All About Chinchillas
By Spencer Underwood
http://todaysmama.com/files/2011/10/chinchilla-pet.jpg
All About Chinchillas
By Spencer Underwood
What is a Chinchilla?
Chinchillas are small South American rodents that live in the Andes
Mountains. A large number of chinchillas were brought to North America in the
1920s, where they began being sold as pets.
Photo from: www.61p.net
http://6thgradegps.wikispaces.com/file
/view/Andes_Mountains_Map.gif/2283
05406/Andes Mountains Map.gif
Types of Chinchillas
Chinchillas come in many different colors: dark grey, mosaic(varied colors), black velvet,
sapphire, white and tan. The natural color is dark grey. There are several cross-breeds of
chinchillas, such as chinchilla rats and chinchilla rabbits. Chinchillas are closely related to
another South American rodent called a viscacha. Viscachas have orange fur and ears
similar to those of a rabbit, but otherwise look like chinchillas.
Mountain viscachas burrow under
rocks, like chinchillas.
www.flickriver.com
www.villa-chinchilla.deviantart.com
Natural Habitat and Diet
Chinchillas are from the Andes Mountains in South America. They make their home in small
crevices, or in small rock nests. Chinchillas come out of their shelters to gather food or to
socialize. These rodents are very sensitive to heat, so they live at a higher altitude in the
mountains to stay cool. Chins live in herds and as many as possible fit into each shelter.
The herds often include chinchilla rats.
Chinchillas are hunted for their super soft fur to make coats and it takes dozens of
chins to make one coat. Chinchilla coats had been popular from the 1500s to the 1920s.
Chins have since then become endangered and it is now illegal to hunt them.
Chinchillas eat anything they can get their hands on in the wild. They eat plant
leaves, twigs, fruits and small insects. They scavenge and gather foods and bring them
back to their herd to avoid predators such as birds of prey, wild cats, dogs, snakes, and
sometimes illegal hunters. Chins blend into their surroundings and are very fast. Chinchillas
are very good jumpers. They can leap up to six feet! Chinchillas have great hearing and a
strong sense of smell. Their eyesight is poor during the day, but average at night because
they are mostly nocturnal. 1
Illegal Hunting in the Andes
Chinchillas are hunted for their super
soft fur to make coats and it takes
dozens of chins to make one coat.
Chinchilla coats had been popular from
the 1500s to the 1920s. Chinchillas have
since then become endangered and it is
now illegal to hunt them.
1
http://www.sailfin.com/chinchilla.html
Photo from http://justonebigtrip.blogspot.com/2011/08/helping-to-protect-wild-chinchillas-in.html
Pet Care
Chinchillas are difficult to care for. They need to be fed daily, require volcanic dust
baths, and need weekly cage cleaning. Chinchillas bathe in natural volcanic dust, which they
find in their natural habitat. You can get volcanic chinchilla bath sand at most pet stores.
Fill a small tub with a cup of sand and put it in the cage for about 15 minutes. When the
chinchilla is done, it will come out light gray with sand and will shake the dust off of their
fur.
Chinchilla food can be found at most pet stores and they need ½ a cup of food daily.
Chinchillas also need Timothy hay, which can also be found at most pet stores, to keep
their teeth healthy. Chinchilla teeth never stop growing, so they need to constantly chew
on something. Chinchillas naturally have orange teeth, so if you notice the color, don’t
worry. Do not give chinchillas Alfalfa hay because it can make them sick.
To clean the cage you will need to remove the chinchilla from the cage. You can put
them in a small room with the door closed, but you need to supervise the chin. You cannot
leave the chinchilla alone outside of its cage for safety reasons.
About the Author
Spencer Underwood lives in Greensboro, NC, with his parents, brother, 3 dogs, 2
cats and 1 chinchilla named Chilly. Spencer is keeping Chilly over the summer for school for
the second year in a row. He goes to Canterbury School in Greenboro. Chinchillas are his
favorite animal.
Chilly the Chinchilla
Glossary
Cross-breed: An animal that is mixed between two
other species
Crevice: A small crack or opening in something
Altitude: The height of anything above ground level
Endangered: A rare or uncommon animal
Scavenge: To gather or collect
Herd: A group or family of animals
Nocturnal: An animal that is more active at night than
during the day