I'm thinking about getting a chinchilla, but temperature is a problem. Any suggestions?

Question

I live in Florida, South Florida to be exact and I really want a chinchilla. The only problem is, its to hot. Usually in the day its in the 80's to 90's. In my house, we keep it around 76-77 degrees. I think I could convince my parents to lower the air to 75, but I prefer the chinchilla outside if possible. Can you think of anyways that I could create a cooler environment for the chinchilla without spending too much money?

Answer 1

You should not keep your chinchilla outside because it will expose your chinchilla to dangers other than the weather. Since you mention temperature is an issue, keeping your chinchilla outside will only put it in danger of overheating. Predatory animals and dogs could easily target your chinchilla. Keeping the chin inside with some temp fluctuation should not be a problem so long as you keep a good idea on your pet. If you wanted to keep it outside, you would have to build it it's own condo with air because ice packs will not be enough to keep the chin cool in the Florida heat and humidity. Keeping it inside with air conditioning should not be a problem, and you could alternate with covered ice packs. This is what we had to do with our guinea pigs when we did not have air conditioning. Fans can help a little bit, but will not provide all the cool air needed for the chinchilla. Peace

Answer 2

I agree with the previous answer. They do not handle humidity well and do not easily tolerate temperatures above 80 degrees F (being that they are from cooler, dry, mountain regions). What you can do if you decide to have them inside, is place them away from outside doors or windows, keep the temperature below 80 degrees (preferably 75 of course), and put frozen water bottles in the cage when it gets hotter (plastic bottles filled with water and frozen solid, then wrap it in a cloth so the condensation cannot get on the chin. Put the wrapped bottles in the cage where they like to sit and you will see them snuggle up to the cool areas). You can also get pieces of granite (the same stuff we use for kitchen counters) an pout flat slabs of those in the cage. They like to sit on these because granite is always cooler than the temperature of the room, and since their feet are not covered with hair, they can cool themselves by standing on the granite.

If you do want them outside, I am afraid it will be very expensive to do. Many people build outside enclosures (using drywall, not like a shed or anything) that are air conditioned (you can get a portable air conditioner for $600- $1500, make sure it is not the kind that pumps water into the room) and have a de- humidifier which will help take some of the water out of the air.

The good thing is that chins are excellent inside pets. They are hypoallergenic, they emit no smell (other than their urine, which if the cage is cleaned weekly, there is no problem), and they are relativley quiet (but I would not suggest giving the chin a wheel and putting it in your bedroom, because they are nocturnal).

Best of luck!