The Joy of Chinchillas is an excellent reference book for chinchilla owners. We recommend this book highly to experienced chinchilla owners who want to learn more about their pet chins, particularly about chinchilla health issues. We would recommend this book as more of a “second chinchilla book” rather than as an “introduction to chinchillas” book. A few of the authors’ opinions and theories are considered somewhat controversial in pet chinchilla circles. The authors do, however, identify those items that are based on their theories and give the reasoning behind them. We find that we are usually in agreement. Co-author Betti Cogswell, aka “ChinMom”, is a frequent and well known contributor to ChinMail and Alt.Chinchilla, the online chinchilla newsgroup. Chapters include: Introduction to Chinchilla Ownership, Things to Consider When Buying a Chinchilla, Equipment and Supplies, Nutrition, Handling a Chinchilla, Chinchilla Health, Diarrhea, Tooth Problems, Showing Your Chinchilla, Maternity and Geriatrics, Questions Still Open, and References and Recommended Reading. (c)2005 ChinWorld.com