It takes the same amount of work, just fewer supplies to have 1 as opposed to 4. They still need everything I mentioned in order to have a comfortable, happy life. They move and jump so much like squirrels, the cages have to be huge...both wide and tall with pearches and platforms as well as nesting boxes so the chins can be get their necessary daytime sleep. Plus the daily freedom romp outside of the cage in a large room free of electrical wires. I suggest getting a few good chinchilla books before considering one, but that's just my suggestion. There are alot of chinchillas out there who are owned by people who don't know the first thing about successfully housing chinchillas and they live less happily and often very stressed lives, sometimes dying from blockages or dehydration or heart attacks from extreme stress. People don't realize how important it is to have an absolutely silent house during daylight hours is. I have always been into studying and reading LOTS about the animals I owned. I learned alot and I did not cut corners. My chinchillas were happy and healthy. Of all my small pets I would have to say rats are my all time favorite. The rats had more personality, they were trainable, and they were more gentle and less sensetive to daytime noise. Much, much easier and more fun. I could actually take rats places, and they would just sit on my shoulder. The rats never got mad and never bit. One of my chinchillas, Pica, was never tame. She was just like a wild animal. Sometimes when I walked by the cage too closly and she felt threatened, she would let off this little chatter/chirp sound and if I did not get away from her cage in a hurry she would stand up on her hind legs and spray pee on me. It's one of their defenses. It was hard to get out of the way fast enough. Like I said, there is alot more to chinchillas then the adorable appearance I do like them alot but I just want to advise people of the work that goes into raising them properly so people don't impulse buy and end up neglecting the animal because they don't know what kind of home chinchillas really need.