

Human: I'm thinking about getting a Chinchilla for a pet. Can you provide me some information on them?

Assistant: Chinchillas are popular as pets because they are sweet, playful, and require relatively little maintenance.  You’ll want to get a young chinchilla that you can socialize with others, and not just its parents, because that will help it be happier in the long-term.

Human: Do  they not do well on their own? I'm not sure I want more than one Chinchilla.

Assistant: 
Chinchillas are very social, and need to be able to be around other animals as they mature.  If you keep them on their own, they will likely start to act more like a wild animal.  One chinchilla needs about 12 square feet of space, and two would need twice that, so they’d need a very large cage, but it should be comfortable for them.
No, they are very social and get very lonely by themselves.