Chinchillas are a special type of pet that have managed to gain worldwide appeal, making solid information on responsible chinchilla care especially important. They are perhaps one of the cutest, cuddliest types of rodents, and many prefer them over their "creepy" counterparts like rats and mice. Chinchillas are particularly playful, so they tend to seem more "interactive" than other rodents.Others happen to like chinchillas for far different reasons. The chinchilla fur is quite unique, and the high value placed on the skins led to these creatures becoming almost extinct in the recent past. While this isn't the most useful chinchilla care information, learning about their coat is helpful for reasons I'll mention in a moment.The primary reason for the chinchilla fur being so popular may be linked to the fact that it is so soft. The hair is extremely dense, with there being about 55 or so hairs for each hair follicle. By contrast, and to put things in perspective, people only have a single hair in each follicle. It's an amazing fact that fleas are not even able to access chinchillas, because their thick hair prevents them from getting in. Even if they did, they would likely smother under the mass of hair!Speaking of fur, in general, chinchillas are grey in color. This is how they are commonly found in the wild, for instance in Peru where they are native. However, breeders have been able to manipulate things quite a bit, and today you can find a rainbow of options. In fact, chinchillas have turned up with fur that is white, violet, black velvet, brown velvet, and a black and white mix that looks like a Panda.Now, let's cover some key aspects of chinchilla care. Chinchillas are highly susceptible to being wet. They do not have any so-called "guard hairs," so the under fur can become wet, which can become a veritable breeding ground for fungus growth. As a result, chinchillas can end up with things like ringworm, which grow well in such a moist condition.To deal with this weakness in the wild, chinchillas stay clean by "bathing" in ash from volcanoes. This helps to remove all of the excess moisture, along with dead skin and oil. To mimic this in captivity, chinchilla owners periodically give them a "dust" bath. The dust bath may very well be one of the most important things you ever do in your repertoire of chinchilla care.Having covered their aversion to being wet, let's look at some chinchilla care information that directly impacts how many chinchillas you should have, as well as their gender. In their native habitat, chinchillas live in colonies.Because of this, they tend to do well when kept in captivity with a "roommate" in the cage. It's best, however, for this to be a same-sex chinchilla. Alternately, you can add additional females with a single male. The bad combination would be to put more than one male in with a female, since they would tend to fight. It's also important to give them sufficient amounts of room, because they can become territorial if cramped.For more information,go to "chinchillas care"!

A final note on chinchilla care is that they have a sensitive digestive system. Pet stores tend to offer special chinchilla food for this reason. A basic building block of the chinchilla diet is hay, and it's okay for them to have pretty steady access to it. They do not do well on sugar, however, so it's important that they not get treats with sugar. They can actually become diabetic or fat. As with any captive animal, good clean water is a must. Water bowls get dirty, so a bottle is best.If you interested in learning more,visit my awesome site!