Meet Kai the chinchilla, MSU’s newest celeb
He’s named after the infamous hatchet wielding hitchhiker, because why not
If you take a walk down Grand River on any given day, you expect to see students here and there making their way to campus. On a lucky day, you might even catch one of them walking their “house dog.”
House pets seem to be a common trend amongst college students nowadays. While having a dog in a house seems to be a norm, 3rd year students Al Armstrong and CJ Borglin decided to go against the norm with their choice in a house pet.
In the spring semester of their sophomore year, Al and CJ randomly decided that they wanted a pet for their house the following school year. Unsure of what kind of animal to get, they googled easy college pets and came across the chinchilla.
Kai chilling in his cage
A chinchilla? What’s that? Chinchillas are found high up in the Andes mountains in South America. They have the tail of a squirrel, ears of a rabbit and the body of a guinea pig. They’re known for their extremely soft fur (makes a great coat!).
While Al and CJ were excited to purchase the chinchilla for their house, their families weren’t so thrilled. “Why the hell are you getting a chinchilla?” seemed to be the common consensus among the parents.
“They don’t smell, they’re easy to take care of and they’re dope,” said Al when asked about the chinchilla.
Kai’s Dad (Al) and him watching TV
Before moving into their house at the end of the summer, the chinchilla was bought and ready to bring back to State.
Originally, the chinchilla did not have a set name. It changed week by week with very average names, until one night when he was named Kai. The name came from the YouTube video about the hatchet wielding hitchhiker in Fresno, California named Kai, because naturally that’s the perfect inspiration for a chinchilla name.
Kai the chinchilla quickly became popular among friends of Al and CJ’s. He even got his own Instagram! (@kai_the_chinchilla)
Kai’s Instagram debut
Kai with a fan on Instagram
Kai enjoys activities like running around the living room, flipping his nest box upside down and hanging out with his dads and their friends.
The girls love him!
He also enjoys eating his favorite snack, raisins, and staying up all night making noise. Even though he can be loud sometimes, he is far from a trouble maker.
Kai got to split time with his dads over Christmas break, spending the first half with Al and the second half with CJ. When asked about the time spent at home, Al responded saying, “My mom loves Kai more than me now.”
Unfortunately as the year goes on, CJ and Al are slowly saying goodbye to Kai. Kai has to be put up for adoption at the end of the year because their houses next year won’t allow him to live in it.
A family picture of Al and CJ with Kai
Even though Kai won’t get to be with them the rest of their time at MSU, he still managed to play a role in their memories from the year. Not many people can say they owned a chinchilla, let alone one as cool as Kai.