Many species of animals have adapted in incredible ways to human life, chinchillas are one of them and this article will show everything related to their characteristics, what kind of subspecies they have, their diet, their habitat, diseases most common in their life and how they should be cared for if they are kept at home, this will allow their life time to be more pleasant while they keep their owners company.
What is a chinchilla?
This animal is a genus of the order of rodent mammals, its family is scientifically called "Chinchillidae" and they have existed in the world for more than 1700 years calculating from today. This was discovered together with the first fossil that when studied belonged to this species, found in the Latin American nation of Chile. Once these animals were found, they were used for their fur to make clothes and blankets, their hunting was also to keep people company.
Its fur, being so soft, caught the attention not only of the indigenous people but also of the conquerors who came from Spain, that is how its hunting began to become much more frequent and lucrative when its skin was exported to Spain. As time passed, the hunt became more and more intense, noticing that its fur was not compared to that of other species in the world, this resulted in an increase in its disappearance, the destruction of its habitat and almost its extermination for the beginning of the XNUMXth century.
On the verge of extinction, the consciousness of humanity began to emerge due to its low reproductive speed, but it took almost 100 years for the species to be protected with a law that would reduce its hunting a little. That is to say, they are still being hunted but not with the freedom of before. At first it was explained that they were trapped for their fur and to keep people company, by reducing their hunting for commercial purposes, the population of domestic chinchillas increased in the world.
It is currently a protected animal as it is among the lists of animals that respond to animal conservation policies around the world. Due to the destruction of their habitats, nature reserves have been created that have contributed to the recovery of their population. As scientific advances were seen, these animals were also used for studies in the field of hearing, this because they have a very good hearing range (20 Hz to 30Khz).
It can be seen that throughout the world there are different policies (in terms of their level of demand and the restrictions they have) for the protection of this animal, since domestic chinchillas are in many countries. Another thing that varies in each country is its name: in Germany, England, Spain, France and Indonesia its name is "Chinchilla" (and in its corresponding languages), in the countries that speak Portuguese it is "Chinchila", in those that speak Esperanto is «Ĉinĉilo», among others.
The etymology of its name responds to a language of a Latin American tribe (it goes hand in hand with the findings of its first fossil) and its meaning is "little bug" that refers to the smell they expel when they are in danger and they get scared. Their name is born not only because of their smell but because of their behavior characteristics, they are silent and small.
After all this, it only remains to say that his Time of life It generally ranges from 10 to 15 years old, talking about domestic chinchillas because wild chinchillas tend to live a little less. Even so, some have been recorded that have lived up to 25 years, their existence will be long or short depending on the serenity with which they live, although they are more active at night, so it is recommended to place accessories in their cage that allow them to drain that energy.
chinchilla characteristics
Since their origin, their etymology and what they are are known, their physical characteristics will be explained in principle, although they are animals that are found in small quantities in the world, they maintain a physical pattern that allows defining some features, which are the following:
- Its weight is 800 grams when it comes to females and 600 grams when talking about males.
- Its fur is so thick that for each follicle more than fifty hairs grow, this, in addition to serving to have much more fur, is not very strong. That is, each hair is weakly attached to another, which is why they come off in the form of fluff when they are in a dangerous situation. This happens so that the hairs enter the predator's snout and sneezing gives them more time to escape.
- Another characteristic that also works for dangerous situations is that if they are attacked they can expel urine and a bad smell to scare away their predators.
- They can be seen with fur of various colors according to their mutation: gray, white, beige, black, brown, bluish gray, violet, among others.
- His incisor teeth are orange.
- They have large, black eyes that allow better vision in the dark, as well as their large ears that increase their hearing capacity for better orientation in dimly lit places.
- Its legs do not have very long claws and its fingers do not have much movement, that is, its articulation is of the atrophy type.
Regarding their personality or behavior, chinchillas are extremely intelligent, they are able to recognize their owners and show happiness or sadness, it is possible to easily teach them some tricks with repetitions and with positive reinforcement Previously it was indicated that their activity is generally more energetic than night, so exercise will be essential for them.
To enhance this, branches, wheels or other accessories can be placed in their cage so that they can climb and develop certain movements in a short time and on their own. Likewise, it is recommended to prepare a small sandbox with very fine soil since sand baths work for them to clean themselves properly. This will also allow you to feel like you are in your natural habitat.
This species generally lives in colonies, they are very sociable but very skittish, so a first approach can scare them completely if they are not approached with patience and care. From then on they will be quite sociable, playful and calm pets. They are not very aggressive, in fact wild chinchillas develop the ability to speed up rather than attack skills, aggressiveness is not in their nature unlike other animals in the kingdom.
They like caresses (although caressing them too much makes their hair fall out in quantity), they like sweets and other types of food that will be explained in the section on their diet. All this will be easy to understand when they squeak or gently bite their owners, these screeches can be different because they emit several of them (sharp, loud, soft) and maychs from their teeth.
Species and mutations
Within its genus there are two main species: the chinchilla brevicaudata and the chinchilla lanigera, the first has as its main characteristic a short tail and a more rounded body, the second has a longer tail and its body is more curved and larger. We can see a third species that is born as a hybrid between the previous two, it is called domestic or breeding chinchilla that has a greater resemblance to the chinchilla lanigera.
Although it is on the list endangered mammals there are some varieties of the domestic chinchilla as well as some mutations, several of them will be described below:
- Coastal variety: They have longer legs than other variations, slightly narrower shoulders and a more arched spine, which is much more visible because their neck is quite sunken. His nose is pointed and the ears are further apart.
- Variety La Plata: These chinchillas are larger and heavier than the others to mention, their body is visually rounder and they have a shorter head. As for their ears, these are further apart and are smaller and rounder.
- Mouse variety: It has characteristics of the previous varieties, such as the pointed nose of the chinchilla costina and the body like the chinchilla de la plata. However, it is much smaller and the ears of this variety are closer together.
- Angora mutation: They are the mutation with the longest fur of the entire genus of chinchillas, so they suffer more when it is very hot where they live.
- beige mutation: They have the color of their name in almost their entire body (light or dark beige), only the ears are pink and their belly is white.
- White mutation: They can be totally white and can also have black spots on their heads or legs.
- Blue Diamond mutation: Its fur is what differentiates it from others, because it is gray with quite remarkable bluish tones.
- Charcoal Mutation: The color of its fur is similar to charcoal, that is, dark gray although it shows various shades throughout its body (the ears are lighter and around the eyes are blacker).
- Curly tail mutation: As its name indicates, its tail is what marks the distinction, some chinchillas of this mutation have a tail that is coiled in a way that makes two turns like a pig, others have a tail with a single turn and others do not turn as such but it does not stop being curly.
- Ebony Velvet mutation: These chinchillas are dark gray or black throughout most of their bodies.
- Dwarf Mutation: Its size is always smaller than that of all the others, they have small legs but their head is larger and it seems that it was always a baby chinchillas
- Gold bar mutation: The fur of this mutation is varied, golden on the back and white on the belly.
- Gray mutation: This is the most common mutation in the world, which is why it is also called the standard mutation.
- brown mutation: They have a darker brown color than other chinchillas and are somewhat uniform throughout their body, although the ears have a pinkish hue, the belly is light, and the tail is beige.
- black mutation: They are not totally black like the mouse variation because they have a white abdomen, black legs and head, a gray back, and a dark gray tail.
- curly mutation: This mutation differs from the curly-tailed one because all of their fur has curls, they are also smaller.
- Tan mutation: Their fur shows a light brown color, unlike other chinchillas (which mostly have dark black eyes) they have dark red eyes.
- Violet Mutation: Here you can see a chinchilla with purplish gray fur that is lighter on the abdomen or belly, as well as around its eyes, while the tail is darker, its head and legs.
- German Violet Velvet Mutation: Various shades of colors are perceived in these chinchillas, on the belly they can have a very light violet color or even white, while their ears are gray with blue tones, the rest is quite dark violet.
- Sapphire Mutation: This mutation is not completely blue but with a bluish gray that can be more intense on its head and legs, while its belly and tail (at first) are light. Something unique is that it shows a little pink in its ears.
Food
An important point to develop is the feeding of chinchillas, these animals are herbivores, so vegetables and insects are good food for them. Nutritious feed has been prepared for them all over the world that is quite good to digest, plus they do not usually eat more than 30 grams of any food daily. Wild chinchillas used to feed on a plant called king grass, as well as decandra cordia, cacti, herbs, fruits.
Although they should drink plenty of water, food such as lettuce is not highly recommended due to its high content of the mentioned liquid, alfalfas, on the other hand, are a good option. In this sense, it is quite easy to feed them because their diet is vegetarian, so they will eat vegetables, fibers and insects. Hay is a food base, a large percentage of their diet must be based on hay rations in order for them to stay in good health.
Diseases that can suffer
All that will prevent a chinchilla from getting sick is good hygiene care and a good diet, this will allow it to keep its defenses up and keep it strong to repel nearby bacteria and parasites. His water and litter box should be renewed frequently as well. However, it should be taken into account that they can get sick from the following conditions:
- Parasites
- Mycosis in their fur and skin
- Eye problems when sand gets in your eyes (usually happens when taking sand baths, so be careful)
- Heat strokes (because their fur is considerably thick)
- Stomach problems
- Dental problems
Where does the chinchilla live?
Since their origins these animals have been kept in places with natural barriers that can protect them from all those predatory animals that want to eat them, in fact their claws also biologically have a design that allows them to flee rather than attack other animals, their legs have bearings that they prevent them from skidding and have a thick tail that makes it easier for them to stand up on their two hind legs for a more extensive view, it also makes it easier for them to jump very long and climb without difficulty.
The Andes mountain range between the countries of Chile and Argentina is its natural habitat, that is, a rocky and desert area is where it generally stays to live in a colony. In these places their nests can be seen in bushes with thorns and inside cavities, so their large black eyes and large ears allow them to be in dark places without difficulty.
Caring for a chinchilla as a pet
If you decide to have a chinchilla at home, it is important to keep it with some care that will make its life more pleasant than it would be if it were free in its natural habitat, caring for and protecting them is part of what is written in the Universal Declaration of Animal Rights, so some recommendations will be explained below.
To take care of its fur, first of all, it should be known that the wild species took care of it with volcanic or marble dust baths. At home, a tray with very fine sand can be introduced into its cage that allows it to have sand baths that simulate the dust. previously mentioned. This will allow their fur to stay alive and shiny although they may get a bit of sand in their big eyes.
It is important to choose a correct place to keep chinchillas at home because they tolerate cold very well but suffer a lot from heat. Its fur is adapted to withstand extreme cold temperatures and perhaps also some heat, but, obviously, a bad place would be, for example, to put it in front of the fireplace, near radiators, etc. You have to choose places where there is no current, but that are far from heating systems, especially in winter, when we immediately tend to turn on the heaters and so on.
The chinchilla prefers a somewhat cool environment rather than one that is too warm, because its fur is adapted to cold environments. Once the place in the house has been chosen for the first days, the issue of tranquility is also very important. The first days that the animal is in the house, the stress is maximum. Therefore, you have to put them in a place where they are in the dark.
As for the cage, it is essential that it be a large cage, as they are very active and nervous animals, they tend to make several jumps inside the cage to mobilize. It is important that it has several floors and always try to have at least one couple, if it can be two males or two females, fine. In the event that you have a male and a female, it is of course recommended to castrate one of the two animals.
They are animals of crepuscular habits, even nocturnal, as they are likely to be hunted, really in the food pyramid, they are the prey. All of these animals tend to come out at twilight or at night where other animals cannot hunt them. They use, so to speak, the darkness and hiding places, therefore, they will be much more comfortable at home in the evening and at night. It should be noted that above all they come into activity when the evening comes, even at night and during the early hours of the morning as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3yimMKulRw
Chinchillas are animals that have been part of human homes for a long time, as well as other domestic pets, they give names by any letter of the alphabet. In this sense, giving them a short name will work so that they can recognize each other when they are called, as well as other games to train them will help them entertain themselves.
As mentioned, during the day they are probably not very active, but at night they will be seen and heard how they move, how they eat, and even how they play with the wheel. Regarding the toys, you can put two types of wheels on them, a very large wheel of about 30 centimeters or a turntable, so that they can run a lot would be ideal.
They do not have to bathe with water, because they are animals that should not get wet except on specific occasions when they get very dirty, a leg, the torso, etc. In that case, with a damp cloth we can clean the area, but they do not have to bathe. To bathe and clean them, there is a chinchilla sand. This sand can be put every two days, even every three days it is put about 30 minutes a day and it will be seen how they are watered and cleaned by themselves.
Sudden changes in feeding also put stress on the animals. When people normally talk about stress, many associate it with being nervous, that they are scaring you, but a sudden change in diet also implies physiological stress, in your metabolism, which further alters your normal diet. Therefore, it is recommended not to change the power abruptly.
The diet basically has to be composed of hay, at first it has to be alfalfa, more or less until 8 months or a year, due to its high level of calcium, then it must be changed to a varied menu. It is essential that it is always several types of hay and it is also recommended to give them, vegetable leaf. Occasionally you can give him some fruit or nuts, but not often. The vegetable mainly has to be the vegetable leaf, said leaves the more calcium they contain the better (it can be chard or spinach).
For safety, you have to go every six months or annually to the veterinarian of these animals to ensure that the chinchilla is in perfect condition and that it does not suffer from any disease. It is important, especially because of the issue of parasites, that a veterinary check-up be done. Since they are animals that do not present symptoms, as soon as the disease appears they try to mask it, due to their condition as prey, so for any abnormality that is observed, they should go to the clinic.
Reproduction
Regarding their reproduction, it is only necessary to know that they are sexually mature at five months of birth, their heat lasts approximately five days every month. When they are pregnant, their gestation process is one hundred and eleven days or more, where it will be seen how they gain weight, their appetite increases and they sleep much more than usual. Females can have young twice a year and in each pregnancy they can have one or two young, usually two.
When they are born they already have hair and they open their eyes quickly, in fact they can run after a short time and even jump. Although the lactation period they have is approximately two months, they are able to eat solid foods very quickly, as long as they are vegetables.
To conclude, it is important to remember that these animals, like others, must be cared for and must receive attention even though many of these can be seen in the world. Yet the mass die-offs don't stop in either species until an alert is raised about it. This is why this species must be prevented from becoming one of the Animals in danger of extinction in Chile or in other countries. It must be remembered that many species have died in the world due to human causes.