Cute class animalsmammals, the order of rodents - chinchillas. Under natural conditions, they inhabit the foothills and mountains of Peru, Chile, Mexico, some parts of South America. They live in packs, up to thirty-five individuals. Pronounced matriarchy. As a rule, the pack is managed by one female, which has several successors. The lowest position in the "team" is occupied by males. In case of lack of food or in difficult climatic conditions, females can drive them out of the flock or kill them.
External signs
Chinchilla resembles a squirrel in body shape.It has a curved spine, the forelimbs are short, and the hind legs are well developed, and this causes the movement of the animal by jumps. The head of the animal has a triangular shape, planted low, almost no neck. Well-marked ears, uncovered by hair. Usually the eyes are black, but there are individuals with red eyes.
The animal has twenty teeth (four incisors andsixteen chewing), which continue to grow throughout the life of the animal and require constant grinding. With a lack of roughage this process is very slow. Regrowths (“hooks”) are formed on the teeth, which injure the tongue and chinchilla cheeks. In nature, such individuals quickly die, and domesticated animals have to be treated for a long time by a specialist.
Content at home
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, man becamestart in the house of the original pet at the time. Chinchilla, the maintenance and care of which is not very complex, has become especially popular in the last century. If you want to purchase these rodents for maintenance in an apartment, then you need to know what they love and what they absolutely do not accept.
You will need a spacious cage thatmust be installed away from drafts and heating devices. These small animals are equally contraindicated and overheating, and hypothermia. Draft can cause respiratory diseases, and overheating can lead to the death of the animal.
These animals are especially active at night, so init is not recommended to install a bedroom cage, since rodents will move a lot, make different sounds and interfere with the owner's quiet rest. Conditions of chinchilla should be as close to natural. You need to create a lot of moves and shelves so that they can easily move and jump as much as they want. In addition, it is necessary to organize a sender, drinker and several feeders. Despite the fact that in natural conditions chinchillas like to hide in burrows, there is no need to make special houses and shelters in cages. However, if they are present, then your pets will surely live in them.
При совместном содержании самцов следует sit in the cage very carefully. There are many cases where females have maimed and even killed them. Initially, rodents should be placed in individual cells and put them next. Observe the behavior of animals. If they behave calmly, they can be placed in one cell.
Chinchilla: care, maintenance, breeding, feeding
The diet of these rodents consists of dry food.50% of it is hay and dry grass, and the first must always be present in the animal. It should not be scattered throughout the cage. It must be kept in a sender. This is due to the fact that the dust that is in any hay can cause allergies in animals. You can use a variety of herbs - most often it is a dandelion, clover, plantain, nettle. Most importantly, they should not be poisonous.
The remaining 50% are special foods anddried fruits. They can be used any, but they must be well dried. In addition, rodents will not refuse to eat the bark of any fruit trees.
This is a very interesting animal - chinchilla.The maintenance and care of it involve the thorough cleansing of their long and thick hair. Water procedures are strictly prohibited to them, therefore they should regularly “take baths” in fine sand. The filler in the cage and tray should be changed as it gets dirty. Feed in the feeder and drinking water must be changed daily.
Walking
Шиншилла, содержание и уход за которой достаточно simple, requires regular walks through the apartment. These are very mobile animals, and their permanent presence in the cage is highly undesirable. But it is impossible to let them out of the cage without supervision, because they like to gnaw on wires and furniture, which can lead to injuries. It is best of all to carry out such walks in special walking spheres. In them, the animals are easy to navigate in space and develop good speed. It is important to choose the most transparent ball covering.
When to see a doctor
If your pet is a chinchilla, keep her housewill require you to pay close attention to her health. Abundant salivation, inactivity, refusal of food, a characteristic moan, pressing the ears to the head are serious reasons for going to the veterinarian.
Chinchilla content temperature
The content of these rodents at homewill require the owners to comply with the temperature regime. This is achieved by turning on and off the air conditioner, adjusting ventilation and heating. Chinchillas feel most comfortable at an air temperature of ten to twenty-five degrees. Relative humidity should not be higher than 60%. It must be remembered that the microclimate is influenced by the density of placement of chinchillas in the cell. Due to their crowding, the air humidity and temperature increase, the oxygen content drops significantly. The main sign of animal discomfort is the refusal of feed.
Light mode
On the physical development of rodents, theirviability, reproduction, growth strongly influences both solar and artificial light. Since their activity occurs at dusk, they do not need a too powerful lamp, rather small, which creates "twilight" lighting. You should know that it is impossible to leave animals completely without sunbathing. Chinchillas are in great need of sunlight, so in a cool summer evening, the cages with animals should be set in the sun.
How to water rodents
For chinchilla, water is very important.Their body contains 60% moisture. Having lost 5% of water, the chinchilla has unbearable thirst. If the animal loses 10% of moisture, its metabolism is completely disturbed. Changes in the internal organs and tissues that lead to the death of animals, occur with 15-20% loss of moisture. Therefore, regular watering is a prerequisite for normal chinchilla life. The optimal temperature of drinking water is 8-15 degrees.
How to choose a healthy animal
In recent years, the list of traditional homeSouth American guest chinchilla enlarged the animals. Maintenance and care of it are not difficult. These are very cute small animals. The length of an adult individual is no more than 35 centimeters, the tail length is approximately 15 centimeters, and the weight is 400-700 grams. At home, the animal lives for about 20 years. The coat of a healthy animal should be tight and smooth. Pet must be muscular and quite plump. Do not buy skinny and lethargic animals, as well as too well-fed and sedentary. Signs of infection can be discharge from the eyes and nose. It is also better to refuse such an animal.
As you know, in nature it is schooling (family)the animal is a chinchilla. Care and maintenance (testimonials from owners indicate this) for animals will be much easier if you purchase two heterosexual individuals. Alone, the animal may be bored.
Today you are introduced to the basic rules.care for a cute little animal chinchilla. Now you just have to make friends with your pet. Chinchillas are not very fond of when they are forcibly removed from their cage, caught around the apartment. But when the pet gets used to you, he will begin to climb up to you, allow him to stroke and play with him. This is a very cute and funny animal that can be your good friend.
