Chinchillas are cute and fluffy, but they are wild animals that should not be kept as pets.

Chinchillas are native to the Andes mountains of South America. They live in colonies of about 100 individuals and forage for food in crevices in large rock faces. Chinchillas live in burrows and move around at night to avoid predators such as foxes and ferrets.

In the wild, chinchillas can live up to 18 years, but most pet chinchillas only survive for five years because they have been taken from their mothers too early and don’t have enough time to learn how to survive on their own in captivity.

Pet chinchillas must be handled carefully because they have fragile bones that can break easily if dropped or stepped on by people who aren’t used to handling them properly.

Pet stores often sell baby chinchillas that have been taken away from their mothers too soon — sometimes even before they are weaned from their mothers’ milk — which causes them severe stress and makes them more likely to die before reaching adulthood (around five months old).

Last modified: October 11, 2022