pros-and-cons/ and another great type of cage (if you have the time and energy for it) is building your own! You can read more about building your own cage here: https://lychinchillas.com/2014/12/24/how-to-build-a-custom-chinchilla-cage/ – Overall, I suggest a Ferret Nation for its ease of access and control, which may ultimately help minimize potential injuries. 🙂
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Hi my name is Dethora, and I LOVE your blog!! I have two chinchillas, Myra and Cecil. They live in two different cages because my Cecil is the great escape in my huge 4 story one. So my mom gave me a very large bird cage that I have made adjustments to so he cannot get out. He still continues to chew and try to get out of the cage, other that lining the cage with fleece do you have any ideas on how to get him to stop pulling, chewing, etc. on his cage? He has plenty of hay and chew toys! I’m just running out of ideas!!
Thank you so much!
Dethora
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Hi Dethora! So lovely to meet you and I’m so happy to hear that the site is helpful for you and your lovely chinnies! 🙂 If there is a plastic pan lining the bottom of the cage, that will be hard to change out because you would have to custom-order a stainless steel or galvanized steel pan, which would be quite expensive if it’s an odd size. If he’s chewing on the powder coating/paint on the bars of the cage, there really isn’t a solution for that either – even the most expensive cages will have some issues with powder coating flaking off with persistent chewing. I would suggest removing as much plastic as possible and putting in plenty of safe kiln-dried pine wood shelves and ledges to give him some new territory to explore and occupy his teeth, as well as a few new hanging toys to entertain him. As far as cage biting and escape attempts go, I would suggest eventually switching over to a cage that has been designed for ease of use and owner control with strong bars and locking doors, like a Ferret Nation or something formulated especially for active rodents. For now, it sounds like he’s just a little fussy! Keep an eye on his behavior and his weight as usual to monitor for any other changes. 😀
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Hi! My name is Ashley & I love your blog! My boyfriend and I currently own 8 chinchilla’s your blog has given us many amazing ideas to build our chin family a great new home. We have 3 female chin’s who are housed in a cage together and 5 boys in another. We bought cages from petco but were very disappointed in how easily our boys have destroyed it. Super thankful for all that you have put on this blog because tomorrow we will be building their new home in hopes of it lasting a lot longer! A lot of people seem to either use bedding or fleece and I am leaning toward seeing how the fleece works out in the cage being that bedding gets expensive very fast and is also super messy. In your opinion what would better?
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Hi Ashley! Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving some love! 🙂 I’m so happy to hear about your big, happy chin-family and that you’re transitioning to a custom cage for your babies! I suggest using fleece, as it’s long-lasting and chin-safe. Also, check out this post for more information on chin cage accents, such as custom steel pans for easy cleaning! I wish you the best in your journey; feel free to reach out with any questions!
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Hey my name is autumn I have been doing reasurch on chinchillas and am about to get one because I know what they need and how to care for them I live in Kansas and don’t know where I might be able to get a good chinchilla with no parasites or deseases. I also know about the cage you are using but I would like a fairly tall cage and wide to house a chinchilla I was hoping for advice thanks so much
-autumn and koveu
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Hi Autumn – welcome! First of all, I’d like to commend you for doing your research. As far as buying chinchillas, I suggest reaching out to the breeding community at Chins n Hedgies forum. As for the cage I’m using, you can stack the cages to be multi-level, so it can offer a massive space for your chinchilla. A single chinchilla only requires a single unit; but you’re free to double-up for more space.
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Hi! My name is Braelin! I love your website and all the others like this one! I really want a chinchilla I have been begging my parents one and I think I made them come around with a 11 page essay I wrote on them! (I hope lol) and by no means is this my first pet I have pigs goats chickens and dogs. Anyways I was just wondering if you knew of any good reputable breeders near Houston, San Antonio, Tennessee or some where near there? If you do that would be great if you’d tell me! 😀 I would be so grateful!
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Hi Braelin! Thank you for stopping by. Unfortunately, I do not know any breeders in your area – however, I would check the Chins-n-Hedgies forum – there are lots of great breeders on there from all over! Good luck on your search!
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Hi there! I stumbled across your blog while doing research on products to spice up my little buddy’s cage and am LOVING all the great advice you have! I’m specifically having issues finding a wheel that is sturdy and that I feel comfortable securing to his cage. Do you have any tips on where to find one or what you’ve used? Thanks in advance!
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Hi Ellie,
Thank you for stopping by and leaving your sweet comments! In our experience, either a Silver Surfer or Chin Spin would be your best options – we have a Silver Surfer, which can be purchased at Chinchillas.com. The quality is quite nice and the chins have been enjoying it in their workout cage for several years now. However, Chin Spin receives rave reviews too, and can be discovered online at various vendors 🙂 Hope this helps!
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Hey, I need some help. I have two sisters that have never been separated before and they are around 9 months old now, I got them just over 2 months ago. I had been away for a week and just got back last night and noticed one of them has lost her fur around her nose and she now seems terrified to come near me. They have never been at a stage where they like being handled yet but they would come to the cage edge if I put my hand up to say hello to them. Do you have any idea what could have caused this? She seems in good health otherwise, she’s still eating loads, drinking plenty and running about with her sister.
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Hi Eilidh, thanks for stopping by. Regarding your concern, there may be a few things going on. First, bonding with chinchillas takes a long time. You may win some of their trust over short periods of time (keep in mind two months is quite a short period of time, as chinchillas can live over 20 years), but they do not have you ingrained permanently in their memories yet. They know you are a new presence, but they do not know the role you play – unless you show regular consistency and spend time getting to know them and work up to handling them comfortably. Also, leaving for periods of time without checking on them is not necessarily a great idea, as many different things can happen when you are not around. I cannot tell you what happened to your chinchillas; perhaps they got into a fight due to stress or anxiety, or she got into an accident somehow. I would watch their interaction on a daily basis, and work hard to win their trust. Remember, trust takes time – from months, to years – and consistency on your part. I would suggest just taking the time to bond with them, and watching their overall activity and engagement with one another. Feel free to check out all our favorite posts too, for more tips! Good luck!
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Where did you get the custom metal pans
I’m in need of buying just one
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Currently I have 6 chinchillas, ranging in age 5 months to 6 years. After having as many as 30 chinchillas at a one time , I have downsized considerably. If you decide to breed a chinchilla, make sure the cage is large enough, and safe for the itty bitties. Baby chinchillas fit in the palm of my hand, and I have small hands. I can remember the first time I had a baby escape it’s cage, the spacing in the wire mesh was about 1” x 2” and that was plenty
large enough for a baby chinchilla to get through. We had a “ferret nation” cage and I ended up having to wrap the entire cage in 1/4” wire mesh to keep the baby from escaping again.
Bottom line….if you are going to breed chinchillas, make sure the cage you have has no more than 1/2” mesh spacing on the cage.
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Dear Debbie,
Very good point. I discourage unprofessional or new owners from breeding chinchillas, but if an accidental pregnancy does occur, the mesh wiring is a good point. Separation of males and females at all times is the best policy for prevention.
Sending you well wishes!
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