Evidence-Based Refinements for Chinchillas

Key Natural Behaviors

• Herbivore 
• Precocious (born with eyes open and eating solid food) 
• Crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) 
• Likes to have hiding spaces 
• Dust bathing to maintain fur coat 
• Jumping and climbing (benefit from vertical space) 
• Social creatures 
• Chewing and gnawing 

Recommendations

• Availability of Dust Bath 3x/week 
• Vertical spaces in primary housing 
• Temperature < 70°F and relative humidity < 50% 
• Solid bottom caging 
• Weekly cleaning or continuous spot cleaning 
• Access to shelter for hiding & perching for vertical space in a cage 
• Minimum floor space: 1-2 ft2/adult with 12 in of cage height 
• Gnawing enrichment (pumice stones, Nylabones®, wood sticks) 
• Cohoused in same-sex cohorts of 2-4 adults 
• Caging needs to be modified to house kits (baby chinchillas) with no gaps > 0.5 inch 
• Can be fed chinchilla, guinea pig or rabbit diet 
• High-quality hay is available at all times 
• Regular positive human interaction

Click here to see standard operating procedures for handling common chinchilla health concern

Further Reading

Publications

• Hsu C., Chan M., Wheler C. 2015. Biology and Diseases of Chinchillas. p 387-405. In: Fox J., Anderson L., Otto G., Pritchett-Corning K., & Whary M., eds. Laboratory Animal Medicine, 3rd edition. San Diego (CA): Elsevier, Inc. 
• LaFleur RA, Williams-Fritze MJ. 2020. Now Ear This: Caring for Chinchillas in Research. Laboratory Animal Science Professional. Sept 2020, pg. 8-12. 
• Darbyshire A., Osborne A., Jackson G., Fong D., Williams-Fritze M., Feldman E., Manuel C.A. The Chinchilla Consortium: Supply and demand needs for chinchillas. Laboratory Animal Science Professional. Nov/Dec 2022, pg 16-19. 
• Darbyshire A., Osborne A., Jackson G., Fong D., Williams-Fritze M., Feldman E., Manuel C.A. The Chinchilla Consortium: Standardizing Health and Husbandry. Laboratory Animal Science Professional. March/April 2023, pg 16-22. 
  

Posters

• Williams-Fritz M., Beiler R., Coble D.J., Darbyshire A., Dobek G.L., Esquivel R., Fink M.K., Fong D.L., Habenicht L.M., Jackson G., Lewis S., Malbrue R.A., Mitchell E.L., Ortega, M. Osborne A., Thurman C., Williams W., Manuel C.A. The Chinchilla Consortium and Its Role in Improvement of Standard Practices for the Laboratory Chinchilla. J Am Asso Lab Anim Sci. 60(5), 2021 
• Feldman E., Sunbar M., Williams-Fritze M., Jackson G., Manuel C.A., Beiler R., Darbyshire A., Fink M., Fong D., Habenicht L., Larson D., Mitchell E., Ortega M., Osborne A., Thurman C., Williams W. Approaches to Chinchilla Housing and Enrichment in the Laboratory Setting. J Am Asso Lab Anim Sci. 61(5), 2022 
  

This page was created by members of the Chinchilla Consortium

Background on the Chinchilla Consortium: The Chinchilla Consortium is a volunteer group of laboratory animal veterinarians, animal resource facility managers, and IACUC professionals from approximately 20 research institutions across the United States. The goals of the Chinchilla Consortium are 3 fold: 1) to identify and support a nationally recognized vendor for the production of purpose-bred, specific pathogen-free chinchillas for biomedical research, 2) support the veterinary and laboratory animal community with reliable knowledge and resources for the veterinary care of chinchillas in a research environment, and 3) to develop and standardize the highest level of husbandry and veterinary care practices across institutions. 

For further chinchilla questions or to join the Chinchilla Consortium, email one of the authors cited in Darbyshire et al. 2022.