Chinchilla question

[sumbirdy]

The chinchilla of the day made me think of this question I have had for a while.
I've always heard that if you only have one chinchilla then they become really attached to you and if you have 2 they become attached to their mate or friend and if the person or other chin is gone (even temporarily) they will grieve until they come back or will die if they never do. Is this true? I've also heard that they get cold really easily.
I thought it would be easier to just ask here than to look it up. This way I get answers to my specific questions and they come to me, I don't have to go find them! I guess I'm just getting lazy.
I've been thinking about getting a chin but before I do I will definetly be doing the research myself and a lot of it. But these are just some curious questions I had.

[Giselle]

I don't know much about Chinchilla behavior, but I can tell you that chinchillas get hot, not cold, easily. Just look at their profuse fur. It's warm enough to keep them cool in the Andes mountains. It can definitely keep them warm in the generally mild climate of America (perhaps too warm).

I'm not a fan of keeping chinchillas as pets, personally, because it's gotten to the point that chinchillas are nearly extinct in the wild but profuse in the pet trade. That doesn't make sense to me. Plus, they're naturally shy and, when let loose, they hide and run in all directions. The chinchilla we keep at our zoo is not let out in any room with hard to reach crevices because chances are that they will end up stuck in there. I've heard of chins getting stuck behind washing machines, in little pipes, etc.