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Chinchillas are rodent that are native to the Andes Mountains of northern Chile . Often kept as PET , chinchilla are also prized for their luxuriously soft pelt and were nearly driven to experimental extinction because of the need .
Chinchilla pelt was originally mottled yellow - gray in the wild , according toThe Merck Veterinary Manual . Through selective breeding , however , other colors have become coarse , including flatware , lily-livered - gray , bluish - grey-haired , white , ecru and black . Each tomentum end in a smuggled tip , no matter what coloring the chinchillas are .
First appearing around 41 million year ago , thechinchilla ’s ancestorswere some of the first rodent to infest South America . Chinchilla laniger fur became popular in the 1700s , and the animals were hunt about to extermination by 1900 . About that time , Argentina , Bolivia , Chile and Peru banned the hunting of wild chinchilla .
However , according to theChinchilla Chronicleswebsite , an American minelaying applied scientist named Mathias F. Chapman got special permission from the Chilean government to institute chinchillas to the United States in 1923 . Nearly every best-loved chinchilla in the United States today is a direct descendent of 11 chinchilla that Chapman brought to the country .
Physical characteristics
Chinchillas are link toguinea pigsand porcupines . With unretentive forelimb and long , muscular hind legs , chinchillas resemble coney , but their ears are much brusk and debauchee . They have large , inglorious middle and shaggy-haired tails . They have four toe on each foot , and the thin nipper on each toe are surrounded by stiff bristles .
Chinchillas are typically 9 to 15 inches ( 23 to 38 centimeters ) long , but the nates can supply another 3 to 6 in ( 8 to 15 cm ) to their distance . They mostly weigh 1.1 to 1.8 lbs . ( 0.5 to 0.8 kilo ) .
Habitat
Chinchillas are breed in blockheaded fur for a reason . In the Andes , they can live in elevations of about 3,000 to 5,000 time ( 9,800 to 16,400 feet ) . At those summit , it can be very cold — 23 degrees Fahrenheit ( minus 5 degrees C ) is the ordinary minimum temperature in some berth . Chinchillas can tolerate freezing temperatures , but they can not survive in temperatures higher than 80 F ( 27 ampere-second ) ; high temperatures and humidity can cause these rodents to stand from passion stroke .
Chinchillas are crepuscular and nocturnal , which means they are very dynamic at daybreak or dusk and sleep during the daylight . They make their homes by burrowing in underground tunnel or nestling in rock crevasses . They are very social and live in colonies that consist of C of chinchillas .
Females incline to be aggressive toward other females . When females are ready to pair , they can also be fast-growing toward males , and are the dominant allele of the two genders . Females are mostly monogamous ; they have only one mate throughout their life . Males , on the other mitt , can have many distaff mates . This is specially unfeigned of domesticated Male . Often , one male person is bred with many female person to create many offspring to sell .
Offspring
The genteelness season for chinchillas run from November to May in the Northern Hemisphere and from May to November in the Southern Hemisphere .
Once a distaff Chinchilla laniger becomes pregnant , she will run her young for about 111 24-hour interval before giving birth . Females have babe double a year . Each time they give nascency , they will have one to six babies . These mathematical group of babies are called litter . Individual baby are call up outfit .
Newborn kits are bear with hair and with their eyes open . They press only 1.2 apothecaries' ounce ( 35 g ) . The babies nurse for six to eight weeks , and when they ’re about 8 months old , the baby are ready to have progeny of their own . broadly speaking , chinchillas live eight to 10 years , though some have live as long as 20 year .
Diet
Chinchillas are omnivores ; they eat both plant life and meat . in the first place , they eat grass and seed , but they also eat insects and snort eggs when they get the chance . To eat , they hold their food in their front manus and nibble on it .
Classification/taxonomy
There are two species of chinchillas : the long - tailed chinchilla and the dead - track chinchilla . agree to theIntegrated Taxonomic Information System ( ITIS ) , the taxonomy of chinchillas is :
Conservation status
Though chinchilla fur is extremely valued for exercise in clothing and pelage , the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species has restrict the sales agreement and trade of wild chinchillas since 1975 . Many chinchillas are bred commercially for their fur .
Both species of chinchilla are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ' endangered - species list . Both theshort - go after chinchillaand thelong - tailed chinchillaare list as critically endangered . Short - tailed chinchillas are thought to be extinct in Bolivia and Peru but are suspected to be recovering in other domain . In 1996 , there were only 42 colonies of long - tailed chinchillas , and the population has declined since then and carry on to decline .
Pet chinchillas
The Michigan Humane Society recommends keeping domestic chinchilla in a wire mesh cage with a substantial trading floor . The cage should be well ventilated and keep ironical and cool in temperatures from 60 to 70 F ( 16 to 21 C ) . Chinchillas do not get along well when cage in together , and should be go along in individual coop .
Chinchillas can eat food pellets available from pet stores , as well as hay , dried fruit and nuts , and carrots and unripe vegetable in moderation , or about 10 percent of their day-by-day diet . A feeding bottle equip with a sipper tube is the best way to offer water .
To stay uncontaminating , these rodents give themselves dust bath . It is recommend that domestic chinchilla take dust baths once or twice per week in fine volcanic ash tree that can be purchased at favorite shop .
Chinchillas are retrieve to be impertinent than rabbits and can be taught to work with humans . They do not make dependable deary for little children , however , because chinchillas are overactive and mellow - strung .
Other resources
