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How to Buy & Care for Chinchillas

You are viewing an Expert Village Video Series:

This free video series teaches you all you need to find, buy, and care for a pet chinchilla. This series will also equip you with chinchilla facts about cages, breeders, fur, teeth, and feeding.

There are 32 videos in this series:
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Summary: Chinchillas are cuddly rodents from the mountains of South America. They are so cuddly, in fact, that they have been hunted for their soft fur to near extinction. One species of chinchilla, the giant chinchilla, is already extinct due to human predators trying to make money in fur markets since the 16th century. The remaining chinchilla species, brevicaudata and lanigera, are both rare in the wild and near extinction. The fur is truly luxurious, with 60 hairs sprouting from a single follicle; a chinchilla’s coat is so thick fleas cannot live on its skin. Although grey in the wild, as pets chinchillas are bred in a variety of colors and shapes. They are popular for their exotic nature, easy-to-clean stool, and playful personalities.

In this free video series, expert Lauren Von Lehe tells you all about these exotic rodents. She gives you expert information on chinchilla habits, health, care, and cages. Lauren will explain behaviors to you and give you tips on caring best for your chinchillas. She explains the different colors and where they come from, how to feed your chinchilla and why a healthy diet is so important, how to best take care of your pet’s fur, and how to set up a stimulating cage for your chinchilla. Lauren also shares the various ways to buy a chinchilla and why some places are better than others. Introducing new chinchillas to a cage can be tricky, and Lauren also provides different techniques for that! You will be an all-star pet-owner after this enlightening series on chinchillas.

About the Expert

Expert: Lauren Von Lehe began the Chinchilla Rescue and Adoption Network while living in Arizona and working at the Second Chance Center for Animals. They were not able to take in small animals at the rescue she worked in, and she soon realized that there was a great need for a rescue specific to chinchillas. Since then she has successfully rehabilitated and fostered chinchillas for over five years, caring for and adopting out 17 chinchillas. Some animals came in with medical needs, were taken out of horrible conditions, or were beloved pets who simply could no longer be kept. Lauren has worked hard to educate herself on their care, medical needs, and behavior by speaking with knowledgeable breeders who have been raising chinchillas for 20 years, visiting chinchilla breeding and rescue facilities, networking within the chinchilla community, and creating a network of good people to rely on for rescue and information.

Her rescue is also listed in petfinder.com.

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