In my experience, chinchillas are some of the easiest small animals to care for. To start with, you need to find a suitable chinchilla cage. A general rule of thumb is the bigger, the better! You want to make sure the cage is at least 2'x2' for one chinchilla, and bigger if you're housing more than one. Chinchillas like to jump and climb, so a taller cage works better than a flat one. The very best chinchilla cages I've come across are the Martin's cages, available at www.martinscages.com. These are easy to clean and provide plenty of running and jumping room.
FOOD
In the wild, chinchillas feed on a variety of plants and vegetation. In captivity, we have it a little easier with a wide variety of commercially prepared diets. You will probably find a selection of different chinchilla foods in your local petstore, but beware....many of these foods are not good for your pet. Many of them contain too many sugary treats and not enough nutrients for your chin. I feed my chins either Mazuri or Tradition chin foods, but I will also recommend Oxbow or the Kline Diet. Mazuri is the only one of these that you will probably find locally, the others you will need to order from someone. If you're having trouble finding it, go to www.mazuri.com and use their dealer locator to find out who carries it near you. Besides the pelleted diet, chins need a fresh supply of timothy hay or cubes. Alfalfa tends to be too high in protein for daily use, although it can be given as a treat once in a while. An adult chin will eat roughly two tablespoons of pellets and a handful of hay each day. Chins also need a supply of fresh water, although you might notice your chin is not a big drinker. This is normal!
You might be wondering what treats you can give your chin to spoil them rotten! If you haven't already figured it out, chinchillas LOVE raisins. Don't give in to those sad looks, though, they should only get one or two raisins a day. Other healthy treats include dried rosehips (which provide a good source of Vitamin C), oats, Cheerios, shredded wheat squares, dried papaya (a good natural laxative to break up hairballs), and other dried fruits. Remember, though, the key to treats is to give in moderation!
Although you may be tempted to share, fresh fruits and veggies are NOT good for your chinchilla. Most of these contain a lot of water and will give your chin diarrhea. An occasional SMALL slice of apple or little bite of banana is not going to hurt, but don't make a habit of giving it to them.
EXERCISE
Chinchillas are naturally very active animals and love to come out of their cages and play! Supervised playtime is a must for these mischevious little critters, as they will start chewing the minute your back is turned. Chins need a "safe" place to run....one that is free from chinnie hazards. Chins will chew on electrical wires, houseplants, your furniture....basically anything they can wrap their teeth around. You also need to watch out for dangers like the toilet....they will jump up to investigate and may accidentally end up giving themselves a dunking! An easy way to avoid this is to make sure the lid is down before you let the chins out. You also need to watch other pets, such as cats and dogs, that may think your chin is their new toy.
TOYS
Although you may love spending time with your chin, there will be times when you're gone and your chin will have amuse himself in his cage. He's counting on you to provide him some toys to play with! As mentioned above, chins love to chew, so anything wooden makes an excellent chin chew toy. Just make sure that the wood isn't painted, because the chins will chew on the paint and make themselves sick. Cheap toys you can find at home include paper towel/toilet paper tubes, small cardboard boxes, and popsicle sticks. Wooden bird toys can also make wonderful chinchilla toys.