Hm.. I'm obviously late to this topic, but I also have a chinchilla. Standard grey male, 4.5- 5 years old. Sometimes he can be a nuisance, but he's adorable
I adopted him when he was about a year and a half old.
And Spud, my mom wasn't sure about it when I first said I wanted one... but now she loves him, she sounds like she is talking to a baby whenever she sees him
They aren't as smelly as other pets, but of course the cage needs regular cleaning like any pet. I usually think of him more as a rabbit/squirrel hybrid than an actual rodent. :p
