Be wary of nervous chins - they can bite hard and females can shoot a stream of urine when frightened or cornered. A chin should be housed in a fairly good sized cage with at least two or three shelves since chins are active animals and love to run, jump and bounce off the walls. If you are unable to allow the chin out for an hour long run almost every night you may wish to purchase a large, solid wheel for it to run on in the cage. Avoid wire wheels as more than one chin has obtained a broken leg or tail from slipping between the wires. There should be a house inside that a chin can hide and sleep in.
Chins sleep during the day and are most active at night when it is cooler.
Avoid placing the cage in a damp area such as an unfinished basement as fungus growth can result in loss of fur on a chin. Uncolored newsprint paper is good for bedding and for lining the bottom of the cage. The only wood shaving that should be used are kiln-dried pine or white aspen. Chinchillas eat special chinchilla pellets, hay, and water as a basic diet. Treats can include raisins, grapes, or sunflower seeds but too much of these treats can lead to gastric problems such as diarrhea.