Chinchilla

Laurie Hess, DVM, DABVP

By Laurie Hess, DVM, Dipl ABVP (Avian Practice) When cared for and fed properly, chinchillas can make great pets. As with all pets, a proper diet is key to health and long life in chinchillas. Feed them right, and you’ll have a happy, cuddly pet for many years. So, what exactly do chinchillas eat? Learn more about their diets, below. Your Chinchilla’s DietChinchillas are...

PetMD Editorial

By Vanessa Voltolina Small, furry pets can make wonderful companions for both children and adults, and chinchillas are no different. However, it’s best to be to make sure that chinchillas—affectionately...

PetMD Editorial

By Laurie Hess, DVM, Diplomate ABVP (Avian Practice) Fur slip in chinchillas is a fancy name for the release of a large patch of fur in response to being grabbed or being handled roughly. Wild chinchillas...

PetMD Editorial

By Laurie Hess, DVM, Diplomate ABVP (Avian Practice) Chinchillas’ teeth, like those of other rodents, such as guinea pigs and degus, are open-rooted and grow continuously throughout their lives. Wild chinchillas...

PetMD Editorial

By Dr. Laurie Hess, DVM, Diplomate ABVP (Avian Practice) Chinchillas are rodents that are generally hardy pets. However, they do commonly develop a handful of problems that all chinchilla owners should...

Laurie Hess, DVM, DABVP

When pet guinea pigs and pet chinchillas are happy, they literally jump for joy. This behavior, frequently called “popcorning” (or less often, “pogoing”—as if jumping up and down on a pogo stick—or “pronking,”...