Here is one of the babies at about a week old
I think this is the daddy chinchilla
A few weeks ago, I got to babysit the babies for a week at my house. They are getting really big. I think they are almost full grown. We put their cage on a big table in our playroom. We let them out to play in our hallway and they really loved that! We fed them hay and dry food mix for breakfast and dinner. We fed them raisins and apple treats for their snack. We cleaned their cage and gave them new bedding. And they got to take a bath in their bath house with dust. They loved that so much that they all went in at the same time and would not come out.
Getting ready for their dust bath
So cute!
Everybody in the bath house
Squishy face
I really enjoyed watching them. It was a great experience and I hope I can babysit them again soon. I am looking forward to visiting them at my grandpa's house.
Here are some facts about chinchillas:
Chinchillas live in Peru and Bolivia. Their fur is thick, shiny, and blue-gray and grows about 1 inch long. They eat grass, bulbs and roots in the wild. They have a very bushy tail. They are very rare to spot. Chinchillas live in large groups, and are nocturnal. They breed at 9-12 months of age and can have up to 9 babies at a time. They can live up to 20 years... so watch out Grandpa!
Do you know anyone that has a chinchilla?
Have you ever seen a chinchilla?
Chinchillas are so soft... have you ever felt one?
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Dear Maya,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on starting your own blog. It can be a great deal of fun sharing with others.
It's true, chinchillas have cute faces. They catch our attention because of the large eyes and soft fur. :)
Now to your questions....
Do you know anyone that has a chinchilla?
There's a teenage girl I know in England. She isn't well but runs a charity for children and has over 30,000 Twitter followers. At the end of last year she was trying to get me to convince her mother to allow her to have a chinchilla but her mom said they were rodents.
Chinchilla are rodents but are much cuter than rats or mice. Meg didn't get her chinchilla. I think her mother had musophobia (the fear of mice) just like my mom. :)
Have you ever seen a chinchilla?
I have only seen them on TV and in photos. Chinchilla aren't common in Aistralia.
Chinchillas are so soft... have you ever felt one?
While I have never felt one, I know chinchilla are well know for their soft fur.
Keep blogging. :)
@RossMannell
Teacher, NSW, Australia
Dear Mr. Mannell,
DeleteThank you so much for your nice comment. I think it's amazing that the girl you know has 30,000 Twitter followers. I would love to get 30,000 visitors to my blog. So far, I have 107. I guess I have a ways to go.
From,
Maya
Maya! I had never seen a chinchilla before and you're right - they are cute. Double-cute!
ReplyDeleteDear Maya,
ReplyDeleteThey look so cute! I really enjoyed looking at the photos and they helped tell your story. Was it hard getting them back into their cages once you let them roam around the hallway? Are Chinchilla's from the rodent family? Do you have any interesting pets at home too?
I really enjoyed your blog and can't wait to see what else you will write.
Best,
Victoria (Sarah's mom)
Dear Victoria,
DeleteThank you for your comment! The Chinchillas loved running around the hallway, and it was hard to catch them. If we put their bath house out, they would all try and hop in. Then we could hold the bath house near the opening of the cage for them to crawl in.
Yes, Chinchillas are from the rodent family. I think they are way cuter than rats and mice though.
I have a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, that's a dog like Queen Elizabeth has. I also have two Betta fish.
Best Wishes,
Maya
Dear Maya,
ReplyDeleteI love your post about chinchillas. The babies are really cute. I thought they were made out of clay, but they're not.
My Granddad used to have a pet bird that was a white one with feathers that stuck up out of its head. I never got to meet it, but he said it was a fun bird.
Have you ever owned any cool pets?
Curiously,
♥폰Ell♥e폰♥
Dear Ellie,
DeleteThe only pets that I have owned, besides the ones I have now are a hampster and a rat.
I got the hampster when I was two. He got a tumor on his leg and we had to take him to the Vet so he could take care of him until he died.
Right after Roman was born, we found a baby rat crying outside. His mom had been killed by a racoon or some other animal. We put him in a little box and tried to feed him milk though a dropper. He drank a little the first day, and then he stopped eating after that and died.
Happily, all my other pets are doing great!
Your friend,
Maya
Dear Maya,
ReplyDeleteI love your post about babysitting the babies! We had a really good time with them, didn't we? My favorite one was Piggy. I love how he always tried to jump up the wall. It was really funny. You did a really good job babysitting, so I'm sure Grandpa and Kathy will let you do it again sometime.
What was your favorite thing about babysitting the chinchillas?
Love,
Mom
Dear Mom,
DeleteMy favorite part about babysitting the Chinchillas was getting to see them everyday, and play with them at night. I also liked giving them their raisins.
Love,
Maya
Dear Maya,
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful blog. I have never felt a chinchilla- do they bite? It sounds like you were a great babysitter.
Sincerely,
Tara (Royce's mom)
Dear Tara,
DeleteThanks for your comment! My grandpa's Chinchillas did not bite. They might taste you gently, but it does not hurt. Other Chinchillas may bite though. My grandpa's have been trained from birth to be around people and they are used to being played with, so they like it.
Sincerely,
Maya
Maya,
ReplyDeleteHi, I am a college student in Nebraska and I loved reading about your chinchillas! I just finished reading the book "Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat". Have you read that book? Your post reminded me of it because the story has a chinchilla in it. If you like reading (and I'm guessing from your background that you do!) that might be a good book to read with your parents.
Keep up the great work with your blog!
~Claire
Dear Claire,
DeleteThank you for your comment! "Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat" sounds like a funny book. What was your favorite part in the book? I will look for it when I go to the library.
From,
Maya
Dear Maya,
ReplyDeleteLove the Blog. I'm making the race track longer this week, should make it more fun.
Love,
Grandpa
Dear Grandpa,
DeleteI'm so glad you got to see my blog! I love the race track! It is so fun! It will be so awesome to have the track longer. The cars will go much faster! Can't wait to see it!
Love,
Maya