Chinchillas are of small sized crepuscular rodents
belonging to the Chinchillidae family, almost the size of
rabbit. They are found in the Andes Mountains of South America.
There are two different species of chinchilla, Chinchilla
Lanigera and Chinchilla Brevicaudata. Although they look almost
similar, the tail and ears of Chinchilla Brevicaudata is
shorter, its shoulder and neck are broader and is found in the
wild. The Chinchilla Lanigera species can be kept as pets. Their
standard color is grey and they can also be found in ebony,
beige and other colors.
Chinchillas are endangered species. They can be kept as domestic
pets, but are very shy animals and are not good with small kids.
Because of their fragile bone structure, they should be handled
with care and that might be the reason why chinchillas don’t
like it when people hold them in their hands.
The life period of chinchillas is about fifteen years, when kept
in captivity; some even survive till twenty or more years. They
are noisy animals and make noises like squeaks, barks and
chirps. They make noise to express their moods. They use a sweet
chirping sound to attract another chinchilla for mating. They
bark loudly when they get aggressive or scared. Chinchillas are
social animals and can be kept together. When keeping the
chinchillas of opposite sex, they should be neutered. A group of
same sex chinchillas also does well, except that there is a
chance of them fighting when a younger or older member is
introduced in the group.
Chinchillas are very playful animals. Arranged shelves can be
kept in their cage, which they can jump on. Toys like large
wheel measuring more than eight inches in radius, hanging wooden
toys, and paper towel cylinder can also be placed in the cage.
Care should be taken that none of the objects should have a mesh
structure as there is a possibility of chinchillas getting their
legs stuck in it. Adding to this, when they are given wooden
toys or wooden chew stick, the material shouldn’t be conifer
wood, because it contains resins which are poisonous to them.
Even plastics should be avoided for the same reason as they will
block their intestines I swallowed. The cage should be very airy
and the bedding again shouldn’t be of cedar wood. Birch, apple
tree, willow, and Manzanita are good options for wood.
Temperatures should be maintained below seventy-seven degree
Fahrenheit, because chinchilla don’t have sweat glands and do
not sweat. When the temperatures get really high, they get
overheated and get a heat stroke. Since the animals are hyper
active they should be made to spend at least half an hour
outside their cage to exercise, in supervision. They clean their
fur many times a week by taking dust baths. A container filled
with special chinchilla sand dust and fine pumice should be kept
in their cage for bathing purpose. The chinchillas shouldn’t be
given wet baths because their fur has the property to retain
moisture and this could aid fungus growth. Even if they are
given wet bath, they should be dried very fast with the help of
blow dryer on a low setting.
Chinchillas shouldn’t be given a sweet and fatty diet, like nuts
and fruits, as their digestive system is very delicate. Their
main diet can comprise of hay based pellet and loose hay. They
can also be given small pieces of papaya and raisins sometimes.
If they are fed with sugar products, they have a tendency to
develop diabetes or diarrhea. Even fresh vegetables block their
digestive system which can be very dangerous.
The cause of extinction of chinchillas is that they are killed
on a large scale for its superb soft feeling fur. Also, they
have a very evenly colored fur which makes it most apt for small
apparels and as lining for bigger apparels. Although, now the
wild species aren’t hunted for fur, but domestic species are
especially bred for this purpose. There are fur farms where
chinchillas are bred in larger numbers. They are kept in really
bad conditions.