Why am I writing about chinchillas? Well, they make unique pets. They are smarter than some cats & dogs and have very individual personalities. They are also natural comedians; ours is funny even when he's ticked off (he swishes his tail like a cat and makes a noise like "uh-uh-uh-UH!"). He knows his name: When he's doing something he knows I don't like and I call his name, he stops and looks at me as if to say "who-ME??"

They're far too smart to just keep in a cage. We take him out and put him in the bathroom with his toys and he runs around at warp speed and plays hide-and-seek.

Chins are not for everyone. For one thing, A/C is NOT optional in a warm climate; they'll get heatstroke if it's too hot and humid. Not all vets know how to treat them as they're exotic pets. Fortunately, if they get the right food and some exercise, they can live for decades.

Unfortunately, some insist on making coats out of them. It takes 160 pelts to make a coat-all so some rich b****h can say "I have more money than you do." Unlike cows or pigs (in which virtually nothing goes to waste when slaughtered), this is the only reason chins are "harvested." They know when it's going to happen-people who've worked on chinchilla farms have told me they all act depressed when it happens.

Here are a few videos:

Chinchilla opening a jar (0 min 29 sec)

chinchilla massage (1 min 13 sec)

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