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Chinchilla description - habitat, appearance, size, weight. Chinchillas

IN Lately It has become a popular pastime to breed chinchillas at home. Many parents believe that a cute fat-ass chinchilla will become good friend for their child. Most often, children are really delighted with these exotic animals. Before getting a fluffy pet, it would be nice to know how chinchillas live in nature, how chinchillas sleep, what indicators their sizes reach, how the animal looks, how many teeth rodents have. All this information, as well as the characteristics of the species, its description and Interesting Facts about chinchillas are contained in this article.

Description of the species

Classification

There are several erroneous beliefs in the question: what species does a chinchilla belong to. Many people think that a chinchilla is a squirrel, a rabbit or a rat. In fact, it is an animal related to:

kingdom - Animals;
type - Chordates;
class - Mammals;
infraclass - Placental;
detachment - Rodents;
suborder - Porcupines;
superfamily - Chinchilla-like;
family - Chinchilla;
genus - Chinchilla.

The chinchilla genus is divided into 2 types:

Chinchilla lanigera - small long-tailed or coastal;
Chinchilla Brevicaudata - short-tailed or large.

There are mutational species that differ in the color of the hairline.

habitats

The homeland of the animals is South America. Long-tailed individuals are widespread in the mountains of Chile. Short-tailed - live in the Andes and northwest Argentina.

The habitat of rodents is rocky areas, preferably the northern slopes. You can meet a rodent at an altitude of up to 5,000 m. As a dwelling, animals choose narrow cracks and openings between stones, they can dig a hole.

External signs

Chinchilla body length - 22-38 cm. Tail - from 9 to 17 cm. Whiskers (vibrissae) - 8-12 cm.
Weight adult does not reach 1 kg. - an average of 0.5 kg, more than 0.8 kg. they won't grow. The weight of the female is usually greater than the weight of the male.
Rounded head and short thick neck.
The eyes are round black, the pupils are vertical.
The length of the rounded ears is up to 6 cm. The ears have special membranes to protect the ears during sand baths.
The fur on the whole body is thick, the hairs on the tail are stiff.
The color of the fur is most often gray, but there are other varieties (black, white, beige, brown, pink, purple and others). The belly is white.

animal skeleton

The structure of the body of chinchillas provides them with reliable shelter and makes it possible to survive in the conditions of the rocky mountains. The skeleton of a chinchilla narrows if necessary. The need may arise when the animal hides in narrow crevices from predators and bad weather. There are 5 fingers on the front paws of rodents, and 4 on the hind legs. The hind limbs are longer and stronger than the front ones, which allows the animals to jump high.

Rodents have a set of 20 strong teeth that grow throughout their lives. Newborn babies have developed dental systems: there are 12 teeth at once.

How to determine the age of a chinchilla?

By outward signs it is easy to determine the age of the animal. The definition is possible in several ways:

By weight: at the age of two months - up to 300 grams, at six months - up to 500 grams, per year - up to 800 grams.
On the heels: juveniles have delicate skin on the heels. To determine the age more precisely, the legs of an individual whose age is not known can be compared with those who know this indicator.
On the muzzle: with age, the muzzle is extended.
In size: at 3-4 months, the chinchilla is close to size guinea pig, at 6 months and after the animal can be compared with a rabbit.
According to the color of the teeth: up to 2 months the teeth are white, and when the chinchillas grow up, the color of their teeth becomes orange.
According to gender: in males, testicles appear by the fifth month of life, by the age of seven months, the genitals are already easy to distinguish from female ones.
On the ear canopies: in chinchillas with a beige gene, by the age of 5 months, canopies appear on the ears. There should be more than 2 per year, and in an adult at the age of 3-4 years, all ears are strewn with spots.

population

Today, chinchillas are on the verge of extinction. Over the past three generations, the number of rodents has decreased by more than 80%.

In nature, their wide distribution is recorded only in Chile. The number of animals in nature is less than 10,000 individuals.

Since 2008, the animals have been listed in the Red Book.

Attempts to populate rodents in other areas favorable for them did not bring results.

Lifestyle

Chinchillas in the wild

These rodents are monogamous and prefer to settle in groups of up to 10 individuals. During the day, the whole group sleeps, and is awake at night. A "watcher" stands out in the pack, who informs the rest of the community about the approach of danger. Females dominate the colony.

Chinchillas are vegetarians. The basis of their diet: plants, seeds, fruits, lichens and cacti.

From juicy and green food, they get enough moisture, so they practically do not consume water. They can eat dew.

Animals are able to express their attitude to something with the help of sounds. If the animal is unhappy, then it quacks or chirps. An angry rodent chatters its teeth and growls. A frightened individual squeaks.

The enemies of chinchillas are predator birds and mammals. When danger arises, the animal can attack the enemy: it stands on its hind legs, lets out a stream of urine and clings to the offender with its teeth.

Chinchillas love to bathe in sand, fine dry dust, or volcanic ash. In this way they manage to keep their fur dry, clean and silky. Hairline renewal occurs annually during the warm season.

The average life expectancy of an animal is 20 years.

How do chinchillas sleep

The peak of activity in chinchillas occurs at night, and during the day the animals sleep. A rodent living in pairs or groups sleeps in an embrace, or one individual may perch on top of another.

Even the slightest noise can awaken the animal. Therefore, when keeping chinchillas at home, it is better to develop a clear cleaning and feeding routine so that the pets go to bed at the allotted time. During this period, it is recommended not to make noise.

A pet living in a cage alone sleeps on its stomach or on its side. If the animal collapsed on its side, the owner can conclude that the chinchilla completely trusts him.

How chinchillas see

Chinchillas have nocturnal vision, but rodents see perfectly during the day. These animals have panoramic vision, that is, they have a wider view than humans. This feature gives rodents an advantage over predators - the chinchilla is able to see the enemy from any direction.

The large pupil of the animal allows you to see in the twilight, and the mobility of the pupil does not allow you to go blind in the bright sun.

The animals do not differ in ideal vision; at a distance of more than a meter, the picture will be blurry. But sensitive hearing and vibrissa compensate for this shortcoming.

Chinchilla is your pet

Today we want to start a series of publications about chinchillas, and about their content at home. Until recently, most of our compatriots associated these fluffy animals exclusively with natural luxurious fur coats. However, it's time to put aside such stereotypes, and look at the chinchilla as pet, which, by the way, is ready to push classic pets off the podium - and. It turns out that keeping a chinchilla does not require much trouble, and this animal itself has a number of advantages over other pets. But first things first…

Benefits of keeping a chinchilla at home

So, you have been planning to have a pet for a long time, however, due to certain circumstances, cats and dogs are not suitable for this role. Well, then perhaps the perfect chinchilla is just what you need. Doubt how this is possible? Then what do you say to the fact that by their nature these creatures, which are usually classified as rodents, belong to the category of telepaths. After all, chinchillas are able to sensitively respond to human emotions and even ... predict our further actions. Some chinchilla breeders sincerely believe that not an ordinary animal lives in their house, but a real messenger from other worlds, so close emotional contact with him can be established, and the owners understand their pets so well. Also, these are very energetic and mobile creatures that have their own character and their own habits, which you want to watch, you can, and the secrets of chinchillas - you want to unravel them.

Acquaintance with the chinchilla

Chinchillas belong to the genus of furry animals from the chinchilla family and from the order of rodents. The homeland of these creatures is considered to be South America, where these nimble animals live in nature at an altitude of 5000 meters above sea level in mountain ranges.

What does a chinchilla look like

white chinchilla

As a rule, an adult chinchilla reaches a size of 22-38 centimeters, and at the same time, the length of the tail of this rodent is 10-17 centimeters. The head of the chinchilla is rounded, the neck is short, the body is covered with strong and thick fur, and hard guard hairs can be found on the tail. An adult chinchilla can weigh up to 800 grams. The eyes of this creature are large, black with vertical pupils, by the way, chinchillas - they see perfectly in the dark. Their whiskers can reach a length of up to 10 centimeters, and their ears grow up to 6 centimeters. As a rule, the ears are rounded. By the way, the structure of the chinchilla's ear is very interesting, since there are special membranes in the auricle, with which the animal closes the ear canal at the time when it takes sand baths and cleans its fur. The chinchilla skeleton also has an amazing ability to shrink when hit in vertical planes - thanks to this ability, these animals can penetrate the narrowest gaps. Their forelimbs are 5-fingered, similar to small hands, while the hind limbs have only 4 fingers. The standard color of a chinchilla in nature is an ash gray-blue color, although it is possible that there is a white color in the chinchilla's abdomen ...

Sex differences chinchillas

Features of the behavior of chinchillas

We have already written that these are very affectionate and emotional creatures that very subtly and sensitively feel the mood of their owner. Moreover, chinchillas are even able to keep up a conversation with you. If they don’t like something, they will make loud sounds that look like chirping or quacking, and if the chinchilla gets very angry, she may even growl and snap her teeth. The chinchilla expresses its resentment and pain with a loud squeak. By the way, if you really drive the animal out of yourself - it can rise on its hind legs, start growling, let out a stream of urine and grab your hand with its teeth. But, before that, it is better not to bring it up.

Despite the opportunity to give such a rebuff - chinchillas are very shy animals, and even a loud sound, a sharply turned on light or a blow to the cage can plunge them into a state of stress - the animal can begin to get sick from such a shock and even die on a nervous basis. Therefore, remember this and take care of the nerves of your chinchilla.

Types of chinchillas

Chinchilla - manual animal

Today, experts distinguish between 2 types of chinchillas that can be kept at home: this is the coastal chinchilla or small long-tailed and large chinchilla or short-tailed. The appearance of these representatives different types slightly different, however, as well as behavior. So, coastal chinchillas reach a length of up to 38 centimeters, and boast a fluffy chic tail, the length of which can be all 17 centimeters. By the way, the tail of such a chinchilla is very similar to the tail of a squirrel. The eyes of such an animal are black and large, the mustache is long, the ears are round and large, and the animal itself leads night image life. Whereas the big chinchilla is distinguished by short front legs, and powerful hind legs, and a short nondescript tail, thick neck. Chinchillas of this species are larger in size, they have a wide head, and small bluish ears.

In addition to these 2 main types of chinchillas, today there are also many mutational species that arose as a result of crossing animals, however, as a rule, they differ mainly colors color, while the standard parameters of the chinchilla's body and its habits remain preserved.

The most common colors of chinchillas

As a rule, among chinchillas that live at home, you can most often find animals with a standard gray color, black velvet, white color, beige, homobeige, ebony, purple and even sapphire colors. It is noteworthy that crossing these colors allows you to achieve up to 200 different combinations of hybrid colors, some of them have very complex structure, and in order to get them - you need to go through several stages of breeding.

Gray color - as a rule, it is the gray color that is considered to be the standard color of the chinchilla. Crossing 2 gray chinchillas produces offspring of a similar color. However, among the gray chinchillas, light gray, medium gray and dark gray animals can be distinguished. Moreover, sometimes in a gray chinchilla, on the bends of the body, one can observe how the lower part of the hair - almost black - rises to the middle part and becomes white and becomes black again in the upper part.
Black color - was first bred in 1960 in America. Distinctive features of this color are horizontal black stripes on the front legs of the chinchilla, a white belly, and a black color on the head and back. It is noteworthy that black chinchillas cannot be crossed with each other, since the offspring will have defects or not be born viable at all.
White color - both black and white chinchillas - cannot be crossed with each other.
Beige color - was discovered in 1955, as a rule, in beige chinchillas, the eyes can be pink or dark red, and the ears and nose have pink color, sometimes even covered with small black dots. The fur itself can be either light beige or dark beige. By the way, beige chinchillas can be crossed with each other.
Purple color - is considered quite rare, and animals of this color begin to breed only after 14-18 months.
Sapphire color - seeing a sapphire chinchilla, it's hard to believe that the color of the animal's fur will not change during its life, however, this is true.

Many people have chinchillas as a pet, others breed them in bulk, when crossing, getting either the color of one of the main breeds, or a unique color. This article provides information about the appearance of chinchillas, the main breeds and the rules for breeding rodents.

There are only two types of chinchillas: small long-tailed and large, they differ from each other in the size of body parts. Long-tailed chinchillas are the most common species, so further external description will apply to him. Their historical habitat is the Andes.

Rodent incisors have the function of biting off food particles. Indigenous, as in humans, it is customary to divide into molars and premolars. Their sizes can reach 12 mm. The first are large teeth, and they are located on the back of the jaw. They perform the function of mechanical processing of food, grinding. Between the incisors and premolars there is also a special gap - the diastema. Chinchillas have only one set of teeth for life.

You will find out what are early signs pregnancy in a chinchilla, the rules for feeding females during this period, how to prepare a cage for the birth of babies and help the chinchilla herself during childbirth.

Chinchilla colors

The color of an ordinary individual - gray-blue with white patches in the belly area. Moreover, in the long-tailed representatives of this family, the saturation of the color and the length of the colored part may vary by nature. There are only 9 main colors of chinchilla fur, and as a result of selection, this number grows to 150 different new shades. The usual gray color can vary from a darkish to a light shade. Of course, crossing gray individuals with each other will not give you a new, unique shade, but this hybrid is no less important and valuable than the others. Ordinary grayish chinchillas allow you to bring to new level fur properties and body dimensions of other individuals. Their number in good breeders is about 10%.

Main breeds

Fur color black (dark) velvet was introduced in the 1960s. The main color of these animals is black. In addition, there are distinguishable lines on the paws. The darker the color of the fur, the better it is.

Chinchilla color "black velvet"

Also, when selecting for breeding an animal of this subspecies, it is worth paying Special attention the shape of the muzzle and ears. For the first, it is better to choose a semicircular shape, for the second - small, round ones. This does not affect the quality of the fur, but it will add the aesthetic beauty of this individual and its selected offspring.

Wilson white (Wilson white) was originally a coffee-cream color scheme, but over time acquired various colors from snow-white to silver. Yellowness reduces the demand for products made from this fur.

Color white velvet obtained by crossing a pair of representatives of the above described colors. At of this type dull spots on the head, white color back.

Chinchilla color "white velvet"

Beige color saw the world through a random mutation. A skilled breeder managed not only to save the resulting individual, but also to distribute it among chinchilla lovers. hallmark for them is the ears of coral color and reddish irises.

For homobeige color characterized by the presence of exclusively beige type genes. They stand out from the Hetero-Beiges by having a very brilliant back color with a light coral tint, with creamy lilac ears and lavender eyes. Both subspecies have a white abdomen.

Color brown (hazel) velvet appears to be a hybridization of beige and black velvet. The presence of a pair of dominant genes belonging to the parents is characteristic. The color of the eyes and ears is from a beige representative, the lines of the paws are black. The shade of the fur varies from woody to chocolate.

Chinchilla color "brown velvet"

White and pink chinchillas also have two dominant traits and a lethal allele, that is, a recessive deadly gene. Color is pinkish or smoky. Eye color from light coral to brick. There is a chance of them having brown spots, which is very much appreciated.

Velvet white-pink- quite a valuable and unique color scheme. The color of the back is white, there are brown stripes on the paws, purple ears, burgundy eyes.

Male color "white-pink velvet"

Video - Examples of chinchilla colors

The nuances of crossing chinchillas of the main breeds

In this section, we describe the features of crossing chinchillas. It must be remembered that family ties between chinchillas should be avoided, as this will lead to degeneration of the breed. The results of most known crosses are presented in the table.

When breeding gray chinchillas, they are used to improve the physical parameters of other individuals: fur density, body weight. Breeders are advised to keep 7-10% of the entire population of high quality representatives of this species.

Chinchilla "black velvet" breakfast

It is worth refusing to hybridize a pair of chinchillas of the velvet gene, since it is not necessary to cross two representatives of black velvet color, because there is a high probability of the absence of offspring or its non-viability. Hybridization with snow-white Wilson gives a shade of snow-white velvet, with heterobeige - coffee velvet, with purple in 2 steps - purple velvet, with sapphire, also in 2 steps - sapphire velvet.

From the Wilsonian snow-white chinchilla, snow-white, silver, mosaic chinchillas are obtained with a similar probability. Representatives of this species, like dark velvet, have a deadly gene, therefore it is not recommended to cross two individuals of the same species. Snow-white velvet is not suitable for further selection, because it inherited 2 lethal genes from its parents. The most successful choice for crossing will be a homo- or hetero-beige chinchilla.

Individuals of beige color are successful for selection. They give offspring with 2 dominant genes. Hybridization with black velvet produces brown velvet , and with snow-white Wilson - pink-white. Beige chinchillas can be crossed with any other. Moreover, it is possible to get a chocolate or smoky color by crossing them with representatives endowed with the ebony gene. One of the manifestations of this gene is a painted abdomen. The degree of color of the abdomen is proportional to the degree of dominance of this gene, so that the less colored the abdomen, the weaker the gene in this individual. It also adds shine to the coat. It is better to combine individuals with the ebony gene with carriers of the same gene to preserve the quality of the fur in the offspring (the ebony gene tends to reduce its influence when crossing).

Homobeige individuals are obtained as a result of crossing two homobeige, two heterobeige, or hetero- and homobeige. This color is very much appreciated by breeders, because it makes it possible to avoid the appearance of ordinary gray cubs. When homobeige individuals are hybridized with ordinary ones, they are heterobeige, with black velvet - brown velvet or heterobeige, with heterobeige - homo- or heterobeige.

Brown velvet, when hybridized with individuals with the ebony gene, makes it possible to obtain a velvet pastel. It is noticeable in the color of the fur of the cubs in the form of a coffee or smoky shade with a painted belly. Also, the result of crossing these subspecies can be a rare younger generation with the presence of beige and velvet genes.

Fur shade - velvet pastel

When combining white-pink and beige chinchillas, homozygous white-pink are obtained. Them feature have ears of a soft brown hue and clear eyes. The lethal gene is present. Can be crossed with regular or dark velvet. In the case of hybridization with the second, up to 8 different combinations can be obtained!

Velvety white-pink has 4 sets of genes from white, beige, gray and velvet counterparts at once. However, when looking for a pair for crossing, it is worth considering the presence of a pair of lethal genes in him at once. good choice can become homo- and heterobeige individuals.

The nuances of crossing minor breeds

individuals snow white ebony They have black and white fur. The degree of saturation of a particular color varies, for example, the main color is white, and black represents only partial blotches on the fur, color of the eyes, ears. White ebony has a lethal gene. This color is derived by crossing white hetero- and homoebony. It is not recommended to hybridize it with representatives of white flowers.

The representatives of the color velvet pastel the color of the back is bronze-brown, velvety lines on the paws. The eyes are mostly brick-colored or a shade close to it. This color is derived by crossing pastels with brown velvet or velvet ebony. When hybridizing velvet pastel and pastel, there is a chance to get rare and valuable cubs with a beautiful chocolate-velvet shade of fur.

Homoebony is now considered the most interesting of the breeding colors. Its color is completely black, but perfectly black individuals are very rare and very expensive. Homoebony is usually bred together with hetero. Cubs are obtained with beautiful fur. There is also a chance to get a homobeige, chocolate brown, lilac individual.

Chinchilla color "homoebony"

heteroebony in turn, they breed better than homo. The coat color can vary from light to dark. The light hybrid has additional white hairs on the tail. You can get it after crossing a homoebony with a gray chinchilla.

Chinchilla color "heteroebony"

Violet (lilac) fur color. The back shimmers with purple tones. Breeders settle standard gray animals with these animals, which are carriers of the purple gene. This method allows you not to lose the quality of the fur.

To get the purple velvet color, you need to go through 2 steps:

Hybridization of representatives of black velvet and purple.
After that, the resulting individuals are re-crossed with purple.

The fur of this subspecies is purple, darker than that of the common lilac chinchilla.

At the end I would like to mention sapphire color. The fur in this case comes in different shades of blue. Crossing one or a pair of sapphire representatives results in cubs of the same color.

Video - Features of breeding diamond chinchillas

A description of a chinchilla will help you write an essay and learn a lot of interesting things about these animals.

Description of the chinchilla

Chinchilla is a rodent of the chinchilla family. The body of chinchillas is covered with soft, thick hair of gray, ashy or white color. In the 20th century, more than 40 different types of chinchillas were bred, the coat color of which has more than 250 shades.
Chinchillas have round heads and short necks. Rigid hairs grow on the tail. The body length is 22-38 cm, and the tail grows 10-17 cm long. The weight of a chinchilla reaches 700-800 grams, while females are larger and heavier than males.

At night, chinchillas are easy to navigate thanks to their huge eyes that have vertical pupils. The whiskers of mammals grow up to 10 centimeters in length. The ears of chinchillas are rounded and have a length of 5-6 cm. There is a special membrane in the auricles, with which the chinchilla closes its ears when it takes a sand bath.

The chinchilla's skeleton can shrink in a vertical plane, so the animals can climb into the smallest cracks. The chinchilla has short but rather strong legs with small tenacious claws. Claws help chinchillas living in the wild to make their way over the rocks in the crevices of which they live. Chinchilla teeth are very strong, like all rodents.

How long does a chinchilla live? The life expectancy of a chinchilla reaches 20 years.

Where does the chinchilla live? The natural range is the desert highlands of the Andes in Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.

What does a chinchilla eat?

Like all rodents, the chinchilla feeds on seeds, cereals, herbaceous plants, lichens, bark, moss, legumes, cacti, shrubs, and insects.
Domestic chinchillas are fed dried foods: apples, carrots, nettles, hay, dried dandelions, nuts, dried fruits, as well as special foods. Do not feed your chinchilla many fresh vegetables and fruits, as this can lead to stomach problems.

Chinchilla breeding

Chinchilla couples are monogamous. At the age of 7 months, the animals reach sexual maturity. The female can give birth up to three times a year. On average, two cubs are born, but sometimes more. The duration of pregnancy is about 115 days. The male helps the female take care of the chinchillas. Little chinchillas are born with open eyes, with fur and can move around on their own.

Because of their beautiful fur, chinchillas were hunted and their population declined. IN this moment there are chinchilla farms where animals are grown for the sake of fur. The chinchilla has also become a popular pet.

Chinchillas do not see well, but they are well oriented thanks to the sense of smell;

The chinchilla does not have sweat glands, so it does not smell of anything;

adult chinchilla has teeth orange color. Cubs are born with white teeth that change color with age.

Chinchillas bathe not in water, but in sand or dust: they do not stay on the water and immediately get wet;

Chinchillas can jump up to 2 meters high and even higher, and they can also sleep upside down, in a vertical and horizontal position;

Chinchillas do not shed but can shed their fur, especially when attacked.

The natural habitat of chinchillas is the harsh, desert highlands of the Andes. In order for the animals to keep warm and energy, nature gave them fluffy fur coats, on one square centimeter of which 25,000 hairs fit. Since ancient times, valuable rodent fur has been a luxury item available to leaders, kings and kings. Because of him, chinchillas paid with their population, there are very few of them left in nature, so the animals are listed in the Red Book. Chinchillas were saved from complete extinction by the fact that from 1919 to 1921, the American enthusiast Matthias F. Chapman caught eleven individuals. He initiated the breeding of rodents in captivity. Animals, due to their friendliness and ease of maintenance, quickly took a place in the hearts of animal lovers.

A source: www.mir-shinsh.narod.ru

Reasons "for" chinchilla

1. If you are a busy person and cannot devote much time to an animal, then a chinchilla is what you need. This is an independent animal that can live without heightened attention owner.

2. If you are leaving, you do not need to look for where to “attach” the animal, convulsively calling friends and relatives. A chinchilla can wait a week for your return home without any problems. Of course, if there is enough water and food.

3. If you work a day shift and only show up at home in the evening, then your rhythm of life coincides with that of a chinchilla. After all, she is an animal at night and during the day - she sleeps, the peak of her activity falls on the evening.

A source: blogs.privet.ru

4. Try not to remove the cage of a hamster or a guinea pig in time, and they will immediately remind you of this with a specific “aroma”. The chinchilla does not exude any smell, because the animal does not have sweat and sebaceous glands. The only thing it smells of is sawdust.

5. Chinchilla - a ball of fluffy tenderness. Their fur is extremely pleasant to the touch. Touching once, you want to touch again and again. Having stroked an animal once, you will never confuse this feeling with anything.

7. Chinchillas are hypoallergenic, that is, their fur does not cause allergies.

8. Chinchilla does not shed, only separate hairs or tufts fall out during severe stress or due to a fight.

9. With a chinchilla, you will never know how to trim your nails, clean your ears and bathe. pet. The animal and water are incompatible, it bathes in the sand, and copes with other moments of personal hygiene on its own.

10. Chinchilla is one of the few rodents in which the gestation period and the period when the baby must stay with mommy is one of the longest. The pregnancy lasts for four months and for at least four months the baby does not lag behind the mother, and in wild nature he follows her until he is sexually mature (up to eight months old). Because of this, the animals have strong immunity, they do not have congenital and hereditary diseases, they also do not need to be vaccinated. The cause of the occurrence can be exclusively improper care.

11. Chinchillas are not prolific, this is one of the reasons that animals and their skins are quite expensive. If you start a pair, you do not have to look for a forest of "good hands" every two months, ready to take the cubs. On average, one or two babies are born at a time. It takes at least eight months from one pregnancy to the second.

A source: www.chinclub.ru

12. In the wild, the chinchilla has almost no enemies, so it has no special devices for protection (sharp teeth, claws, poison, thorns), except for dexterous (fast and “jumping”) paws, so the chinchilla will never scratch. And the risk of being bitten is very small (it can only bite in case of extreme discomfort or out of curiosity, but it does not hurt at all). Chinchillas are not aggressive, they are peaceful and friendly animals.

A source: videodisc.tv

13. Chinchillas are very curious, and therefore - contact. You can play with the animals, it is interesting to watch them, and their bathing in the sand is a performance from which it is impossible to take your eyes off.

14. Chinchilla is an economical animal to keep. Cage, feed and sawdust - this is the list of costs for it. Special granulate or food and hay will fully satisfy the gastronomic needs of your pet. One chinchilla eats one to two tablespoons of food per day.

A source: www.artfile.ru

15. Chinchilla is an ergonomic animal and is perfect for those who have cramped living conditions, and I really want to have a home “fluffy”. The cage will not take up much space and it is better if it is high, not wide. After all, chinchillas are famous jumpers. If the cage is spacious enough, then the animal can not be allowed to walk around the apartment, and you will not have to sweep the “traces” of its movement from everywhere, and you will clean up after it only in the cage. Cleaning a chinchilla cage is very easy.