Chin Rescue, Info & Supplies

Chinchillas-101

Here are some fun and quick facts about chinchillas that every chin owner should know:

Chinchillas can live an average of 15-20 years with proper care. (I have read of one chinchilla that lived to be 29)

Chinchillas are nocturnal rodents

Chinchilla babies are reffered to as Kits

Female chinchillas may be refferred to as a Doe

Male chinchillas may be reffered to as a Buck

Chinchillas are herbivores and they have a very sensitive digestive track

Like most other rodents, a chinchillas teeth never stop growing so providing them with lots of chew toys is very important

A Gestation period for chinchillas lasts about 111 days. Kits are born with fur and eyes open

Chinchillas do not sweat

They also cannot vomit

It takes about 150-200 chinchillas to make one coat

Chinchillas do not bathe in water, they bathe in dust

Chinchillas can jump as high as 3ft in the air from a stand still

Chinchillas should not be kept in temperatures over 75 degress Farenheit. 60-65 degrees is optimal.

Chinchillas should not be kept in humid environments. Too much humidity can cause fungus to grow on their skin

Chinchillas under 6 months of age should not receive any treats

Chinchillas have very good memories

People that have allergies due to pet dander usually fair well with chinchillas. Most people are allergic to the hay that they feed rather than the chinchilla itself.

Chinchillas do not require immunizations

A chinchillas fur is so dense that it would be Extremely difficult, and some say impossible, for them to get ticks or fleas. They have approx. 50 hairs per folicle, while humans only have one hair per folicle.

Chinchillas poo pretty much non stop. They cannot control this bodily function like we can. This is condition you must live with if you choose to own a chinchilla. Their poos should be hard and generally on the small side. You will discover that poos do get everywhere and this is normal. A quick sweep or run of the vacuum each day is a small sacrifice to own such an amazing little creature.

The scientific name for the chinchilla is actually Chinchilla. There are three subspecies: brevicaudata, lanigera, and costina. Here is a link to see the differences in each subspecies. http://www.sewardbreeders.com/page8.html

~Chinchilla History Lesson~ 

The following text was taken directly from the book A New Owners Guide to Chinchillas, written by Audtry Pavia, and text compiled from Jamie Higginss of the Chin Club; Caroline Charland of the Bunny Bunch; Charles and Ingrid Larsen of ChinWorld.com; JoAnn Frey of LuvNChins; and Lani Richey of California Chins.

While many people are just now discovering the wonders of the chinchilla, humankind has known this interesting little animal for thousands of years. Native to South America, and specifically the foothills of the Andes Mountains of Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, the chiinchilla came to the attention of the Incans early in the civilization's history. the Incans were the first to discover the chinchilla's plush fur and captured chinchillas to make coats from their fur.

When the Europeans came to South American in the early 1500's, they too, discovered the chinchilla and its precious coat. Word of the chinchilla's fur spread to the Old World, and soon a demand rose for garments made from the chinchillas pelts. Because these pelts were scarce, only the wealthiest of the Europeans could afford the luxury of owning a coat made of this fur.

By the early 1900's , exportation of the chinchilla fur had reached an all-time high. Hunters and trappers swept through the Andes searching for chinchillas for pelts. Experts believe that more than 21 MILLION wild chinchillas were killed for their fur between 1840 and 1916. Despite the vast number of chinchillas taken, chinchilla coats remained rare and expensive. This is because it takes 140 chinchillas to make a full length chinchilla coat.

By the 1920's, chinchillas had become virtually extinct in the wild. Individual animals were being hunted to severely they did not have time to repopulate. In 1918, the Chilean government banned the trapping of chinchillas and the exportation of their fur.

As chinchillas became more difficult to find in the wild, farmers attempted to breed the animals in captivity. they experienced little success until the 1930's, when a former mining engineer named M.F Chapman left the Andes and returned to America with 12 chinchillas to begin a breeding program. Chapman was able to develop husbandry skills that allowed the chinchillas to thrive and reproduce. With this action, Chapman virtually began the profession of chinchilla ranching.

By the 1970s, domestic chinchilla breeding had been well established, and the chinchilla ranching industry flourished. A couple of decades later, chinchillas began to catch on as pets, where they are now kept by animal lovers primarily in Europe and North America.

While the numbers of domestic chinchillas were growing, wild populations were still declining. In 1973, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Animals (CITES) was held amon agreeing countries. A ban was enacted on the exportation and importation of live chinchillas and chinchilla pelts from South America. Today, the hunting of chinchillas is illegal, according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Animals (CITES).

Right now, chinchillas are extinct in their entire natural environment except one area: the Andes of Central Chile. Considered an endangered species here, chinchilla populations are continuing to decline despite their protected status. Many biologists believe that diminishing habitats, caused by mining, wood collection and livestock grazing, are the reason for the wild chinchillas continued downfall.

Some organizations are working to save the chinchilla in the wild. One such group is Saving the Wild Chinchilla, Inc., a Chilean-based organization with a US chapter that works to create nature reserves in South America for wild chinchillas to live and breed.