Hi There! I just joined and I came here to ask some advice on whether or not I should get a Chinchilla.
Currently, I have one remaining gerbil who is four years old and like a best-friend to me. His buddy died in November 2012 (R.I.P Shay) but he is still going good. However, I know that soon, there will be a time when he joins his brother and I will be parted from him. This is a big dilemma for me because he plays such a big part in my life and I dont like to think of when he is gone
So I decided I would like to plan ahead, so I will be prepared for when it happens, with a fresh new start. I dont want another gerbil, as they are not independent and need attention, which is not ideal as I started secondary school this year. I quite like the idea of having a chinchilla as they are more independant and larger, and generally fit in with my lifestyle.
These are some aspects of my lifestyle and I would like to know if they suit a chinchilla:
*I live in cold england
*We own a pet cat
*The house we may be moving into is quite large (not a mansion though hehe
)
*I like to have adventurous playtimes with my pets (NOT in a cruel way)
*I like to give lots of attention to pets
*My school hours are from 8:00am to about 4:30pm, however I have a few afterschool clubs
*We go on long holidays! We go for the whole summer holidays (6 weeks) and every/every other half term
Also, here are some questions:
*How expensive are cages?
*Do they live in pairs, groups or solo?
*Do they live in light areas or dark areas?
*How expensive are average babies?
*Can they be trained to use a toilet, respond to there name?
*How messy are they on a scale of 1-10, 10 being incredibly messy
*How smelly are they on a scale of 1-10, 10 being smelliest
Thanks in advance. If you have any other advice please post it
