When most people think of small pet mammals, chinchillas don't usually pop to the head of the list. Yet to a small but devoted array of owners scattered across the U.S. and Canada, chinchillas are the ultimate in small pet mammals. These people have taken the time to get to know the personalities beneath those exquisite coats, and have discovered the delights that only chinchillas can offer.
Chinchillas look like, well, chinchillas, and nothing else.
The sensory delight of just petting a chinchilla is the first experience that most people have with them. This means, of course, that a cage full of chinchillas is not what you want beside your bed or even anywhere near your sleeping quarters. For as the sun falls low and dusk begins to settle the real chinchilla personality begins to emerge. These little guys are the Keystone Kops of rodents, the slam-dancers of small pets. Given ample room to romp, chinchillas will put on a show, bouncing off walls, vaulting each other, devising their own little play-obstacle course out of whatever is available, including you if you happen to position yourself as part of the scenery.