Living With Maunzy (The Chinchilla)

Maunzy is a fluffy, soft nosed, kangaroo legged crazy energetic, stink-free lovable little animal- every child's dream! Well... sort of.

It is true Maunzy is lovable, and although he is not very bright (he is constantly running into my legs at full speed, and afterward sitting there with a perplexed expression only to scamper off and then repeat this action over again) he is EXTREMELY persistent. I guess it is like having the dream "a kitten or puppy that never grows up" along with the baby cuteness comes the baby chew fest! They love anything they can get their teeth into, which isn't a good thing because their teeth can tear through clothing, carpet and cages- but they aren't all bad, Chinchilla's are a ton of fun if you are responsible and make it a point to watch them when they are out.

One thing Maunzy loves to do is bathing in his dust bath. The "dust" is a replica of the volcanic ash native to the Alps, where they live in the wild. Chinchilla's need this dust to dry up the body oils that they produce. (This is a plus because it means chinchilla's don't have that pungent odor that is a trademark of rodents). Giving a Chinchilla a dust bath is nothing like giving a puppy a traditional bath. Chinchilla's absolutely LOVE this dust! I keep Maunzy's dust bath out of his cage as to not contaminate it with food and bedding, often his bath is the first place he will go when i open up his cage.

As I said previously chinchilla's are avid chewers. Maunzy has chewed up my carpet but and walls. This curiosity can be dangerous for these little creatures because of electrical cords, poisonous substances and woods that are unfit for them (red wood). I have found that a great deterrence for Maunzy is putting a large piece of willow wood in his cage. Chinchillas have to chew because, like many other rodents, their teeth grow constantly.

Chinchilla's also chew on people. When they chew they are only testing, however, they don't actually bite, so this kind of chewing is usually painless unless they are threatened. I have only been bitten like that once when I was putting medicine in one of his eyes for a wound he had. Maunzy loves nibbling on my toes, elbows, and occasionally by chin and eyebrows/ lashes.

"Every object that's new to the chinchilla is first tested to see if it's edible... When you stick a finger through the cage bars, you promptly experience the more or less gentle test bite-- you just might be something edible! This tentative biting is not meant to be vicious, but people find it unpleasant."

from Chinchillas by Maike Roder-Theide

Their chewing can be damaging for furniture so BE IN THE ROOM WHEN THEY ARE OUT! Just a few Chinchilla bites and you can have a nice little bite chunk missing from your bookcase. Chinchilla's don't understand commands like dogs, so you cannot yell at them when they chew or they will become frightened of you. Instead use distractions or walk over and pick them up. These animals aren't malicious, just curious.

Maunzy loves to be scratched- behind the ears, the stomach, under the arms. Maunzy is energetic and a bit jumpy by nature but there are a few things that makes him sit still. Listening to music and being scratched. Chinchilla's defiantly have to warm up to you before they will let you do this, though. Maunzy will not let strangers do this. Actually when my brother first gave me Maunzy he would hide under my bed and not ever come out for about the first two weeks whenever I let him out. Chinchillas are frightened animals until they become comfortable with their environment.

Chinchilla's have powerful jumping legs. Maunzy frequently runs across my room and springs at the door, making incredibly high jumps. He will regularly jump up 3 to 4 feet onto the wall. Sometimes when Maunzy is perched up on my shoulder he will hop off down to the floor he has never been hurt this way, but chinchillas have fragile skeletons so precautions have to be taken so they won't be damaged.

Chinchilla's are adorable to watch eat. They sit up on their hind legs and grasp their food in their front paws. They look so much hands with little fingers on them more than anything, this is another fun part of having a chinchilla.

Chinchilla's look like they have a little bit of extra weight hanging around. Most of this is their hair. Chinchilla's have very soft hair (50-100 hairs per follicle) and it makes them look... large. This should not fool you though. They are like mice Maunzy squeezes his body under my fridge and in the tiny spaces between my bookshelves. His body is very flexible!

Maunzy is blind in his right eye as you can tell from the picture. Although he can't see through through it anymore he is still the lovable little pet you love to have around. When the accident happened (someone ran into my room quickly and under the commotion ended up kicking Maunzy) He went to the vet and I had to apply medicine daily for a few weeks. Needless to say he did not appreciate the medicine (a gel sort of substance) and sadly began avoiding me. Now that his eye is healed we are friends again.

Maunzy is an amazing pet and with the correct information about how to take care of them chinchilla's can be fun roommates. If you decide to invest in a Chinchilla make sure to get a proper knowledge of them first! They must have large cages, specific diets with hay and pellets, dust and many other specific needs. Do your research and have a great time with these interesting pets!