Most people are familiar with mice, gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, etc. for small cage animal pets, but the exotic Chinchilla, a lesser known variety, is probably the best kept secret for amazingly fun and adorable pets.  Much better than their smaller rodent cousins...in my opinion.  For the children's birthdays coming up (Noah turns 8 Aug. 31 and Anna 6 on Sept. 3rd), we decided (or I decided as my husband really isn't a pet fan) that perhaps they are ready for a pet that requires more responsibility than Beta fish (that we've managed to keep alive for over a year now, yea!).  They have been anxious for a dog or something they could cuddle and love, but to be honest, a dog is a commitment that I just can't handle at this juncture in my life.  Four children 7 and under is all the chaos I care to have and a dog just seems like raising another kid to me, albeit a toddler, really.  We looked at Chinchillas a year or so ago and I fell in love with them, but with a newborn felt the timing just wasn't right, but as Noah and Anna have grown and matured they have become very capable caretakers of many responsibilities....so Chinchillas....why not!

Chins are native to South America and live in the Andes Mountains.  The were brought to the states around 1923 by a mining engineer working in the Andes.  The original twelve were bred and most of the chins today are decendents of those original twelve.  There are many varieties of color, but the standard is a smokey gray.  We chose two males, as they are usually more tame and have less quirky behavioral issues.  I found them through a chinchilla rescue club two hours away near Nashville.  The lady (and my now Chinchilla mentor, Robbie) loves these animals and brings them in from all over.  She said with the economy like it is many owners are giving them up, so she's been bombarded with them.  I was amazed at what a good deal you can get going through a rescue verses the pet store.  We adopted two Chins for more than half the cost of one pet store one.  Plus, Robbie included bedding (pine chips), two 5lb bags of pellet food, two bags of dust for their dust baths (more on that later), hay blocks and twigs (for chewing) and I bought the cage and water bottle.  A very reasonable deal to get started, plus she has spent a lot of time socializing them so when we got them they were very friendly and not nervous around the kids.  Here is the link to our rescue and there are many all over the US: 

http://tennesseechinchillarescue.mylittlechinchillas.com/adoptions.html

Noah and his Chin Chester (born 7/18/08) playing in the bathroom.  Chins need lots of exercise outside their cages so we have them run around in the bathroom.  They jump and bolt all over the place which is a real hoot to watch.  They also poop EVERYWHERE so keeping them confined to the bathroom is a must.  The kids have poop patrol after every playdate as I'm not going to be the one cleaning up after kids AND chinchillas.  Thankfully, their mess is hard and dry and doesn't smell.  Whew! 

 Big bathtubs are great places for them to run!

Anna and her Chin Herman (born 1/18/08).  Herman is very fast and feisty when he's not in the mood to be held.  These photos were taken in the morning when they were ready for sleep.  They are nocturnal so playtime is around sunset and ALL night when the kids are asleep.  Fortunately, they do wake during the day for some snuggle time.

Two Chins especially need lots of room, so a large cage is a must.  This cage has levels for them to jump around on plus a cool tunnel.  This morning Noah thought they needed help as both were in the tunnel one in the up direction and the other down.  They looked stuck, but were really just hanging out.  They're very funny to watch!  Cage complete with a Chinchilla hammock for those lazy days year round.  :)

 Picture of our Chins from the rescue club web site before we adopted them.

 One of the most amusing things these critters do is take dust baths...yes I said dust baths!  This keeps their fur clean and shiny and they LOVE it.  A special volcanic ash is put in a bin where they hop in and roll frantically to coat their fur.  It's very funny!  Our dust bath box is enclosed so they don't fling dust everywhere, thankfully.  Then when they're done they hop out very relaxed and content.  Dust baths are given 1-2 times per week and the dust lasts a very long time.

This is not our Chin, but thought I'd show what the dust bathing process looks like.

The children are also required to compile a Chinchilla Guide of their own as a unit study for our homeschooling.  We will cover history, science, animal husbandry with fun pictures and Chin facts.  They also are taking a science class at Co-op called Critters, Critters, Critters where the Knoxville Zoo Mobile comes every other week to discuss various animals.  They have the option of bringing their pets to class one day.  So guess we'll be bringing Herman and Chester and their Chin guides.  Very cool hands-on learning experiences! 

Stay tuned for more Chinchilla adventures!!