Can You Potty Train a Chinchilla?

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The short answer is yes, you can potty train a chinchilla! You can train a chinchilla to use a litter box, but only for pee.

Chinchillas poop up to two hundred and fifty times a day, so they don’t have time to get to the box each time they poop. Chinchillas don’t have a scent and their poop doesn’t either. This is another reason you aren’t going to train your chinchilla to defecate in a litter box. There is no scent to lead them to the spot each time. 

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So, how do you get your chinchilla to use a litter box?

First, keep in mind that not all chinchillas will take to this training no matter how hard you try with them. Others are willing and happy to use their litter box.

Young chinchillas will be easier to train than older chinchillas. Your baby chinchilla should be at least six weeks old before potty training. They need time to gain control of their bladder.

Additionally, you need to wait until your chinchilla is comfortable in its new home to start training. Don’t start potty training your chinchilla the first day you get them. They need time to adjust to their new surroundings. 

Why Potty Train My Chinchilla?

  • It helps keep their cage clean.
  • It helps keep the cost of bedding down. You won’t have to change the bedding as often if your chinchilla uses a litter box. 

What do I need for Litter Training?

  • You’ll need a litter pan
  • Litter for small animals
  • Scoop
  • You will also need urine-soaked wood shavings or other material your chinchilla has used. You’ll use the shavings to reinforce the use of the litter box. 

How to Potty Train Your Chinchilla

Steps 

  1. The first thing you want to do is place the litter pan in the cage. Put it in a specific place such as a corner or another area your chinchilla frequents for a bathroom, away from their food and water.
  2. Fill the litter pan with litter. Then watch your chinchilla’s behavior to understand where and when they are going potty. 
  3. Place the urine soaked wood shavings into the litter pan. The urine smell will concentrate in the corner where you placed the box, which will attract your chinchilla to that area.
  4. Continue with your routine. Whatever you normally do with your chinchilla, keep doing that, including playtime, mealtime, cleaning the cage, and so on.
  5. When you clean the cage, make sure to keep a small number of soaked wood shavings if your chinchilla hasn’t started using the litter box regularly. You’ll also want to add cleaning the litter pan to your cleaning routine. Once it’s cleaned, add clean litter if needed and soaked shavings. 
  6. Repeat cleaning the litter pan, adding soaked shavings each time you clean the cage. This last step could last days, weeks, even months. You’ll keep this up until your chinchilla uses its litter tray consistently to urinate. 

These are the basic steps to take to train your chinchilla to use a litter pan. Remember, your chinchilla is an individual and has behaviors specific to only it. You’ll want to consider that when potty training your chinchilla.

Tips to Make Training Easier

Here are some tips that will help the potty training process go smoothly.

Start Young

Start training your chinchilla when it’s as young as possible. When they start using a certain spot to pee, then you’ll have a good chance at litter training them. 

Observe

Observe your chin’s behaviors in their cage. Watching them will give you insight into their habits, making training go much smoother. Does your chinchilla use one spot to urinate in, or does it pee all over?

If your chinchilla urinates in only one or two spots they will be easier to train. You can place your chinchilla into the pan if you happen to notice them going or getting ready to go potty in a different spot. Doing so can reinforce the idea that the pan is to pee in. 

Clean Promptly

Clean up any soiled bedding when you notice it between cage and pan cleaning. 

Reduce Wood Shavings

As your chinchilla gets used to their new litter box, you can gradually cut back on wood shavings for bedding. You can use fleece pads in place of this if you need the floors of your cage covered. Fewer wood shavings mean smaller places to pee. 

Praise and Reward

When you notice your chinchilla use the litter tray, praise them and give them treats to reward their good behavior.

Have Patience. 

There you have it, how to train your chinchilla to use a litter box. Chinchillas are smart little rodents and can train to use a pan to urinate.

Remember, though, that they won’t be able to poop in a litter box. That isn’t something that will work. Start your chinchilla as young as possible on the potty training route.

Older chinchillas can learn this, but it will be harder, especially if they are used to peeing all over the cage. Those that use one spot or even two will have an easier time adjusting to using the pan.

Do you have a story or tips on potty training your chinchilla? Let us know with a comment below.

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