When you have animals, leaving for vacation or even for the weekend becomes a difficult task. When you have a chinchilla, it may be in your best interest (as well as the best interest of your chinchilla) to have someone come into your home to care for your pet. It is critical that you take the time necessary to insure that the person caring for your chinchilla has a clear understanding of what you expect from them and what they can expect from you. If the person caring for your chinchilla has no experience with these animals, it's a good idea to have them come over and see how you care for your chin before they commit to caring for him in your absence. This will give them a chance to ask questions and become more familiar with how things are done for your chinchilla. This is a good time to discuss normal chinchilla behavior and habits. You may also want to write up and leave this information for your caregiver to read while you're gone. Make sure that the caregiver is aware of temperature and humidity restrictions. Have a plan mapped out on what to do if the air conditioner or heater breaks and the temperature cannot be kept within the proper range. Some other things to mention might be sleeping patterns and common sleeping positions, noises they may or may not hear your chin make, the act of fur slipping, etc. If you don't have a card on your cage that tells what your chinchilla's name is or distinguishes between multiple chinchillas in one cage, you may consider taking a picture of your chinchilla and writing his name along with a description of his personality. This can help the caregiver feel more comfortable. If they use your chinchilla's name when caring for him, it may help your chinchilla feel more comfortable as well. Pictures can also help avoid confusion if one chinchilla is supposed to be fed something that another chinchilla is not. (For example: A pregnant female may be fed raspberry leaves, but this isn't necessary for non-pregnant chins.) Leave a detailed description on what should be fed, when it should be fed, and how much of it should be fed. If you plan to allow the caregiver to give treats to your chin, you may consider leaving only enough so that they will not be tempted to give more than one treat a day. Be specific about what treats can be given and how often. You may opt to forego treats that you aren't moderating to avoid any issues. Since treats are not an essential part of the diet, not having them while you are gone will not be a problem. Don't forget to mention checking water levels and cleaning water bottles! Advise your caregiver on the best way to provide access to a dust bath, how to determine if the dust needs to be changed, and where clean dust can be found. Watching your chinchilla take a bath is a major perk for your caregiver! Be sure to leave extra toys that can be given in your absence. If you're going to ask your caregiver to take your chinchilla out for play time, be sure to give details on where and when to have play time as well as the best means of catching and putting back your chin to avoid any potential injury or stress. If playtime will take place in the bathroom, don't forget to mention that the toilet lid must be kept down, as many people don't think of this if they aren't used to chinchillas. Remember to stress the importance of supervising all out-of-cage time very carefully. You may elect to advise your caregiver not to take your chinchilla out when you are not there, as there is a level of added risk that you may not want to take. A week without playtime isn't going to make your chinchilla happy, but he honestly would be fine without being let out while you are gone. What you elect to do is up to you, of course. Minor clean up will be needed, regardless of how long you'll be gone. Shelves will need to be swept or wiped off. Any bedding or droppings that have come out of the cage will need to be swept or vacuumed up. However, if you will be gone for a week or more, cleaning will definitely be necessary. Be sure to advise on the best way to clean out and dispose of the dirty bedding and how much fresh bedding should be added, as a non-chinchilla owner may find the prospect of cleaning a bit over-whelming. A specific schedule that coincides with your chinchilla's normal routine will be your caregiver's best friend while you're away. If possible, leave your caregiver multiple means of contacting you and schedule a time when it would be best for you to call in and check on how things are going. Be sure to leave several phone numbers of chinchilla experiences veterinarians and, if possible, nearby chinchilla owners that might be able to address questions and concerns for the caregiver. If you will be boarding your chinchilla instead of having someone come into your home, there are additional issues you should consider. Are there other animals (including cats or dogs) that might present a problem? If there are other chinchillas in the facility, will they be quarantined away from yours? Is your chinchilla used to the noises he may here in the facility, such as barking dogs? Is there someone at the facility 24 hours a day to guarantee that the temperature will not be an issue and to check on your chinchilla to make sure there is nothing wrong? Do you have a portable thermometer/hygrometer that you can take to put next to the cage? Although the thermostat may be set at 75ºF, that doesn't mean that this will be the temperature in all areas of the facility.