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Friday, May 18, 2012

Tiki The Chinchilla

In my last post I showed you a sneak peek of my new pet. Well, Sassy is still wondering what it is! His name is Tiki and he is a chinchilla. Isn't he cute? As you probably know I love animals and have two cats, a dog, and two turtles. When my friend asked me if I wanted to take Tiki I couldn't say no! Although Kevin wasn't too thrilled, but he likes him now. Anyway, he is so cute and the softest thing I've ever felt!

My friend gave me some information on chinchillas before I took him. They are native to the Andes Mountains in South America and live in high altitudes. They need to stay cool at all times and can easily overheat due to having so much hair. In fact, they have 60 to 80 hairs per follicle! That's why they are so soft. They also need plenty of things to chew on such as wooden sticks and pumice stones because their teeth never stop growing. They are also nocturnal...good thing he stays in Chase's room. Ha! He can sleep through anything. They cannot get wet or they could get a fungus or their hair could fall out. If they do get wet they must be dried immediately. They need to take a dust bath at least twice a week. Yes, a dust bath...weird huh? The dust is made out of ground pumice and helps keep their coat healthy. Tiki loves his dust bath! I have a picture below... 

They are very interesting creatures and look like something in between a rabbit, hamster, and squirrel. My dad said he looks like a giant rat! LOL...

 He doesn't look like a rat...he's so cute! He looks more like a rabbit in this pic.

Here he is eating an apple with his little hands. I love how he holds it! He's not supposed to have alot of fruit, but a little bit is ok.

Here he is in his dust bath. It was hard to get a good pic because he is constantly rolling around in it. It is the funniest thing to watch!

Well, that's my new critter! Although he is not as cuddly as a dog or cat, he's still alot of fun to play with. He acts a little more like a rabbit or hamster. He has really quick movements.

Hope you enjoyed the pics! Have you ever pet a chinchilla and felt their soft coat? Or...do you have a chinchilla?  If you do, I would love to hear about yours.

Oh, and yes I let my animals on the furniture...even a chinchilla. =0

Have a great day!

21 comments:

Melissa Miller said...

Hi Tiki! He is so pretty. I love his name and fluffy tail. All of the facts you listed are interesting. I would love to see the dust bath in action. Post a video of it. I've never even had a hamster. Love him!

Kristens Creations said...

I'll have to do that Melissa. He is so much fun to watch taking his bath. Glad you like him!

ℳartina @ Northern Nesting said...

Tiki is a cutie Kristen! Love the pic of him eating the apple.

Susie said...

He is the cutest thing ever!! Does he go potty in a litter box?

Kristens Creations said...

I wish! No, he potties in his cage. This is gross, but they are just tiny little pellets. I will be cleaning out his cage often though.

Lisa~A Cottage To Me said...

He is cute! Never had one although we've had our share of hamsters that have all eventually disappeared out of there cage. Still not sure where they ended up, not sure I want to know!

Toni said...

What an exotic pet! So very cute. I learned a lot about chinchilla's from this post. Thanks for sharing.

Stephanie ~ Angelic Accents said...

Oh, he is beautiful! What do the cats think of him?!? Are they litter box trainable? I've never known anyone that had one, but I can just see why you love him so!

I am hosting my annual WEDDING BLOG PARTY on June 8th and would love for you to join us! AND I'm also having a GREAT GIVEAWAY right now, too, so please stop by and read all about them!

Big TX Hugs,
Stephanie

Anonymous said...

Our son's girlfriend has one and she lives in a beach front condo! We always had a rabbit when the kids were growing up and the pellets were the best fertilizer for blooming plants.

Anonymous said...

Try to paper train him...we did that successfully with rabbits and eventually they moved on to the litter box

Marisa said...

Tiki is soooooo cute. What do the cats think of him?

Kristens Creations said...

The cats just stare at him. I don't let them get close...I sure wouldn't trust them. I think they think he's a giant mouse! lol

Nancy Hood said...

This was a first for me! Thanks for sharing, although I think I'll let you keep the exotic pets ;)

Misti @ Living On Cypress Hill said...

I don't think I've ever seen one in person before, but that one's so cute! I had wondered about the litter box, too. That would be awesome if you could train him. So does he generally stay in the cage like a hamster or guinea pig would? And after the fertilizer comment, I may need to get one, because I can't grow anything! :-P

Angela said...

Hi Kristen!

I thought it was as bunny in that pic you posted the other day. Too Cute!

-Angela

Becca Bertotti said...

Wow, I love the newest member of your family! So cute!

Suzy said...

He's adorable, Kristen! I've seen them in pet stores many times, but have never known anyone who has one. And you are correct - their fur is very, very soft.

Patti @ Pandoras Box said...

He is so cute and unique! Stop by to enter my giveaway!

Judi said...

Oh my he is cute. He looks sort of like a little bunny doesn't he?...sweet. I wonder whether they can be trained?

Come by and visit. I'm having a GIVEAWAY....good luck!

Judi

Rhonda said...

Tiki is a real cutie! Love that you love animals and allow them on your furniture : ) Always wondered why people had furbabies and refused to let them live like part of the family! Hope Sassy girl and the cats don't mind having him around! Def like chinchillas as pets and NOT as coats! Oh - liked your fb page too!

C'est moi Claudette said...

Hi Kristen.
Found you on fb. I'm a blogger too.
Had to comment on Tiki.
Love him. We have had Degus which are part of the Chinchilla family. I know you know they are diabetic right?. You said they can have a little fruit. Be careful with the pet shop food. They have banana chips and other sweet things. We took all the sweets out because they eat those first.
They actually have NO ability to process sugar so my advice is NO SUGAR. They will live a healthier life. They LOVE dandelion greens and broccoli. No carrots.
Ok there's my 2 cents.
You are one creative lady.
Love Claudie from Canada.
xoxoxox

Featured in Country Woman Magazine fall 2012 for kitchen and crafts


My photo
I'm a 42yr. old mother of 1. I've been married for 21years to a wonderful man, Kevin. We have one son together named Chase who is 14. We live in a small town in Arkansas and have a dog named Sassy, a cat named Coco and now a chinchilla, Tiki. My husband is a Database Administrator and I have my own business called Kristen's Creations where I make and sell a variety of crafts. I worked in a shop as a floral designer for 15 yrs. until it closed. My former boss decided to retire and lease out her building. I enjoy crafting, decorating, and hanging out with my family. E-mail me at Kristenscreations@hotmail.com

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