Guinea Pigs and Chinchillas are very similar creatures and and an often asked question, is ‘can you mix guinea pigs and Chinchillas’ at all?

To find out the answer to this question, it is worth finding out more about Chinchillas and their character.

image wikpedia

Chinchillas are crepuscular rodents that are native to the Andes mountains in south america, just like guinea pigs. By crepuscular we mean that they are active between dusk and dawn.
Like guinea pigs they are prey animals and hunted by birds of prey, snakes and skunks in the wild.

They live in social groups that are called herds very much like guinea pigs and use their togetherness to help defend each other. They prefer to live with other chinchillas in captivity and enjoy the company of each other.

Chinchillas a very quick witted animals that many people keep as pets. They are small and fragile animals and will not hesitate to bite if they they are hassled.

They have very soft lush fur and have a boisterous and inquisitive nature.

Chinchillas are very sensitive animals and can get stressed easily stress and putting them in the same cage with guinea pigs is not a long term plan. Their ability to bite and lash out could cause issues for both animals, in fact guinea pigs can do this as well.

In terms of what they eat, they also have different dietary requirements which can get confusing for each animal.

However, that’s not to say that they can’t get along in a neutral environment which is supervised, such as this one. But it is definitely something to do with care as they may need to be separated quickly.