Chinchilla

How Long do Chinchillas Live in Captivity & in Wild? #Lifespan

Chinchillas have been known to have a great life expectancy even in the wild, and that can be one of the prime reasons why they make an excellent choice for a pet. They can indeed be your long term companions, and that is precisely what makes them one of the much-preferred options to go with.

Contents

1 How Long do Chinchillas Live, and What is the Chinchillas Life Expectancy?
2 How Long do Chinchillas Live in the Wild?
3 How Long do Chinchillas Live in Captivity?
4 The Lifespan of Short-Tailed Chinchilla’s
5 The Lifespan of Long-Tailed Chinchilla’s
6 How to Increase a Chinchilla Life Expectancy?
- 6.1 Top 9 Tips to Prolong the Chinchilla Lifespan
7 Concluding Thoughts on Lifespan of Chinchillas

How Long do Chinchillas Live, and What is the Chinchillas Life Expectancy?

Chinchillas in the wild can live up to 8 to 10 years. A chinchilla in captivity with good care can live up to 15 to 20 years. The chinchillas in their native Andes Mountains in South America can live up to 10 years.

chinchillas life expectancy

How Long do Chinchillas Live in the Wild?

Chinchilla’s life span in the wild would be around 8 to 10 years. In their native Andes Mountains in South America can for around 10 years where the atmosphere is conducive to their well-being. The average lifespan of a chinchilla would be around 10 to 20 years.

Chinchillas in the wild are native to the South American region of Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, and Peru. When living in the wild, they are likely to live for a lesser lifespan. That is primarily because of their need to stay safe from the predators and handle a wide range of issues such as looking for food and handling tough weather.

How Long do Chinchillas Live in Captivity?

In captivity, Chinchillas live for more than 15 to 20 years. If you take proper care for the chinchillas in captivity, you can find them living for more than 20 years. Chinchillas have an exception for a long lifespan for rodents. If you are looking for an appealing pet choice that lasts a longer lifetime, the chinchillas can be your best bet.

The chinchillas do not fall prey to predators when in captivity, either as pets or in a zoo. If you take proper care of your pet chinchilla and provide it with a better quality of balanced and nutritious food, they can live up to 20 years or more. If you want your chinchilla to reach that milestone, you need to take enough care of the animal to ensure their longevity.

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The Lifespan of Short-Tailed Chinchilla’s

The life expectancy of shot tailed chinchillas can range up to 10 years in the wild and up to or even more than 20 years in captivity. The short-tailed chinchillas are a species of small rodents and are quite limited in terms of their habitat.

The current population of the short-tailed chinchillas in the wild is quite unknown as of now. The prime reason for the near extinction of the short-tailed chinchillas is that they are high in demand in the fur industry. Their dense and finer fur is highly in demand, and it has been observed that these rare animals are being killed for the fur.

The short-tailed chinchilla is also called by a few other names such as Bolivian chinchilla, Peruvian chinchilla, or royal chinchilla, and differ slightly from the other genre of the genus chinchilla, which is a long-tailed chinchilla.

The Lifespan of Long-Tailed Chinchilla’s

The long-tailed chinchilla can have a life expectancy of 10 years in most of the circumstances. In the captivity or as pets, the long-tailed chinchillas have a life expectancy of around 20 years or even more.

The long-tailed chinchillas are typically found in the regions of the Andes Mountains of northern Chile. The chinchillas are actually herbivores, and that holds true about the long-tailed chinchillas as well. They can eat a wide range of plant-based food that includes seeds, grass, leaves, roots, lichen, and mosses. If you fed them a balanced and nutrition filled food, the long-tailed chinchillas can live up to 20 years or even more.

How to Increase a Chinchilla Life Expectancy?

Chinchillas can have a better lifespan if they have plenty of space to play and a companion. Make sure to get at least one companion to your chinchilla to ensure that they get a better living condition and increase their life expectancy. A cleaner environment and well-balanced food are the other two factors that can increase a Chinchilla life expectancy.

Nutrition is one of the prime and best options for ensuring the pet chinchilla lives for more than 15 years. The specially formulated chinchilla food can include food that does not have nuts, seeds, dried fruit, corn, or other morsels. They would also need to have access to hay and freshwater at all times to ensure better health and longevity.

Avoid using pine, cedar, or sawdust for bedding as they can cause respiratory issues for your chinchilla. Provide at least ONE companion so that it can stay happy and continue to live better.

Top 9 Tips to Prolong the Chinchilla Lifespan

If you are looking to proper care of your chinchilla, there are a few pointers you need to take care of. The tips here can provide you with a better option to prolong the lifespan of your chinchilla.

#1. Provide an air-conditioned room

An air-conditioned room can help a chinchilla live long enough. The chinchillas are prone to get overheated and can get very hot. The overheating can be one of the serious concerns that can make a chinchilla become quite ill.

A chinchilla cannot sweat due to the thick fur, and this can cause the fur to prevent their body from cooling off. The chinchilla will need a stable temperature, and when you are experiencing very high temperatures, it may be a good idea to make use of an air conditioner for the purpose of cooling it off.

An air conditioner with a dehumidifier can be a great option, and a temperature of 60 to 70 degrees F can be a few factors that can help you make your chinchilla stay in a good health and have a better lifespan.

#2. Provide a better dust bath option

A dust bath can be an excellent option to help your chinchilla stay in the pink of its health. Make sure you provide a proper dust bath at least thrice every week. If the temperatures are too high, keeping the dust bath powder in the refrigerator before giving it to your pet can be a great option.

A dust bath can help the chinchilla stay in good health and keep its fur fluffy and healthy. Providing a considerably larger bowl for a dust bath can prove to be a good idea. Make sure that the top part of the pan is open. This will ensure that there will be better air circulation.

#3. Avoid chemical cleaners

When cleaning the chinchilla cage, make sure you are not using any cleaning solution that has chemicals. The chemicals in the cleaners can act as slow poison for the chinchillas. Even when the package says that they are safe for the pets, the chemicals can be dangerous.

One of the best options would be to use a 100 percent pure natural enzyme cleaners. These come with ingredients extracted from plants.

#4. Keep the humidity lower

Chinchillas are from cold regions, and that is precisely why they need a cold and dry environment. These types of environments can be helpful in improving the longevity of a chinchilla to a considerable extent. It can be a good option to use humidifiers.

In case you do not have an air conditioner, it can be one of the best options to use a humidifier that is suitable for the chinchillas. The products such as Pro Breeze Electric Mini Dehumidifier can be your decent option for providing a better degree of humidity in the room where chinchillas have been kept.

Make sure that the humidity levels are at least 50 percent or lower. Higher humidity can also make the bed damp, which can cause bacteria growth.

#5. Do not hold chinchilla quite frequently

Chinchillas do not like getting picked up frequently. Of course, they love playing with you, but forcefully handling them when they are in the least mood can be what can make them feel quite disturbed.

Avoid catching, grabbing, or pulling their tails, which can result in frustration. That can cause a huge trauma for your chinchilla. It should come to you on its own will, and that would be the right time to handle it. Never make the chinchilla get disturbed and thus get traumatised.

#6. Make them drink water

Water is the best way to get rid of the toxins from the body. The chinchillas need to stay hydrated throughout the day to ensure that they are in good health. A proper intake of water can also be a great option to take care of your pets.

Keep enough water in their cage. When chinchillas see the water or water bottles, they will begin drinking more water. Drinking enough water can be helpful in regulating the body temperature for a chinchilla. Drinking enough water can be helpful in improving the lifespan of your chinchilla.

#7. Provide plenty of space

Chinchillas need more space, and providing more space can be helpful in providing better scope for the chinchilla to stay healthy. A larger cage can be helpful for the chinchilla to run, jump, bounce, and, of course, exercise to its heart’s content.

The cage is the home for your chinchilla, and making it stay safer in its cage can prove to be a great option to improve the life expectancy of your chinchilla. A cramped cage may be what can make the chinchilla become obese and thereby reduced longevity.

#8. Provide a shaded area

Chinchillas in the wild are not exposed to the bright sunlight. Bright sunlight may make them become uncomfortable. Providing a shaded option for the cage can prove to be one of the excellent options to ensure that the animal can stay happy inside the cage.

Blocking the sunlight from the window can be yet another plus option you will find effective and efficient. The best way to protect your chinchilla and its cage would be to provide enough shade and the right degree of humidity to ensure that they aren’t disturbed.

#9. Unlimited amount of food

Chinchilla has its teeth growing throughout the year. That would mean they need an option to grind down their teeth from time to time. You can opt for the best options for the perfect chinchilla safe pet toys to aid in this context.

The good amount of hay and other play items can be helpful in keeping it safer and healthy. A continuous gnawing can be helpful in letting the chinchilla have an ideal length of its teeth and thus help it live longer and lead a better life.

One of the best ways you can assure a safe life for your chinchilla would be to provide timely veterinary care to your chinchilla. Yet another factor worthy of attention is to make sure that your chinchilla eats something at all times. If a chinchilla is sick, and it stops eating, the conditions can get really worse.

Concluding Thoughts on Lifespan of Chinchillas

Chinchillas, if given proper attention and taken care of properly, you can definitely end up finding it living for more than 20 years under ideal conditions. If you want your chinchillas to live longer, you need to offer them a better degree of commitment. If you are ready to provide them with enough care, they will definitely be your best companion.

Ideally, when people adopt small rodents, they expect a shorter life expectancy. The chinchilla is a small rodent but differs considerably from others in the genre. They do have a longer life span, and if you keep a chinchilla as a pet, you need to be ready to for a commitment of a minimum of 15 years. In case you are NOT ready for such a long term commitment, maybe you can choose some other pet than opting for a chinchilla.