* Cheerio found her forever home with amazing people! Yippee! *

An update from Cheerio’s adopter:

“Hi Ladybirds,

Cheerio came into Hamilton Animal Services after being found in a backyard in Hamilton. Thank you to the kind folks to managed to carefully contain Cheerio when she showed up on their deck.

Cheerio is friendly and has not tried to bite, though she isn’t a fan of being picked up. She had a vet visit shortly after coming into our care, and she is thankfully in good health.

Being a young chinchilla, Cheerio is a very energetic young lady. She loves the time she spends out of her cage and she’ll run full speed around the room, jump crazy heights, and bounce off the walls. If compared to a human, Cheerio would be an elite athlete. She’s got some serious skills!

A few things to know about Chinchillas:

– They are nocturnal
– Their average lifespan is 10+ years
– They need a diet of Chinchilla specific pellets and a constant supply of timothy hay. Cheerio is currently eating Oxbow brand of both of these.
– Their teeth never stop growing (much like a rabbit) so they require lots of things to chew. Check out Tiny Paws Emporium and Zoey and Lilo’s Toy Box to see all kinds of fun chew toys
– Chinchillas need to take dry dust baths two to three times a week with a store bought chinchilla sand. They should not be bathed with water.
– A very large cage is required to keep your chinchilla happy. We recommend Critter Nation cages, or a large cage similar in size. The bigger the better!
– Chinchillas need a large wheel for running. The Flying Saucer is one of the best available. Inappropriately sized enclosed wheels can often cause a chinchilla unsafely bend their backs which can cause injury
– Plastic exercise balls are not safe for chinchillas
_ “Floor time” or time spent outside of their cage for supervised exercise is required daily. The area where a chinchilla will be spending this time must be “chinchilla proofed” to prevent accidents such as injury or death from chewing electrical wiring, or getting their limbs caught up in something that might cause a break.
– Chinchillas do not make great pets for small children
– Most veterinarians do not treat chinchillas. Finding a vet close to you who is experienced with chinchillas should be done before bringing a chinchilla home.

Click here for the basics of chinchilla care.