Chinchillas are amazing animals with valuable and thick fur. These animals are quite smart and cunning among rodents, they are very affectionate and do not require special care. Therefore, it is not surprising that chinchillas have gained immense popularity as a pet.
Undoubtedly, any pet owner wants his pet to live as long as possible. In this regard, chinchillas can be classified as long-livers. Indeed, despite the fact that they are small, chinchillas can live up to 25 years in captivity. In natural conditions, as a rule, such animals live much less due to the many dangers that lie in wait.
It should be noted that the life expectancy of these animals at home depends entirely on their maintenance, nutrition, care. It is important to know that walking around the apartment without the supervision of the owners, labor, and also exotic food contribute to a significant reduction in the lifespan of chinchillas.
You need to understand that the genetic factor also plays a rather significant role. As a rule, those animals that were brought from Europe live for a long time. This is due to the fact that they are more responsible for their health, nutrition and breeding. Thus, the lifespan of a pet depends on its owner as well.
Conditions of keeping chinchillas
One of the most important conditions for caring for chinchillas is the installation of an air conditioner. The fact is that these animals cannot at all tolerate high air temperatures. The most comfortable temperature regime for them is 23 ° C, and the minimum temperature should not fall below 15 ° C. If the mark of the thermometer rises to 30 ° C, then this can cause the death of the pet from heatstroke, and for a very short time.
It is worth noting that the long exposure of the chinchilla to the sun is also contraindicated. These animals are unusually shy, they do not like loud sounds and noise. Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that peace and silence are considered a favorable regime for keeping such animals.
What you need to feed a chinchilla
Chinchilla is a herbivore, so it should be fed with specialized feeds that contain all the necessary elements and vitamins. Basically, the food of these animals consists of a diet that includes complete food, hay and water; additional feeding from berries and fruits, rolled oats, as well as various delicacies, which are treated to a pet in small quantities. These include berries and dried fruits, alfalfa rings and nuts. Vitamins are also a necessary additional component to the main diet.
It is worth considering that the natural food of chinchillas is not so diverse, therefore, their body accepts only food of a certain composition. Otherwise, a deviation from the norm can contribute to a reduction in life, the occurrence of health problems, which will be difficult to eliminate.
