Anyone ever kept chinchillas?

[Hermit]

Ds (12) is very keen on getting two of these. He's done quite a lot of research - they look quite high maintenance to me! We are seasoned guinea pig/hamster/rabbit keepers, but have no experience of chinchillas. Would welcome any advice?

They are higher maintenance thank rabbits/guineas but they are great pets.
They do need a "dust" bath every day to keep their fur beatiful but honstly they are great fun..
What would you like to know?

Anything and everything really - do they need huge cages? Presumably they stay indoors all the time. Can they really live to 20 years old? Is it relatively easy for someone else to look after them when you're away? Do they suffer many health problems? Are males or females more friendly in general? Thanks for replying.

We have been the proud owners of chinchillas for a while now. They do need quite a large cage, with height rather than width as they like to climb up. Having had rabbits before, I find chins easier and friendlier. All somebody needs to do whilst you are away is make sure they are fed and watered.
Mine eat pellets from the pet shop, and have fresh hay daily. They need cleaning about once a week - our cage has a pull out tray so this is relatively easy. They are chewers though, so when you let them out for a run around it is better to supervise them and make sure there are no cables around. They have a daily dust bath which is quite fun to watch.
We were told we had two females when we bought them - however we discovered recently that this was untrue and we now have six chinchillas instead of two! So there are two babies here looking for homes! Make sure that you do get two of the same sex as ours have bred very easily.
Hope this helps.

My ex-boyfriend had one. It was like greased lightening and could fit through the tiniest of gaps. I would make sure the room is very secure before you let it out for a run .

Thanks for all the comments - we're still undecided! They do sound and look very cute, but it seems a big responsibility, especially as i read elsewhere they're endangered in the wild. You're not in surrey are you, WizzleWoo? - or I might make you an offer!

they are really boring. my friend has one, and i looked after it for a week, it pooed and weed more than i could have imagined and only came out at night. on the cuteness factor, they rate quite high, but i would steer clear and get something more interactive. like a Wii

Hi Hermit - we are in Bucks so not too far from you. My chins are definitely not boring - they are lovely and great characters!