Do chinchillas really need regular exercise?
Absolutely. To improve their physical and mental well-being, chinchillas need lots of exercise. I call it ‘external exercise’ meaning outside their cage. Exercise needs to be supervised unless you have an allocated safe exercise area as I do. My ‘chinchilla room’ is a small room with tongue and groove panelling all around it’s perimeter. No electrical sockets, any equipment switched off, radiator boxed in, tiled floor which is easy to keep clean and one window (curtains drawn during day whilst the chinchillas sleep) This is a completely safe area for unsupervised access. Of course, not everyone can give up a room for their chinchilla’s safe exercise, so please do your best to cover any wires and dangerous objects. My chinchillas have four hours exercise per day. Again, if you cannot afford this time, an hour a day would be beneficial.
