Chinchilla Basics: Let’s start with what a chinchilla is. Chinchillas are of the rodent family. They can generally be described to be the size and shape of a rabbit , with the tail of a squirrels and ears of a mouse. To go into detail; they can grow to about 12 inches long and weigh in around 18 to 35 ounces, the females being typically larger than the males. Chinchillas can be found in a variety of colors including the standard grey (the only color found in nature), beige, ebony, and many others They have beautiful thick, soft fur. Captive chinchillas can live for around 15 years, but some have been known to live up to 20 or more years. They are easy to look after, very clean and have practically no smell at all. Unlike other small domestic rodents, chinchillas excretions are easy to clean up because of their small, dry nature. Their fur is so dense that they do not attract fleas or parasites. (Chinchillas actually have more fur per square inch than any other known animal.) They also do not have dander, which causes pet-related allergies. This makes chinchillas an exciting alternative if you have allergy trouble around dogs and cats.
Chinchillas are of a gentle temperament, and if handled from a young age, it is possible to rear quite a tame chinchilla that bonds closely with its owner. It is important to know that chinchillas sometimes do not like to be held or cuddled. It is very uncommon for a chinchilla to bite. Usually they will give a "test" nibble to just about everything (including hands) to see if what they are investigating is edible. This nibble feels much like a pinch and once they find that your hand is not food, they wont do it again.
One can keep single chinchillas quite comfortably, and this breed of animals gets along when paired with others of the same sex, especially those that are littermates or were introduced at a young age. Chins can be very aggressive and territorial about their homes sometimes. If you decide to add a chinchilla to another chin's cage you need to allow them time to get to know one another first. This can be done by placing the new chin in a cage right beside the previously owned chin. This will give them time to adjust to one another and get acquainted. After a couple weeks you take the newly acquired chin and introduce him or her into the other chin's cage. You should always be right there to monitor their behavior. If fighting occurs you need to separate them immediately! It also help to have they share the same playtime and area. There are some cases where the two chins will just not get along. DO NOT have chinchillas and other types of small rodents share the same cage as they need specific diets.
Chinchillas make many noises, including barks, chirps, and squeaks. They use this variety of vocalizations to express themselves, from a calm, loving chirp given to a potential mate to a loud, aggressive bark when spooked. Since they are active at night, it is not uncommon for them to vocalize in the early hours of the morning.
Chinchilla’s Origin: Chinchillas originate from the rocky mountain range of the Andes in South America. In their native habitat, chinchillas live in burrows or crevices in rocks. They are agile jumpers and can jump very high, up to 5 feet.
Discovered by Spanish explorers in the 1500's, they were named after the Chincha Indians, who through necessity to keep themselves warm and have food to eat, used them as a source of food and made clothing with their fur.
From the 1500’s through to the 1800’s, chinchillas were hunted almost to endangerment for the fur trading. Though some breeding as attempted in the late 1800’s, none were successful.
A mining engineer by the name of M.F. Chapman is responsible for the domestication of the chinchilla. Chapman was from the United States and worked in Chile so he had to get permission to capture and transport these animals to the United States. In 1923, after finally getting permission from the Chilean Government, he transported 11 chinchillas to California. They bred successfully and were originally sold to fur ranches and then later sold as pets. It is more than likely that most of our pet chinchillas today are descended from Mr. Chapman's original eleven.
It wasn’t until the 60’s that Chinchillas really took off as pets. Unfortunately chinchillas are still used for the fur industry.
Chinchilla fur clothing is so popular because they have a very soft fur. One of the greatest supporters for Chinchillas as pets would be PETA, The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. They want to protect all animals from being kept for the purpose of killing them for their fur. They have no objections as pets as far as Chinchillas go. But the Chinchilla farms are very bad living conditions for these animals and they are not being euthanized humanely.
More and more people today have Chinchillas as pets and they need good homes. The domestic Chinchillas can have a great domestic life as a pet, if you learn how to care for them properly and pay attention to them and keep them fed and in clean and suitable living conditions.
