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Chinchilla Pick-up Checklist
The Early Stages
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Set up Cage
You should already have your chinchilla cage set up in a quiet room of your house away from direct sunlight
and out of direct drafts from your air conditioner or heater. If you are buying a young chinchilla be sure the wire
is no larger than 1" x 1". Some young chinchillas can get out of a 1" x 2" opening.
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Bring a Carrier
We suggest buying a plastic pet carrier which you can get at your local Wal-mart.
The smaller the better. Because these are mostly closed in, your new chinchilla will feel more
secure during the long ride home. This type of carrier still allows for plenty of air circulation so that your chinchilla
will be comfortable. I do not suggest using an all wire carrier. Your chinchilla will feel very vulnerable and afraid in one of these.
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What to Put in the Carrier
You will want to line the bottom of the carrier with Kiln-dried pine or a recycled litter such as CareFresh.
A few hand-fulls of hay will give your chinchilla something to munch on during the ride home. If you are buying
from a breeder call ahead and ask if these things are provided. We have plenty of pine and hay and are happy to
help you set up your carrier when you arrive.
There is no need to put a water bottle on the cage. The motion of the car would cause the water to leak out and the bedding will be all wet by the time you get where you are going.
Your chinchilla will be just fine during the ride home without water.
Unless your breeder has told you ahead of time what to buy, don't put chinchilla food in the cage. You should receive a bag of the food your chinchilla is
used to eatting. He should be fed only that food for the first 2 days and then any new food should be slowly weaned in over the next week or two.
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Plan Ahead
Its important to remember that chinchillas cool themselves using the air around their ears. When the room temperature is too hot a chinchilla can over-heat in minutes.
The temperature in your car can get warm very fast, even on a cool day. Be sure to keep the chinchilla cage out of direct sunlight and in a place where the air can circulate.
The middle of the back seat is a good choice. If it is a warm day be sure to start your car and give it time to cool down before you take your chinchilla out of the building.
Plan your trip so that you won't have to leave the chinchilla in the car with the ignition off. Use a drive-thru resturant for lunch and take turns going into the restroom so that someone can stay outside with the car running.
Remember to keep an eye on your chinchilla's ears during the drive. If he is getting too hot you will notice his ears looking bloodshot (the veins in his ears will be more easily seen).
If you notice this turn the A/C way up and get him cooled down. If you are traveling during the hot summer months you might want to bring a cooler full of ice packs. This way you can rotate them in the cage in case of an emergancy.
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The Welcome Home Party
You'll be wanting to show off your new chinchilla as soon as possible, but the first few days he is home are not the time.
Its best to place him in his new cage with the food that came from the breeder and then leave him alone for the rest of day.
It might be hard to do, but your chinchilla needs this time to get used to his new cage and environment. Once he is settled in and
getting used to the family you can begin introducing him to your friends. Be sure to limit his greeters to one or two at a time. A group of people will be very
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Packing The Car
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The Pet Carrier
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The Cooler (only needed during hot weather with ice packs and water bottle)
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The Driving Directions
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The phone number of where you are going
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Any Payment and/or Adoption Forms required.
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