You have a chinchilla at home which you love the most. You take time for it, manage its cage, keep it clean, and ensure that it always gets food on time just to keep it fit and healthy, just like any other happy animal. But have you ever wondered that while hygiene and food might be the primary needs but are not the only prerequisites needed by chinchillas?
So, while you’re busy cleaning their coop, you let your Chinchilla out and let them have the best time of their lives, just like a free-spirited soul. While they walk around, play around, and make a little mess around, perhaps, they make the most of it for their health. Yes, you read that right; while you consider that little break their freedom, it’s an exercise for your tiny friends, which helps them live a healthy and hearty life.
There is no doubt about the importance of exercise in the lives of these “animal friends.” Here are a few points that demonstrate the utter significance of exercise for chinchilla pets.
Effect of Exercise on Their Physical Well-being
The physical well-being of your pet is just as important as their mental well-being. And exertion through exercise has numerous benefits for Chinchilla’s physical well-being. For example, adequate playtime and exercise prevent your Chinchillas from gaining excessive weight. It is because your Chinchilla gets its energy from the food it eats. It uses less energy if it travels around less; thus, the energy from its meal is saved for later. It makes no difference if your Chinchilla consumes fat, carbohydrates, or protein—if it eats too many calories, it will acquire weight, and inactivity makes this more probable.
It is your responsibility to provide a healthy routine to your chinchilla. To make that happen, it is important that you take them out of their cage and make them exercise. This will keep your chinchilla not only healthy but also a lot happier. If you are a breeder or just keeping a chinchilla as a pet, it needs as much attention as the other pets.
A regular exercise routine will have a positive impact on your chinchilla’s health. Moreover, it will decrease stress, as well as, keep their immune system healthy. So, the reason your chinchilla is getting fat day by day is that you might not be getting enough exercise.
Chinchillas like many other pets love it when you care for them. They enjoy your time and love them. This makes them happy and healthy. In addition to that, they are also able to trust you. When you allow them to get out of their cage, the daily walk routine and other activities keep them stress-free. Otherwise, you might start facing stress in their actions such as spraying urine or fighting other chinchillas.
The most suitable exercises for chinchillas are walking and getting them on the wheel that should be located in their cage. Doing regular running on the wheel can reduce their anxiety and stress. It will also reduce their weight, especially if they are overweight.
If your chinchilla is getting enough exercise, you shouldn’t be worried about them if they are eating too much. When it comes to running on the wheel, they usually stop if they feel like taking a break. Daily exercise can lead to a healthy life in chinchillas and will eliminate potential health risks, especially stress and obesity.
Effects of Exercise on Their Mental Well-being
Playtime stimulates curiosity and creativity in Chinchillas. It eliminates boredom, develops a habit, and maintains mental sharpness, resulting in a better learning process. Chinchillas with compromised mental health might develop neurotic habits. Fur chewing, cage chewing, and biting are some of the negative outcomes that we may observe. Additionally, daily play and exploration of Chinchillas can help them become less prone to neurotic behaviors and reduce the potential of physical harm they can do, which further makes it essential for Chinchillas to have exercise in their routine – to stabilize their mental well-being.
Effect of Exercise on Their Behavior
Chinchillas that are usually raised on a ranch get treated differently than the ones who are owned by the breeders or pet owners. Ranchers keep their chinchillas as livestock because it is like a business to them. Many ranchers do not pay much attention to their chinchillas and if the chinchillas are not getting enough exercise, it might lead to health problems in them.
The major reason for keeping chinchillas is usually the profit that the ranchers are making. On the other hand, pet owners make sure to take care of their pets by getting enough food and exercise.
Typically, when you keep your chinchillas confined in a cage for longer, they may become agitated. The stress caused by this confinement often leads to negative consequences as they may become introverted and antisocial. As a result, they may become annoyed and begin to bite their fur.
So, How Much Should We Let Chinchillas Exercise?
Now, it is a matter of concern! However, the best possible way is to let them determine independently. For instance, if you give your Chinchilla an exercise wheel or saucer, it will determine how much exercise it requires on its own. If it overworks itself, it will take a break. Chinchillas do this naturally since they don’t take a single nap each day but rather a series of short naps, so your Chinchilla won’t be exercising for long periods.
The key to exercise is that it needs to be regular and consistent. You can help your pet do this by increasing muscle tone, agility, and mobility. You have to remember not to confine them like they’re in jail. Otherwise, they’ll look dumpy like the ones that are raised on the ranch. That is one way for them not to stick around for the long haul.
Precautions to Be Mindful About
Most chinchilla owners let their animals out once in a while in a safe area. Chinchillas being animals, may jump around and exercise in a vast area because of this.
Your responsibility is to make sure that the area where you’re leaving your pet to roam around freely is free of hazards. It entails making it chinchilla-friendly in a variety of ways. The priority is to prevent your Chinchilla from escaping via minor gaps and holes, which it may readily accomplish. Cover any spaces under furniture so your pet can’t go in; it can refuse to come out if it does. It would help if you also did the following:
- Make certain that all doors and windows are shut at all times.
- Because chinchillas prefer to chew on cables, make sure they’re all tidied up.
- Ensure there is no plastic in the vicinity for it to gnaw on.
- Make sure there’s no wood for it to chew in areas it can reach—not for your pet, who can safely chew on wood, but for the sake of your furniture and walls.
Last but not least…
Chinchillas can sense when you genuinely care for them. They can tell when you truly care about them and look out for their best interests. They will be able to trust and relate to you better since they have a good mindset. Hence, you must ensure that your chinchillas are always happy with you so that you may have a special bond with them to cherish forever.
Hope You Enjoy reading about Chinchillas Exercise for More amazing Facts about chinchillas you should Read The History of the Chinchillas.
