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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Aibu wanting Chinchillas

90 replies

Staasaurus · 29/03/2022 20:55

Try to talk me out of getting them...

OP posts:
EatTheToast · 30/03/2022 09:17

What I'm trying to say is cats and dogs can have q good life in captivity, other animals do not get the life they need.

Beachsidesunset · 30/03/2022 09:21

We had lots. Very long lifespan (up to 20 years), quite messy with concentrated urine (need a lot of cleaning). Shed madly. They're exotics so can be hard to find a vet. Not very handle-able. Lovely creatures but not a child's pet. Second suggestion of a rat instead. Good on you for doing your research!

OfstedOffred · 30/03/2022 09:22

If you want something fluffy which might actually like you and your DS, doesn't stink, and is low maintenance....

Get a kitten.

Ours loves the kids, will snuggle up to them on the sofa when they are watching tv and sleeps on my lap while I work.

SmallPrawnEnergy · 30/03/2022 09:25

@Staasaurus

Chillas are cuter than rats!
Christ, get a stuffed one then. People have explained the maintenance and reasons why they are hard work and really shouldn’t be a pet and this is what you come up with?

Rat or Chinchilla you shouldn’t get any.

Beachsidesunset · 30/03/2022 09:30

Our last one died several years (and house moves) ago. Still finding his poo around the place ...

MrsMoastyToasty · 30/03/2022 09:33

I know someone who had one. They literally had chunks gnawed out of their wooden window cills.

SignOnTheWindow · 30/03/2022 10:34

Wherethespiritmeetsthebones is right.

I have two chinchillas. They are complex little creatures with very specific needs. So many things are unsafe/unhealthy for them, so you will need the right type of space and a lot of time and money to keep them safe, healthy and contented.

They may look cute, but they are rarely up for being petted, despite what you may have seen on social media.

It's hard to find appropriate vets.

EilonwyWithRedGoldHair · 30/03/2022 11:07

[quote Ponoka7]@SelkieQualia

"A rabbit would be a far better choice"

It's cruel to have one rabbit. Rabbits aren't really pets. We started keeping them in hutches as an easy meat supply. Rabbit is a global food source. There's only a small list of rodents that we can keep without them living in misery, or at least neglected for their real needs. You know how isolation and not going outside kept us alive at the start of Covid, but unhappy? That's how life is for animals that we keep in cages.[/quote]
I had rabbits when I was younger, they were only in their hutch over night, were usually out from around 8am until 10pm (or later, sometimes out all night if they refused to go in, they had plenty of hiding places in the garden), came in the house as well as the door would be left open. They seemed happy, digging tunnels, killing off all the plants, terrorizing the cats.

Not that I'd have a rabbit again, they are a lot of work and a huge responsibility. I am interested in having a pair of degu one day, but I'd also love to have rats.

Another option for OP is a hamster. They also throw poo out of their cage and are adorable. Ours had two cages connected with a tube so she had a bit of room to roam at night, but we'd also have her out in a hamster ball every evening and would set up boxes and tubes either in the bath or on the sofa for her to explore, with treats hidden amongst them - obviously my sister and I would be watching closely to make sure she didn't escape! And the cats would be locked out.

GiraffesInScarfs · 30/03/2022 11:44

[quote Ponoka7]@SelkieQualia

"A rabbit would be a far better choice"

It's cruel to have one rabbit. Rabbits aren't really pets. We started keeping them in hutches as an easy meat supply. Rabbit is a global food source. There's only a small list of rodents that we can keep without them living in misery, or at least neglected for their real needs. You know how isolation and not going outside kept us alive at the start of Covid, but unhappy? That's how life is for animals that we keep in cages.[/quote]
Rabbits are not rodents!!

damnthisvirusandmarriage · 30/03/2022 11:56

I’ve rescued two rats recently. Absolutely fantastic pets. Children love them. They love the children. Very affectionate and fascinating to watch.

We do have a very large cage for them and they can free roam too. Also you can train them to do little tricks and things.

Low maintenance. Cheap to upkeep.

damnthisvirusandmarriage · 30/03/2022 11:59

Rescued from a rescue shelter. not just random rats….. they have degus, rats etc there. If you’re in north west or north wales I can give you the name of the rescue.

Cattenberg · 30/03/2022 12:06

I nearly got chinchillas, but decided not to as I couldn’t give them an enclosure the size of a room. Also, I spoke to a chinchilla owner who described them as “temperamental”. His chinchilla lived alone because an attempt to introduce him to a companion hadn’t worked.

I had room for a large tall cage and a separate run, so I ended up getting a group of degus. They’re (mostly) diurnal and very active and inquisitive, so good fun to watch. It was great when they were all getting on well, but unfortunately, when they fell out, things could get very ugly.

With hindsight, I probably should have got gerbils. I had a pair as a child and they were cute and fun to watch. They’re also smaller and only live for about 2-4 years.

Cattenberg · 30/03/2022 12:14

You can give degus/gerbils time in a secure outdoor run in good weather. They love it!

VeryQuaintIrene · 30/03/2022 16:44

*If you want something fluffy which might actually like you and your DS, doesn't stink, and is low maintenance....

Get a kitten. *

Kittens are amazing, but low maintenance they are not!

Olinguita · 30/03/2022 18:27

Looked after my neighbour's chinchilla for a month and it nearly broke me. Fur and poo everywhere, projectile wee, nightime shrieking, impossible to catch once out of the cage. I implore you not to get one

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