Chinchilla Facts - You Should Know Prior To Getting Your Pet

Did you know that the chinchilla was named after the Chincha people of the Andes region of the Andes Mountains in South America. Chinchilla actually means "little Chincha". Around the end of the 19th century, the animals were known for their thick and soft fur.

There are actually two types of wild chinchillas.

The chinchilla brevicaudata, or better known by it's common names; the Bolivian, Peruvian and Royal chinchilla. This chinchilla has a short tail. They came from the Andes Mountains in the regions of Chile, Peru and Bolivia. Chinchilla brevicaudata is on the verge of becoming extinct due to trapping for their exquisite fur. Even with the wild fur trade being closed down, the population of these animals continue to decrease.

The chinchilla lanigera, which is also known as the Chilean, Coastal or Lesser chinchilla, has a long tail. This species of chinchilla can be found in Chile. The word "lanigera" means "having a woolen coat", even though they are covered with hair instead which in no way resembles wool. The hair is soft, sleek and sticks to their skin. There are three types of chinchilla lanigera: The LaPlata are muscular, round and have a short head. The Costina has longer hind legs, slight hump and a pointed nose. The Raton is similar to the LaPlata in they way it's structured. It has a pointed nose and they are of a smaller size.

I have raised chinchillas as pets. I have also operated a full fledged Chinchilla ranch with over 100 breeding chins. I supplied several well known pet shop franchises. Needless to say I have a found passion for chinchillas and have done an abundance of research about them. I've come across some interesting facts about chinchillas during this research. So here are some interesting facts on the lovable chinchilla that you should know before buying one as a pet.

1. Chinchillas are nocturnal - so be prepared for your pet to be very active at night.
2. Chinchillas are herbivores. The diet of wild chinchillas consist of mainly bark from twigs and berries.
3. Chinchillas are very clean and when properly cared for they are practically odorless.
4. They can NOT have fleas or ticks. Their fur is just to dense having 80-100 hairs per follicle
5. They don't need a huge cage. A single pet chinchilla is perfectly happy in a 2' x 16" cage. Of course if you want to provide a larger cage that is fine.
6. Their lifespan on average is 10-15 years. In fact many have lived to be over 20.

I will be adding more facts to this list as time goes on so please check back once in a while.

7. A chinchilla can be expensive to acquire and to care for.

8. Being a nocturnal animal, a chinchilla needs limited noise and family activity during the day.

9. Chinchillas can be taught to respond to simple commands give time and lots of patiants. However they are generally considered to not be teachable and/or trainable.

10. Chinchillas can be tamed and become quiet friendly as as long as you are patiant and show them lots of love.