Lots of good chinchilla sites! I would suggest http://www.cachins.com They'll link you to lots of others, and an email service known as chinmail.

They are wonderful people (with tags like chinmom ).

My main piece of advice would be not to get a white (despite Socrates being such a cutie). Whites tend to have more health problems - especially potentially fatal hairballs, since their fur is thicker and looser than standards.

My most active and athletic chin, Fred, was saved from his hairball when it was discovered by accident. It's made me think long and hard about the fact that these animals are bred for their look even though it's known that they have health problems - some kinds of chins (including whites) can't even be bred with their own colour trait as it will produce a lethal factor.

Anyway pop around the web - there's lots of stuff out there. Chins need the right atmosphere, but if you can give it to them, they're a joy.

Joanne and the acrobats - Fred, Gene and Gandolf