So I have done the entire chinchilla purchasing against almost ALL the advice here. Fluffy (my 5 years old gets all pet naming rights) was an impulse purchase, with very little knowledge. Didn’t get a big enough cage, so had to move her again after only 3 weeks. But even through it all Fluffy was a champ! While she really doesn’t like to be pet, she does like her chin scratched. She LOVES oats, and will climb all over me to get to them. She loves to perch up on my shoulders. She is the best pet you could ask for. I am a fully disabled vet with PTSD, and she helps me be calm and laugh every day. While I might have done it all wrong to begin with, I’m supper happy to have a chinchilla.