They really are cute little things. I don’t know much about their health, though I do know that they do have a sort of ‘hop’. Most cages they come in are probably not appropriate, just like most cages rabbits come in aren’t. I would imagine that finding a proper vet would be even harder, since they are not as common as rabbits. I have heard that they have to be handled every day or they become shy and possibly bitey, but I don’t know if that is true. They also need dust baths. I don’t know if that is a potential allergy problem for some people. You would def have to do more research. Find a forum of crazies like us, but for Chinchillas!

They sound pretty cool. My 4th grade teacher had one in the class for a bit. It was really fun to watch the dust bath ritual.
Plus they are sooo so very soft. A rex rabbit is plenty soft though too. If I knew more about them I could actually be helpfull!!
But alas, I don’t.

You got me curious about these guys so I was googling a little bit and found the cutest  little white chinchila.

It’s a rare color mutation blah blah blah… $2,500.00!

I just had to link it cause it’s so cute.

Look at her toes.. do they not have toenails.. it’s just little pink piggies. And you gotta love the wiskers..

It’s from: http://www.chinchillas.com/listings/details/index1.cfm

I understand they are crespsecular like rabbits but sleep all day. Apparently they make a funny sound too.

I’ve never had one but my guinea pig rescuer friend has rescued quite a few.

I think they are quite cute little creatures but I’m not inclined to want one. I’m also not sure if you will be able to find a vet who knows chinchillas – even those that see rabbits might not see chinchillas.

I imagine to that they are on craigslist because the owners didn’t have enough info on them and now they want to give them away.

I know 2 things about chinchillas.  They are super soft and shy.  They can get into small spaces.  Ok that makes 3 things.

That white one is beautiful.  In the first pic it looks sort of like a little mouse.

OH by the way at the pet stores they have books on chinchillas.

SO cute!

Now I want a chinchilla and I know that is not going to happen. But they are so cute!

you are right it sure does look like  your foster bunny. 

OH popcorns huh?  thats what Ruby does when she binky’s

She hit her head on the bottom of her cage a couple of times doing that.

wow are they fast.

i have heard that they dont like to be touched. human oils and what not. they need dust bathes fairly often (more than once a week, i believe?) and cooling tiles to keep cool.

but they are very cute!

I think chinchillas are extremely cute but as far as I’ve heard from people who own them they are shy and skittish. Sort of like that extremely cute dwarf bunny that just won’t let you cuddle it, lol….just a big tease!!! There is one at my pet food store, their adopted mascot, I love to visit him.

This is the little bit I know: ones that are sold in petstores are usually very, very, VERY under-socialized. It may or may not be something that can be overcome. Our local store has had the same chinchillas for at least a year… and I doubt they ever get handled. I think if you were to get one, you’d want to avoid petstores and Craigslist (this probably goes without saying!) and get one from a reputable breeder, or better yet, a rescue that deals solely with Chinchillas.

They have very specific health needs, just like buns.  I don’t know anything about the specifics, but I’m sure there are good Chinchilla forums around if you wanted more info.

I had a friend that rescued chins – she had the BEST female one, if you put your hand in her cage she would crawl out onto your hand and crawl right up your arm and snuggle. She was so sweet So I think that some definitely could be really sweet, it would probably best though to find a rescue so you could meet the chins and learn their personalities before committing to one.

From what I know of them, they’re much more shy than rabbits and are less cuddly. I have a friend who rescued one and while he loves having her around, when he lets her out to exercise she just runs away and he has a hard time getting her back in her cage. He spent a long time getting her friendly enough to come and take food out of his hand, but he was never able to get her to climb on his arm so he could get her into and out of the cage easily. I imagine having a friendly one takes a lot of time and patience.

I also knew a girl growing up who had quite a few and her family loved them. They raised most from very little babies and they were actually quite friendly and outgoing, even with a bunch of loud 13 year olds hanging around.

I used to have 3 Chinchillas and I don’t think they make the greatest pets. It really depends on them and how much they are socialized. Pet store Chins are not handled at all; I used to work for a major chain pet store and none of the pets were handled. They require a lot of work and they need a huge living space. They don’t really like to be handled and my female used to stand on her hind legs and spray me with urine. It wasn’t very cute at all. They are pretty shy but mine LOVED raisins. After owning guinea pigs, rabbits, and chinchillas, I would definitely say that rabbits and guinea pigs make far better pets. There are a lot of chinchilla rescues and like you said, craigs-list is full of people getting rid of them because they just aren’t as cute and cuddly as most people think. I think that it completely depends on the owner though, if you aren’t so hands on with your pets, then it’s fine. But if you like to snuggle and cuddle with your rabbit/guineas…then a chin isn’t for you. Just my experience with mine, I know a lot of people just love them though. And I am pretty sure I just repeated what everyone else has said!