Chinchillas - Company

Making sure your chinchilla has a friend 

Do chinchillas need company? 

Chinchillas are social animals so need the company of other chinchillas. Social animals that live on their own get stressed and lonely. 

What’s the best combination of chinchillas to keep? 

Littermates of the same sex should live together, as this minimises the chance of them fighting. Males and females shouldn’t be kept together (unless neutered), as they will breed and it can be difficult to find homes for the young. Even if neutered, it is best if they have grown up together as littermates, or they may fight. 

Is a person a suitable companion for a chinchilla? 

Company from people that a chinchilla trusts is better than the chinchilla living alone. But a person isn’t really a good substitute for living with another chinchilla, as people and chinchillas have separate needs and different methods of communicating. 

What age will chinchillas start breeding with each other? 

Chinchillas become sexually mature at eight months of age, and produce an average litter size of two babies. So it is important to separate chinchillas of different sexes well before they are eight months old, to avoid unwanted litters.