Friday, February 18, 2011

Chinchilla


True Wild Life | Chinchilla | Chinchillas are medium sized rodents native to the Andes mountains in South America. Chinchillas are named after the tribe that hunted the chinchillas for their dense fur, the Chinchas. A chinchilla is therefore a fairly rare animal in its natural habitat today. Chinchillas feed on nuts, seeds and berries. They can defend themselves by spraying urine and releasing their fur when they are under attack.


In more recent years people are beginning to keep chinchillas as pets. Chinchilla domestication occurred in the 1920s when an engineer in Chile took a group of chinchillas to California. Since then chinchillas are bred as pets and sold all around the world. When handling chinchillas, it is important to not pick them up from underneath like a rat or hamster, because they have a feature called "floating ribs". Their ribs are not fully attached to their spine and if pressure is applied upwards, the ribs could puncture vital organs and kill the chinchilla. Pet chinchillas require frequent attention as well as a supply of dust for "dust baths".

7 comments:

Unknown said...

That is so cool I have been wanting one of these for a long time but now I am not sure! LOL gtg BYEE!

Anonymous said...

i have 4 chinchillas they are so sweet i hand rasining they one i brought but she was very tame my dogs play with them dont hurt them these are very loving pets if you have the time
my name is linda from iowa
i for got they have names each one knows its name fred is dad chilli is mama sissy is daugther and jr is son i enjoy them all

Senchilla said...

Feeding them nuts and sees is not recommended, as they are high in fat content and can cause bloat/liver issues. Fruits are also too high and sugar and can lead to many other issues themselves. It's best to stick to their pelleted diet and timothy hay, and have the occasional snack be an oatmeal square (unfrosted) or rolled oats (not instant or flavored).

animalcare said...

I have never been so close with Chinchilla.But recently saw couple of Chinchilla in my friend's house and they are so cute.

Anonymous said...

Hi I am doing a project on Chincilla's for my Grade 5 exhibition. May I use your photo of the baby chincilla with credit for my display board. Thanks Rachel. please post a reply.

Anonymous said...

I have a chinchilla and he is adorible his name is cortez. he loves taking dust baths but he always runs out his cage when you try to get him.i love him so much even when he keeps me up all night when i try and sleep .He always runs and chew everywhere and thing so keep your chinchilla away from things

Anonymous said...

I have always wanted chinchillas i got 2 females from the rspca not knowing that the oldest 1 of 10 months was expecting she has since given to 2 georgous girls unfortunatly i have had to seperate the 1st 2 and put them in two cages each with 2 chinchillas this has worked very well i am so pleased with them they are so friendly and love sitting on my shoulder or next to me on the sofa i couldn"t be without them

Labels

Albatross Alligator Amphibian Angelfish Ant Anteater Antelope Ape Armadillo Aves Avocet Axolotl Baboon Badger Bandicoot Barb Barracuda Bat Bear Beaver Bee Beetle Binturong Bird Birds Of Paradise Bison Boar Bongo Bonobo Booby Budgerigar Buffalo Butterfly Butterfly Fish Caiman Camel Capybara Caracal Carnivore Cassowary Cat Caterpillar Catfish Cattle Centipede Chameleon Chamois Cheetah Chicken Chimpanzee Chinchilla Cichlid Civet Clouded Leopard Clown Fish Coati Cockroach Collared Peccary Common Buzzard Coral Cougar Cow Coyote Crab Crane Critically Endangered Crocodile Crustacean Cuscus Damselfly Deer Dhole Discus Dodo Dog Dolphin Donkey Dormouse Dragon Dragonfly Duck Dugong Eagle Echidna Eel Elephant Emu Endangered Extinct Falcon Ferret Fish Flamingo Flatfish Flounder Fly Fossa Fox Frog Gar Gazelle Gecko Gerbil Gharial Gibbon Giraffe Goat Goose Gopher Gorilla Grasshopper Grouse Guinea Fowl Guinea Pig Guppy Hamster Hare Hedgehog Herbivore Heron Hippopotamus Horse Human Hummingbird Hyena Ibis Iguana Impala Insect Invertebrate Jackal Jaguar Jellyfish Kangaroo Kingfisher Kiwi Koala Kudu Ladybird Ladybug Larvae Least Concern Lemming Lemur Leopard Lion Lionfish Lizard Llama Lobster Lynx Macaque Mammal Mammoth Manatee Mandrill Manta Ray Marsupial Mayfly Meerkat Millipede Mole Mollusca Molly Mongoose Monkey Moorhen Moose Moth Mouse Mule Near Threatened Newt Nightingale Numbat Octopus Okapi Olm Omnivore Opossum Orang Utan Oriole Ostrich Otter Owl Oyster Pademelon Panda Panther Parrot Peacock Pelican Penguin Phanter Pheasant Pig Pika Pike Piranha Platypus Pond Skater Possum Prawn Primate Puffer Fish Puffin Puma Quail Quoll Rabbit Raccoon Raccoon Dog Rare Rat Reindeer Reptile Rhinoceros Robin Rodent Salamander Scorpion Scorpion Fish Sea Dragon Sea Lion Sea Slug Sea Squirt Sea Urchin Seahorse Seal Serval Shark Sheep Shrew Shrimp Skunk Sloth Snail Snake Spider Sponge Squid Squirrel Starfish Stoat Swan Tamarin Tapir Tarantula Threatened Tiger Toad Tortoise Toucan Turkey Turtle Vulnerable Vulture Walrus Weasel Whale Wildebeest Wolf Woodlouse Woodpecker Worm Zebra