WHAT IS A CHINCHILLA?

Chinchillas are nocturnal animals in the rodent family. They have squirrel like bodies , mouse like ears, and a bushy tail. They are best known for their thick soft fur. Chinchillas have the highest hair count per follicle. Over 50 hairs per follicle where humans only have one. Originally all chinchillas were gray in color but thru selective breeding various colors are now found in captive animals. Most chinchillas weigh between 400g and 800g with the female being larger then the male. Wild chinchillas are somewhat smaller with a weight range of 400g to 500g. They are very social animal and live in colonies located in rocky crevasses and burros in the wild. Chinchillas reach sexual maturity around 8 months to a year old. The gestation period is 111 days . The average litter size being one to two kits born fully furred and eyes open. Although larger litters are had it is hard for the dam (mother) to care for more then 2 kits. Chinchillas are herbivores and are fed a plant based pellet and hay in captivity . In their natural habitat they would consume leaves, fruits, bark and roots among other plant material. A Chinchilla can live to be 20 or so years of age, but the average life span in captivity is 10 to 15 yrs of age.

WHERE DID CHINCHILLAS COME FROM?
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The native range for chinchillas includes the Andes Mountains of Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. Wild Chinchillas are now considered endangered because of excessive hunting and trapping for their pelts. Most of the wild chinchillas today live within a reserve, but about 5,000 animals live on private unprotected land. Because of the disruption of their natural habitat on this private land the number of wild chinchillas are still declining. Mathias Chapman was granted special permission to export a group of chinchillas from Chile into the United Satates. In 1923 he was finally  sucessful. Only 11 animals survived the trip.