# Chinchillas



## LadyFlynt

For those that don't know...that is what is on my head in my avatar 

Chinchillas are "rodents of not so strangely large size" and could be considered cousin to squirrels. They originate in the Andes Mountains of South America. They are a bit pricey, but cost about average when compared to a dog (not a pound dog, though I think pound mutts can make some of the best dogs). They are VERY sociable and will get irritated if they don't receive their mandated "social hour" with their owners at least once a day. Very routine oriented creatures  And they are very CLEAN; they take special "dust" baths every day.

Anyhow, here are some pictures of Pedro. Uncle and Cousin bought him when they lived with us this past year. These are from an evening social hour with him...we kept social hour to the bathroom or their living room in order to both contain him and keep the kitties from getting to him (though we were also using the time to acclimate their kitten to him as well...the best thing is to always have a cage between the two, as cats only see them as food, and chins only see cats as something bigger than themselves to torment). He has since moved to Florida with his owners (Amber, he should be right near you in Spring Hill now  ).

















Amber (our cousin) and Pedro















Pedro would use my head as means to check out the door above me or as a "leaping point". My headscarf made climbing convenient.


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## Kim G

How cute!


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## a mere housewife

Oh, I'm going to tell Ruben he can express his love to me by getting me a chinchilla.

'I'd take my chinchilla everywhere, lalalala, I wouldn't care.'


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## LadyFlynt

a mere housewife said:


> Oh, I'm going to tell Ruben he can express his love to me by getting me a chinchilla.
> 
> 'I'd take my chinchilla everywhere, lalalala, I wouldn't care.'



You can buy a harness and leash for them


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## a mere housewife

I could walk my chinchilla. It would be _extremely _good for my health.


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## Theognome

My cat would run in terror from one of those.

Theogome


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## LawrenceU

They also make great stoles, jackets, and coats. . .


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## a mere housewife

Batman needs a good Batchinchilla.

By day a puritanboard moderator. By night, a superhero with a rodent that scares cats, He stalks through the streets of Gotham, walking a chinchilla on a leash . . .


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## LadyFlynt

LawrenceU said:


> They also make great stoles, jackets, and coats. . .


Meanie!  But yes, with as dense their coats are, they keep rather warm and clean.


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## he beholds

Wow. In some of those pictures you can tell how huge they are! 
I think I like that little guy!


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## AThornquist

Chinchillas are _so cute!_ I hear they are mean, though. Is this true?


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## LadyFlynt

he beholds said:


> Wow. In some of those pictures you can tell how huge they are!
> I think I like that little guy!



He was still young in those pictures. He did get a bigger.

-----Added 3/6/2009 at 02:12:19 EST-----



AThornquist said:


> Chinchillas are _so cute!_ I hear they are mean, though. Is this true?



No! They are not mean. I would imagine they could get mean if they are mistreated or ignored. Pedro would get an attitude if his social hour was skipped for a day. You have to handle them regularly, you can hand feed them a raisin a day (more can cause sugar overload...not good). Give them their "bath" every day (they flip around in a container of special dusting powder...but no longer than 10min or it can affect their lungs). Basically, socialization and routine are key.


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## nicnap

LawrenceU said:


> They also make great stoles, jackets, and coats. . .



 Pffftttahahahahaha! That was great.


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## Skyler

That sounds like a fascinating pet. Did you let him run free around the house, or was he kept in a cage most of the time?


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## Augusta

He is so cute. I didn't realize they had cute, squirrel-like tails.


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## Solus Christus

a mere housewife said:


> Batman needs a good Batchinchilla.
> 
> By day a puritanboard moderator. By night, a superhero with a rodent that scares cats, He stalks through the streets of Gotham, walking a chinchilla on a leash . . .



Yeah, what's Batman without his Robin... erm... Batchinchilla.


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## AThornquist

LadyFlynt said:


> No! They are not mean. I would imagine they could get mean if they are mistreated or ignored. Pedro would get an attitude if his social hour was skipped for a day. You have to handle them regularly, you can hand feed them a raisin a day (more can cause sugar overload...not good). Give them their "bath" every day (they flip around in a container of special dusting powder...but no longer than 10min or it can affect their lungs). Basically, socialization and routine are key.



Oh, goodie  I want one! I don't think it would go over well with my cat though. She already attacks and beats up the dog that is many times her size.


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## LadyFlynt

He was kept in a cage when Uncle and Cousin were at work. They brought him out in the morning and in the evening. It wasn't safe to let him run (we have a cat, they have a kitten, and we have 7 munchkins...also, large house, rural living, just not a good idea to let a rodent loose).

On their tails: you have to be very careful with their tails as they are fragile.

-----Added 3/6/2009 at 02:27:11 EST-----



AThornquist said:


> LadyFlynt said:
> 
> 
> 
> No! They are not mean. I would imagine they could get mean if they are mistreated or ignored. Pedro would get an attitude if his social hour was skipped for a day. You have to handle them regularly, you can hand feed them a raisin a day (more can cause sugar overload...not good). Give them their "bath" every day (they flip around in a container of special dusting powder...but no longer than 10min or it can affect their lungs). Basically, socialization and routine are key.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh, goodie  I want one! I don't think it would go over well with my cat though. She already attacks and beats up the dog that is many times her size.
Click to expand...


Yeah, ours is trying to figure out how to get at our Leopard Gecko.


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## AThornquist

You mean you can't swing them around by their tails? What if you reinforced it with duct tape first?


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## LadyFlynt

AThornquist said:


> You mean you can't swing them around by their tails? What if you reinforced it with duct tape first?



If you want to do that, start with a Gecko. At least they were created to let go of their tails (which is an interesting thing to see ...next to playing yoyo with banana spiders...I had a strange childhood).


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## AThornquist

A Gecko, got it. And you are flippin' me out with the banana spiders  I don't mind spiders (if I'm allowed to kill them), but imagining a kid doing that is disturbing to me 

Oh and about the rodents--have you ever considered marketing a cooler unit to keep deceased chinchillas in? Like a chinchiller? If kids are going to play yoyo with banana spiders they might as well play football with a frozen chinchilla. 

But anyway, do chinchillas like to snuggle? Or do they tend to have their own little comfort bubble that they don't like broken?


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## LadyFlynt

AThornquist said:


> A Gecko, got it. And you are flippin' me out with the banana spiders  I don't mind spiders (if I'm allowed to kill them), but imagining a kid doing that is disturbing to me
> 
> Oh and about the rodents--have you ever considered marketing a cooler unit to keep deceased chinchillas in? Like a chinchiller? If kids are going to play yoyo with banana spiders they might as well play football with a frozen chinchilla.
> 
> But anyway, do chinchillas like to snuggle? Or do they tend to have their own little comfort bubble that they don't like broken?



I was peer pressured by a neighbour kid and her mama on the spider yoyo...but it was cool and made a great memory (yellow and black banana spiders are harmless...red ones, steer clear). I spent three years of my childhood in the Pacific, so life was different.

Chinchillas are snugglers, but they are also skittish. You have to build trust with them.


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## Skyler

LadyFlynt said:


> AThornquist said:
> 
> 
> 
> A Gecko, got it. And you are flippin' me out with the banana spiders  I don't mind spiders (if I'm allowed to kill them), but imagining a kid doing that is disturbing to me
> 
> Oh and about the rodents--have you ever considered marketing a cooler unit to keep deceased chinchillas in? Like a chinchiller? If kids are going to play yoyo with banana spiders they might as well play football with a frozen chinchilla.
> 
> But anyway, do chinchillas like to snuggle? Or do they tend to have their own little comfort bubble that they don't like broken?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was peer pressured by a neighbour kid and her mama on the spider yoyo...but it was cool and made a great memory (yellow and black banana spiders are harmless...red ones, steer clear). I spent three years of my childhood in the Pacific, so life was different.
> 
> Chinchillas are snugglers, but they are also skittish. You have to build trust with them.
Click to expand...


In the Pacific?

Were you living with the mermaids or something?


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## AThornquist

That sounds just like one of my dogs. Okay. Well you may have convinced me to get a chinchilla at some point down the road! Cute little critters are just too much for me to not love.

So, have you ever had a ferret?


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## Honor

I want one... oh and you made me itch just thinking about the spider.... I almost got kicked out of church camp when I was about 12 for taking my shirt off during a nature hike... I had walked into a bananna spider and I just reacted... BTW I have severe arachnaphobia ... they let me stay when they realized I was tramatized... Now I carry a LOOONG stick with me in the woods and make a big X motion in front of me at all times.

but the Chin is sooooo cute.


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## LadyFlynt

Skyler said:


> LadyFlynt said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> AThornquist said:
> 
> 
> 
> A Gecko, got it. And you are flippin' me out with the banana spiders  I don't mind spiders (if I'm allowed to kill them), but imagining a kid doing that is disturbing to me
> 
> Oh and about the rodents--have you ever considered marketing a cooler unit to keep deceased chinchillas in? Like a chinchiller? If kids are going to play yoyo with banana spiders they might as well play football with a frozen chinchilla.
> 
> But anyway, do chinchillas like to snuggle? Or do they tend to have their own little comfort bubble that they don't like broken?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was peer pressured by a neighbour kid and her mama on the spider yoyo...but it was cool and made a great memory (yellow and black banana spiders are harmless...red ones, steer clear). I spent three years of my childhood in the Pacific, so life was different.
> 
> Chinchillas are snugglers, but they are also skittish. You have to build trust with them.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> In the Pacific?
> 
> Were you living with the mermaids or something?
Click to expand...


 No such luck. Guam was paradise for a kid though.

-----Added 3/6/2009 at 03:14:20 EST-----



AThornquist said:


> That sounds just like one of my dogs. Okay. Well you may have convinced me to get a chinchilla at some point down the road! Cute little critters are just too much for me to not love.
> 
> So, have you ever had a ferret?



Yes, my stepdad had one in a cage when I was a kid. I always got yelled at for "being too loud". Ferrets smell, are not kid friendly, and very mischievous. On the other hand, they are entertaining and I've known an elderly couple that owned 2 or 3 and loved them. They were allowed to roam free.


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## Skyler

Ferrets are fine as long as you don't have cords for them to chew on. That goes for rabbits too.

One of our elders was looking to get rid of his ferret. Dad wanted to get it, but Mom didn't like the idea of having it around the house with all of us kids. 

Someone suggested that he keep it at the print shop where he works. That was vetoed on the grounds that it might get caught in one of the presses and become a five-color ferret.


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## OPC'n

They are rodents and you have one on your head.


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## LadyFlynt

sjonee said:


> They are rodents and you have one on your head.



Cleaner and safer than birds, whom also like to land on my head


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## LawrenceU

Banana spiders are cool. They make huge webs. Get huge and eat lots of bugs. Throwing crickets into the webs is cool. Dropping them onto unruly campers is cool. Putting them in coffee mugs is cool.


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## JBaldwin

Love the one on your head, LadyFlynt! What cute little critters. I just can't let my daughter see them, or she will figure out a way to buy one for herself. We already have too many critters in our home. (The latest addition to her zoo is a tarantula)


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## AThornquist

LawrenceU said:


> Banana spiders are cool. They make huge webs. Get huge and eat lots of bugs. Throwing crickets into the webs is cool. Dropping them onto unruly campers is cool. Putting them in coffee mugs is cool.



When I was young I was running through some corn stalks in the small backyard of a friend's house. Apparently banana spiders set up shop there and ate the many bugs you mentioned. I ran into them, and it was one of the scariest moments of my life. 


Man, I would love to kill one of those things 

[Edit--Oh yeah, and I should mention that I had never seen a banana spider before so I didn't know if they would attack, if they were poisonous, etc.]


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## turmeric

Beautiful bunch of ripe bananas
(Daylight come an me wan go home)
Hide the deadly black tarantula!
(Daylight come an me wan go home)


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## LadyFlynt

LawrenceU said:


> Banana spiders are cool. They make huge webs. Get huge and eat lots of bugs. Throwing crickets into the webs is cool. Dropping them onto unruly campers is cool. Putting them in coffee mugs is cool.


You were a very active and imaginative child, weren't you 

-----Added 3/6/2009 at 05:20:02 EST-----



JBaldwin said:


> Love the one on your head, LadyFlynt! What cute little critters. I just can't let my daughter see them, or she will figure out a way to buy one for herself. We already have too many critters in our home. (The latest addition to her zoo is a tarantula)



I don't do tarantulas, though I hear they can be quite tame if handled properly. Banana Spiders are the only ones I can handle. I used to have nightmares about regular ole house spiders.


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## charliejunfan

Chinches are a PAIN to take care of and they STINK!!!, If you see one turn it into a nice STEAK, DO NOT keep it for a pet...unless.....you don't care about the horrendous smell and upkeep


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## LadyFlynt

charliejunfan said:


> Chinches are a PAIN to take care of and they STINK!!!, If you see one turn it into a nice STEAK, DO NOT keep it for a pet...unless.....you don't care about the horrendous smell and upkeep



Yes, there is upkeep. You have to take care of the litter in it's cage. You also have to give it a dust bath every day. We never had a stink issue while the relatives and their chin lived here. I've held it and it didn't stink. Ferrets STINK.

I would say that Chins are great for people that can spend the time with them. I don't, thus why we don't have one (note: this wasn't our chin and I didn't have to care for him...he lived here with his owners).


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## charliejunfan

Okay...so I'll admit that they are realy fun to play with and chase, my friend Quaid and I used to take his, set them down, count to three and then open our eyes and look for them, they can almost fit anywhere. I am just not an animal person, I guess they can grow on me.


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## tcalbrecht

Becky and I both went to South Abington Elementary School in Chinchilla, Pennsylvania.


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## LadyFlynt

tcalbrecht said:


> Becky and I both went to South Abington Elementary School in Chinchilla, Pennsylvania.



I'll have to remember that


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## kvanlaan

Hey, uh, your chinchilla has a Lady Flynt growing out of it...


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## Skyler

charliejunfan said:


> Okay...so I'll admit that they are realy fun to play with and chase, my friend Quaid and I used to take his, set them down, count to three and then open our eyes and look for them, they can almost fit anywhere. I am just not an animal person, I guess they can grow on me.



Wasn't there a Curious George story with that plotline?


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## puritanpilgrim

> They also make great stoles, jackets, and coats. . .
> __________________


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