I own two chinchillas and I got to know a lot more about my furry little friends, thanks to this book. My chinchillas also liked the book as well. As I can see by the chew marks left on the binding, hahaha. I found the book to be very helpful and a great introduction into the world of chinchillas for a new chinchilla owner.

Technical Junk:

The author of the book is Anmarie Barrie. Seeing as the price sticker is still on the book I can tell you exactly what I paid for the book. The suggested retail is 7.95 and that is what I paid.

Table Of Contents

Introducing Chinchillas........1

The Pet Chinchilla.............15

Grooming and Taming...........32

Breeding.......................45

Health.........................57

ISBN 0-7938-2161-4

My Likes:

There are many things to like about the book. The fact that the book is only 64 pages long, in my opinion, is nice. The book is also fully illustrated, which is also nice. There are some great pictures of chinchillas, their babies, and daily life activities. It helps break up the monotony of reading. Besides, who doesn't like to look at pictures?

The book identifies exactly what a chinchilla is. They are classified members of the Rodentia. They are related to squirrels, guinea pigs, mice, hamsters, and gerbils. They come from South America in the Andes Mountains. Chinchillas are the most expensive of all rodents in the world. This is what sets them apart from the other rodents. The reason they are so expensive is due to their much sought-after super soft fur which people like to make garments out of.

After reading the book you'll know what kind of chinchilla you have. There are two different types. One is called chinchilla brevicaudata and the other is chinchilla lanigera. Lanigera is more commonly available.

I have both a male and a female. Stitch is the male and Lilo is the female. Lilo has a stockier appearance and has a thicker neck and shoulders, shorter ears, and a flatter nose. Therefore, I tend to believe she is a brevicaudata. Stitch on the other hand is the more common one Lanigera because of his narrower neck and shoulders, more pointed face and elongated ears.

The book also tells about how breeding herds were established. M.F. Chapman was a mining engineer that bought a chinchilla from a native, took a liking to it, then envisioned raising a whole bunch of chinchillas. The people that tried to bring chinchillas down from the Andes Mountains were all unsuccessful. Chapman was determined to be successful and figured out that the sudden drop in elevation was making the previous attempts unsuccessful.

The book explains how chinchillas make great indoor pets and can be kept in any size apartment or house. Most people aren't allergic to chinchillas. It's also good to know that chinchillas don't pose a serious threat to children, strangers or other animals in the house. Chinchillas may occasionally nip, but even a "true" bite is seldom severe. They are even sensitive to preferential treatment.

I can testify to all this. I have never received a serious bite from my chinchillas. The closest I came was one time when I was transporting my chinchillas to the vet and Stitch got his foot caught in the cage and was hanging upside down by his foot. I didn't know what to do because his foot was caught. I stuck my hand in the cage to lift Stitch up and take some of the weight off his leg. He unfortunately turned around and bit me. He did break the skin on my finger and it did pinch, but it was nothing serious. It wasn't Stitch's fault. He was scared, in pain and instinct took over. My cat has hurt me more than my chinchillas ever could.

The book tells you where you should look for a chinchilla and what you should look for before buying your chinchilla. It tells you how to identify health problems, how to sex your pet, how to handle them, about cages and accessories and where in your home to place the cage.

The book talks about litter as well, and how cedar shavings are not best suited for chinchillas because they contain a strong resin that can be harmful if consumed regularly. Chinchillas kind of have a chew fetish due to the constant growth of their incisor teeth. So cedar really isn't the best idea for them.

The book covers feed and water holders, miscellaneous supplies, nutrition, dust bathing, grooming, shedding, taming, chinchilla shows (high quality chinchillas competing), breeding, choosing a mate, introducing the pair, mating, mating troubles, preparing for the litter, birth, care of mother, newborns and weaning.

It also discusses health, elevated temperature, eye infections, colds, constipation, diarrhea cha cha cha, enteritis, cuts, fungus, fur biting, and ear problems. Most anything you would want to know is in this book.

The photos are great as well. Very clear crisp photos. You see pictures of the chinchillas in their cage, out in the open posing, standing on it's hind legs. There's pictures of babies and of the mother with its kit. Pictures of chinchillas dust bathing, being combed, mating, and even a picture of a chinchillas vagina (chinchilla porn! hehehe joke) after giving birth to a litter. There's also an illustration of the physical development of a chinchilla from conception to adult specimen.

My Dislikes:

I basically only really have one dislike about this book. It could be a little more in depth. I found this to be especially true of the health section of the book. It covers a lot of different health issues and it helps you identify the problem, but it doesn't really give you a solution. It also doesn't help you eliminate causes so that you can come up with what the exact cause of what's ailing your pet.

Here's an example: "Eye Infections- If a chinchilla's dull, "weepy" eyes are accompanied by red and swollen lids or a white discharge around the rim, it has an eye infection. Small pieces of dust or litter may have lodged in or scratched the eye, or lowered resistance due to stress or improper diet may have caused it. Adjust the diet accordingly and take the animal to a vet. The doctor will probably give you a prescription for an ophthalmic ointment. He will show you how to clean and medicate the eye. The condition will clear up in three or four days. During this time do not provide a dust bath."

Both my chinchillas at one time or another have had weepy looking eyes, sometimes reddish lids, and almost always a white discharge when they are having a problem. The above paragraph shows me how to identify the problem, but it only vaguely tells me what is causing it and how to be sure what is causing it.

Stitch was having quite the problem with his eye at one time that I took him to the vet. The vet gave me eye drops and basically told me that the eye wasn't scratched but was irritated. I don't think the vet was used to dealing with what you would call an exotic pet, but the drops did work and the eye cleared up.

I feel the book could have been more descriptive on how to identify whether the eye irritation/infection was due to the dust bath possibly getting lodged in the eyes or if it was due to stress or improper diet. How do you know what an improper diet is? How can you tell if your chinchilla is stressed? They also say to adjust the diet accordingly. My question is how do you adjust the diet accordingly? They say to take the animal to a vet, but the problem with that is that not all vets are familiar with chinchillas. That being said, that is why I felt the book should go a little more in depth with health problems.

Conclusion:

My final thoughts are that all in all the book is extremely helpful. I learned many things from it that I never would have known without reading the book. The book has drastically helped me know and understand my chinchillas better. It also has informed me on what to be careful of and what not to do or what not to give them. My recommendation is a highly recommend. I as an owner found it interesting, as well as my mother who never had a desire to own a chinchilla.

Recommended:
Yes