My Neighbor Totoro is a silk-haired mouse, which was later called My Neighbor Totoro because of its similarity to the protagonist Totoro Taro in Hayao Miyazaki's cartoon My Neighbor Totoro. Also because of this, more and more people keep chinchillas as pets, but if you want to keep a pet, you can't take it lightly. We must pay attention to the knowledge about raising chinchillas. A better understanding is to feed it.

Blue Diamond Totoro

Here are 10 things you must know about chinchillas:

1. Nocturnal animals

Chinchillas are nocturnal animals, most of them Active at night and usually sleeping during the day. Therefore, it is best to keep your chinchilla cage in a quiet place away from direct sunlight.

2. Fear of heat

Chinchillas are very sensitive to temperature and humidity. In their original homes, the weather is cool and dry, which is the most suitable for them. The temperature is between 15 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius.

3. Growing Teeth

The chinchilla's teeth never stop growing, even up to 12 inches a year, it needs frequent gnawing Bite something to grind your teeth. That's why before giving your pet chinchilla a lot of things, it's important to make sure they don't hurt themselves by gnawing on something unsafe.

4. Soft fur

Chinchillas have the softest fur of any land mammal. Their fur is so soft, which is why the primitive tribes of the Andes hunted them. The fur of chinchillas is very dense, mainly to keep warm and prevent moisture loss. Chinchillas have the densest fur in the world, with 40 to 60 down hairs per pore, and as many as 80 in the United States, where the provenance is the best.

5. Perception by whiskers

Despite their large eyes, chinchillas have underdeveloped eyes. They have long beards that are half the length of their bodies to help them see or feel what's around them.

6. Bathing in volcanic ash

Chinchillas do not have sweat glands, so they do not use water when bathing. Wild chinchillas bathe in volcanic ash. Use volcanic ash to help remove grease and grime. Artificially bred chinchillas use special bath sand to bathe. It is very good for chinchillas to take a bath every 2 to 3 days.

7. Will shed hair when frightened

Chinchillas are timid by nature and will shed their hair if they feel threatened or attacked. If your pet chinchilla also suddenly loses a lot of hair, it may be because of fear or poor care, and you must soothe it until it feels better. But don't worry, it will fully grow in about 6 months.

8, 8 weeks sexual maturity

Chinchillas are sexually mature at 8 weeks after weaning, but we do not recommend premature mating, especially for females Premature mating is prone to problems of dystocia. The best breeding age for chinchillas is after 8 months of age. The best reproductive age for female chinchillas is within 10 years of age. If they give birth too frequently, they may not be able to bear children around the age of 6. Female chinchillas give birth to 1-2 litters per litter, and very few can give birth to 3.

9. Excellent jumping ability

Chinchillas use their tails for balance, they are excellent climbers! In the wild, they live in many Rocky mountains, so they are able to jump from heights (about 6 feet).

10. Compassionate animals

Chinchillas are very compassionate animals. If one chinchilla mother cannot produce milk, the other chinchilla mother will help with breastfeeding.