The Mighty ChinchillaThe Mighty ChinchillaAnimal Science IAnimal Science I

About Chinchillas…About Chinchillas…

• Originated in South America– Lives in Andes mountains

• Nearly became extinct!!– Because of fur hunting

• Used for fur coats– Takes 120-150 pelts to make one coat!

• That scarf in the picture is $650.00!!!

Color GroupsColor Groups

• Standard: most common– Blue-gray, white, beige, black

• White– May also be silver-white and platinum-white

• Beige– Light to medium and dark beige

• Mating white with beige produces rose or apricot colors

• Black– Black undercoat, gray-white band, and black tips of

fur

• Beige Black

• Grey White

CharacteristicsCharacteristics

• Resemble rabbits with short ears and short, bushy tail– Tail looks like a squirrels

• 9-15” long

• 1-2 lbs.

• Fur is about 1” long

• Shed every 3 months

• Priming line: distinct line of new hair which is darker than old hair

• Prime fur: pelt that has been completely shed and new fur appeared

• Large ears and eyes

• Long, stiff wiskers

• Make little noise, but squeak when upset

• Very clean

• Almost odor-free

HousingHousing

• Nocturnal animals!!– Location of housing needs to be quiet during

day

• Metal and wire cage needed – They chew through wood and plastic

• Small chinchillas can crawl through openings a square inch big!

• Need to be kept apart

• Polygamous breeding cages:– Three separate cages connected with holes in

them by tunnels– Two females and one male – Male can go between cages– Females fitted with collars so they cannot go

between cages (they will not fit)

• Needs chew blocks in cage– Prevents maloclussion

BathingBathing

• Do not use water!

• Needs dust baths– Twice a week– Small, rectangular pan with 2”-3” of powder

placed in cage and left for about 5 minutes so chinchilla can “bathe”

FeedingFeeding

• Pelleted food– Ground alfalfa, corn, wheat and bran– supplements: grass, lettuce, carrots, celery,

apples, pears

• Inadequate food will lead to fur chewing!

HandlingHandling

• Cup hands around animal OR

• Pick up by tail and put other hand under front

• Chinchillas can release fur as a defense from getting picked up

DiseasesDiseases

• Suffer from: conjunctivitis (eye inflammation), otitis (ear infection), enteritis, pneumonia, uterine infections AND…..

• Fur chewing: common problem– Chews fur on the flanks and leaves patches of

short fur– Causes: poor nutrition, small cage, drafty

conditions, boredom, high humidity

AND….AND….

• Malocclusion

• Convulsions: two types– One caused by lack of calcium– One caused by lack of vitamin B (may lead to

paralysis and death)

ReproductionReproduction

• Estrus cycle is 28-35 days• First heat period around 5 months old• Cannot be bred until heat cycle• Gestation period is 111 days!!!

– Cause of animal being so expensive• Any stress during pregnancy causes premature

birth or abortion• Average litter is 2• Born fully furred, eyes open and full set of teeth!• Wean at six weeks old

Interesting…….Interesting…….

•Chinchillas have an average life span of 10-15 years in the wild. However, in captivity a chinchilla can live up to 25 years if cared for properly.