The Mighty Chinchilla Animal Science I

About Chinchillas… Originated in South America Nearly became extinct!! 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 Groups Standard: most common White Beige Black 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

Characteristics 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

Housing Nocturnal animals!! Metal and wire cage needed 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!

Polygamous breeding cages: 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

Bathing 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”

Feeding Pelleted food Inadequate food will lead to fur chewing! Ground alfalfa, corn, wheat and bran supplements: grass, lettuce, carrots, celery, apples, pears Inadequate food will lead to fur chewing!

Handling 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

Diseases 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…. Malocclusion Convulsions: two types One caused by lack of calcium One caused by lack of vitamin B (may lead to paralysis and death)

Reproduction 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……. •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.