Can Chinchillas Be Potty Trained?
Chinchillas are adorable rodents that many enjoy as pets. Raising chinchillas is fun and easy because they do not make much noise, emit a foul smell, nor are they difficult to maintain.
To make it easier, you can even potty train your chinchilla. Yes, chinchillas can be potty trained!
Potty training chinchillas will reduce how often you clean and change their cage. The training requires determination, consistency, and a lot of time, but it is worth it.
You need to ensure that you reinforce the potty training regularly so that your chinchillas do not forget where to eliminate.
How difficult is it to potty train chinchillas? What do you need to know? Continue reading for all the details.
Potty Training Chinchillas
You can potty train chinchillas, even though it takes time and effort. Let us discuss some reasons why potty training chinchillas is worth it:
Why You Should Potty Train Chinchillas
Here are good reasons:
1. Reduces How Often You Need to Clean Their Cage
When you potty train your chinchillas, they will not pee just anywhere, so you do not have to clean their cage as often. With trained chinchillas, you can reduce worrying about a dirty cage.
2. Use Less Bedding in Their Cage
Trained chinchillas will pee in a section of the cage, so you do not have to change the bedding in every part of the cage regularly. So long as your chinchillas remain trained, you only have to regularly change just the part of the cage with the litter box.
3. Helps Keep Your Chinchillas Free from Diseases
People who potty train their chinchillas usually keep the litter box very far from the food and water source. This means that the food and water of your chinchillas will stay clean for a relatively long time.
Now you know why you should potty train your chinchillas, right? What do you need to help you train your pet?
What You Need to Potty Train Chinchillas
Here are the items you need to potty train your chinchillas:
- A Litter Box: This is a box or pan where you can keep your litter or bedding. You can make your own, buy from a local store, or follow this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003SLICDA?tag=chinchillaplanet-20
- Litter to Place in the Pan: If you want a more beautiful appearance, you should buy litter for your chinchillas. You can also use sand or other locally sourced materials. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S4WTJTO?tag=chinchillaplanet-20
- Bedding: You can also use bedding in the litter, but you’d have to change it more often.
If you’ve gotten your materials, it is time to learn how to potty train your chinchillas.
Can Chinchillas be Taught to Poop in One Place?
Due to their feeding behavior, it is quite difficult to potty train your chinchillas to poop in just one place. Chinchillas, just like every other rodent, eat and they poop as they eat.
This means that chinchillas can poop anywhere.
You, however, can potty train your chinchillas to pee in a litter box.
Potty Training Chinchillas to Pee in a Litter Box
You can potty train your chinchillas to pee in one place because chinchillas select where to pee and may use their pee to mark their territory.
Follow the steps below to potty train your chinchillas.
- Get the Needed Accessories: You should get your litter box/pan, litter, and bedding.
- Look for the Part of the Cage Where They Pee the Most: Chinchillas usually pee at the back of the cage (besides their hiding box) far away from their feeding and drinking source.
- Collect the Bedding Soaked with Urine and Place it in the Litter Box: When you have located the most common place where they pee, collect that bedding containing their pee, place it in the litter box, and then keep the litter box in that same place.
- Repeat the Previous Step Anytime Your Chinchilla Urines Outside the Litter Box: For every time that your chinchillas pee in a different place, collect the bedding and keep it in the litter box (at the same location).
- Clean the Bedding Regularly: Do not forget to clean the cage regularly. You still have to change the bedding when due to prevent bacteria and fungi infestation.
- Keep Some Bedding Soaked with Urine: When removing used bedding or litter, keep some (with the smell of urine) in the litter box.
- Continue The Process Until Your Chinchillas are Used to the Litter Box: Keep trying until your chinchillas have been potty trained.
Was that easy? Kind of, right?
What You Should Know About Potty Training Chinchillas
Here are some things you should know regarding potty training chinchillas.
1. You Should Start Potty Training Your Chinchillas from a Young Age
It is easier to potty train chinchillas when they are young. Younger chinchillas learn faster, and urinating in the right place will become a behavior faster for them. For older chinchillas, you have to invest more time and effort.
2. Replace Bedding with Litter When Your Chinchillas are Getting Used to It
When your chinchillas finally get used to their litter box, you should replace the bedding with litter. It is not compulsory, but it is recommended.
You should switch to litter because your chinchillas will pee more often in the box and the bedding will absorb more moisture quickly.
If you do not switch to litter, you may have to change the bedding in the litter box more often.
3. It is Not Easy to Potty Train Chinchillas
Potty training chinchillas is not as easy as potty training cats, dogs, and other pets. Chinchillas are rodents and even if rodents are smart, they are not as smarts as cats and dogs. You will need time and effort to potty train chinchillas.
Now you know why and how to potty train chinchillas. Wondering about the bedding in the cage, and which is the best for your chinchillas? Continue reading to find out.
Choosing the Right Bedding for Your Chinchillas
Here are some bedding options you can choose from:
1. Wood Shavings
Wood shavings are a popular bedding material for various pets and animals. Wood shavings absorb more moisture and odors when compared to other bedding types.
A con of wood shavings is that it does not add aesthetics to the cage when compared with some other types of bedding.
2. Hay or Straw
Hay and straw are also bedding options for chinchillas. If you use hay or straw, you should change it more often and ensure that the cage is always clean as chinchillas can eat hay and straw.
Always ensure that the cage is clean to avoid infection.
3. Dusted Sawdust
Sawdust is an option also, but make sure that it is dusted. Chinchillas have a strong sense of smell and dusted sawdust can affect their nostrils.
Just like wood shavings, sawdust is very effective in the absorption of smell and moisture.
4. Sand
Sand is also an option that you can choose when thinking of what to use for bedding. Sand is also suitable in the litter box.
A con of sand is that chinchillas can splash sand and litter the cage surrounding it.
5. Paper
If you want a colorful appearance for your rodent cage, you chould use paper bedding (made of shredded paper). Paper, however, does not last long as it quickly absorbs moisture.
What bedding will you use?
Related Questions and Answers
Do you have any questions? I’ve got the answer for you below:
1. Can Trained Chinchillas Roam Freely in Your Home?
If your major concern is to prevent your chinchillas from peeing everywhere, they can roam freely in your home. You do, however, need to remember that chinchillas can poop anywhere.
Asides from pooping everywhere, chinchillas are very curious and can chew on anything. You should prevent your chinchillas from eating something harmful such as electric wires.
2. What If Your Chinchillas Do Not Have A Specific Place Where They Pee?
Some chinchillas do not pee at a specific point. In that case, there are things that you can do:
- Wait Until They Have a Preferred Spot: Young chinchillas usually explore and pee on the entire area of the cage until they settle down to a more preferred point. If your chinchillas are young, you should wait until they choose a spot.
- Collect the Bedding and Potty Train Them: Even though this is more difficult and time-consuming, you should place the litter box in any location in the cage and place bedding soaked with the urine of your chinchilla in it. The goal is to attract your chinchillas through the smell of their urine.
3. What is the Most Effective Way to Potty Train Chinchillas?
The most effective way to potty train chinchillas is to train them at a very young age. Older chinchillas find it more difficult to learn, so you’d have to spend more time training them.
Have you found the answer to your question? I hope you have.
Final Thoughts
You can potty train chinchillas, but it is easier to potty train them for urinating and not for pooping. You should start potty training your chinchillas when they are young because that is when they learn faster.
