Am I the right pet for you?

Chinchillas are a really good pet for an older child or young adult. They are timid by nature and cannot cope with rough handling, they need consistent care and can live for up to 20 years if they are well looked after. Chinchillas display a wide range of temperament and disposition. Some animals, no matter how much you handle them, will never become tame pets.

The chinchilla originated in Peru and can be found in the wild from southern Peru and Bolivia, to southern Chile. The chinchilla possess the thickest fur coats of all mammals, which is considered to be highly prized. The fur consist of 80 - 100 hairs per follicle, or 20,000 hairs/cm2. Due to the value of their coats, chinchillas were hunted in South America almost to extinction. The chinchilla is now a protected species in many countries and though controversial, this is partly due to the establishment of fur farms which have helped save these animals from extinction.

Chinchillas have existed in the wild, on ranches and in zoos for many years, however, it is only recently that chinchillas have been considered as pets. These animals are nocturnal but do eventually become quite active during the day. Chinchillas are naturally timid and do not like being handled roughly, they will shed their fur if they are stressed or held tightly. Gentle contact and winning their confidence will eventually result in them sitting on your open hand or allowing light stroking. However, these animals are not normally suitable pets for young children.

If they are very lively at first just introduce your hand into the cage for the animal to familiarise itself with you and realise there is no threat. Chinchillas generally do not bite but will not hesitate to do so if it feels threatened.

Where do I like to live?

Chinchillas are part of the rodent family of animals and love to chew everything; it is therefore essential that their cage is made of wire mesh to ensure that it is escape proof. They need a lot of space because they can be very active and need room to exercise. This requires a large cage. The cage should ideally have several levels with a large enclosed nesting box and some bedding inside.

Chinchillas can withstand the cold but will suffer if the temperature rises above 20C and humidity of about 75%. Chinchilla should be given a volcanic dust(fullers earth) bath every alternate day to keep their fur coat in its prime conditions. The dust bath can either be place directly inside the cage or separately inside an enclosed container. The dust bath should not last longer than 5 minutes to prevent them from urinating inside the dust. Cages and all equipment should be cleaned and disinfected regularly, at least twice a week.

What do I eat?

Good quality chinchilla pellets like Mazuri or American Pet Diner should be provided daily. A daily supply of fresh water should be provided. Fresh green Timothy hay by American Pet Diner or Oxbow should be provided free choice to your chinchilla. All Natural Shredded Wheat and dried fruit(organic dried cranberries) makes ideal treats. Do not feed peanuts or flaked maize as it is too reach in oil. A supplement of grains can be provided as a fur supplement but seek advice from a qualified chinchilla owner. Totoro Supplies has a readily available supply of supplements.

How do I like to be groomed?

Chinchillas are fastidious and groom themselves continually but once used to handling you can groom the chinchilla to remove bedding and food particles from the coat. Always take care to avoid snagging.

Breeding

■ Chinchilla breed through the year

■ The female comes into season about every 4 weeks

■ They have an average gestation period of 108 to 118 days

■ With average litters of 1 to 4 kits

■ They are weaned by 12 weeks and reach sexual maturity at about 4 to 18 months depending on the colour and breed

Special Notes:

Please contact Totoro Supplies at 25354777 for additional information on your pets. We are always there to help answer any of your queries. Alternatively you can check out the links on our website for further information on chinchillas.

龍貓來自何處?

龍貓本身來自秘魯, 亦可在南美洲, 波利維亞及智利的野外發現牠們的蹤影. 龍貓擁有全世界最密及最厚的絨毛, 牠們每一個毛孔有80-100條幼毛, 而每平方厘米有20,000條幼毛. 因為牠們的皮毛可製成昂貴的皮草, 所以有很多捕獵者非法地獵殺, 以致野生龍貓絕種. 有鑑於此, 現在很多國家都把龍貓列為受保護動物.其實也要多謝皮草製造商, 因為他們大量繁殖龍貓, 使龍貓可逃過完全絕種的厄運.

怎麼對待我?

龍貓不喜歡粗暴的對待, 牠們會喜歡你穩陣的抱牠,, 把龍貓放在心口向著你, 一隻手在龍貓身後, 另一隻手就抱穩牠. 龍貓本身是不會攻擊別人, 但如果你想攻擊牠, 牠就會返擊, 向你撒尿.

我喜歡住在什麼環境?

龍貓屬齧齒類動物, 所以喜歡咬東西, 因此籠的本身一定要堅固, 牠們需要很大的空間來跳躍及做運動, 而牠們的籠內一定要包含房屋, 廁所, 跳板, 水樽. 牠們的牙是長期生長的, 因此咬木, 磨牙石, 墨魚骨是必須的. 而大牙則要依靠食草來磨. 龍貓是可以訓練牠到廁所尿尿的, 但大便就不夠能控制. 龍貓籠要放在空氣流通的地方. 避免接觸猛烈的陽光及潮濕的地方. 龍貓雖然不怕寒冷, 但不能用強風直接吹龍貓, 若溫度超過攝氏20度及濕度百分之75. 就不適合龍貓居住了.

我應吃什麼東西?

每天應供應給牠來自Mazuri 或 APD 的高營養龍貓糧, 清水(已煮沸), 來自APD及Oxbow的新鮮乾草(Timothy Hay), 應盡量給牠吃.

天然麥餅及乾水果(天然無糖紅梅乾)就可當小食, 不可餵太多油份高的花生, 瓜子及栗米片.有些配合品, 如麥類就可以提高毛的品質. 但應先向專家查詢. 而多多龍亦有這些健康食品供應.
小心 : 不可餵Nager Malt(美毛膏). 成份中有96%是麥芽糖, 只有4%是木瓜汁. 因此這些都是有害而無益.

怎樣為我美容?

龍貓自幼就懂得為自己梳洗, 如果長期與牠相處, 令你給牠信心. 就可幫牠梳去打結的毛及餵飼牠. 修剪趾甲方面其實是沒有必要的, 因為龍貓通常會懂得自己修剪趾甲.

繁殖龍貓

■ 龍貓可全年繁殖.

■ 經期每4星期一次.

■ 懷胎108-118日.

■ 一胎平均會生1- 4隻龍貓BB.

■ 龍貓會12星期後戒奶, 4個月起就可進行交配, 但就視乎顏色而定, 而且不應讓太年輕龍貓女懷孕. 最少要 8 個月以上大.

■ 千萬不要近親繁殖龍貓.

■ 不應讓龍貓女懷孕得太頻密. 我們建議一年最多只讓龍貓女懷孕一次.