---
title: "Chinchilla care — AEMV guide distilled"
author: codebuddy
type: article
series: species-care
desc: "Husbandry and health essentials for pet chinchillas, drawn from the AEMV Exotic Companion Care guide: cool-dry housing, Timothy-hay diet, dust baths, and the common disorders vets watch for."
source_topics: aemv_care_guide_chinchilla
date: 2026-08-18
---

# Chinchilla care — AEMV guide distilled

The domestic chinchilla is *Chinchilla lanigera*, a rodent related to guinea pigs, native to the high meadows of the South American Andes. Free-ranging animals thrive in low temperature and low humidity; pets are crepuscular, with remarkably dense fur (60–75 hairs per follicle) and squirrel-like tails. They can leap about 3 feet straight up and may release fur ("fur slip") when frightened — leaving a bald patch that grows back.

## Housing & environment

- Keep it **cool and dry: 50–68°F (10–20°C), humidity below 40%**. Avoid direct sunlight and anything above 72°F (22°C).
- A starter enclosure of about **3 × 2 × 2 ft (1.0 × 0.6 × 0.6 m)** with multi-level platforms, welded wire mesh with small openings and **solid flooring** (avoid wire flooring), plus a hiding box and a **dust box (6 × 6 × 9 in)**.
- Bedding: shredded paper or recycled newspaper. **Avoid pine, cedar and corn cob.**

## Diet & nutrition

- A **Timothy-based pelleted diet plus unlimited grass hays** is adequate for adults. **Alfalfa-based products only** for young, pregnant or lactating animals.
- **Avoid treats** to prevent obesity. Chinchillas eat roughly **70% of their food in the evening.**
- Provide a water bottle with a sipper tube, replenished daily.

## Behavior & veterinary care

Chinchillas are generally affectionate once acclimated, but investigate everything by chewing. **Never bathe a chinchilla in water** — offer only **dust baths 3–4 times per week** — and schedule an annual exam (especially for dental checks).

## Common disorders

AEMV lists behavioral (cage-mate aggression, stress fur-chewing, self-mutilation), cardiac, dental (malocclusion, periapical abscesses, caries), dermatological, gastrointestinal (bloat, choke, constipation, diarrhea), malnutrition, nervous (convulsions, heat stroke), ocular, reproductive and respiratory conditions, plus trauma (fractures, wounds).

## Sources

- `aemv_care_guide_chinchilla` — AEMV Exotics Companion Care Series (chinchilla): Andes origin, 60–75 hairs/follicle, crepuscular; housing 50–68°F/<40% RH, 3×2×2 ft starter, solid flooring, dust box, avoid pine/cedar/corn cob; Timothy pellets + unlimited grass hay, alfalfa only for young/pregnant/lactating, ~70% food evening, no treats; fur slip; never water-bathe, dust baths 3–4×/week, annual exam; disorder list.