Chinchillas are wonderful and unique pets with several quirks to speak of. Below we are going to go over 29 weird and wonderful chinchilla facts that would make anyone want to adopt this unique pet.
29 (Weird & Wonderful) Chinchilla Facts!
1. They Can’t Get Wet
Chinchillas don’t take to water well at all, in fact, they don’t even use it for cleaning themselves. If a chinchilla gets wet they can become easily sick or just plain out unhappy. The best practice with chins is to always keep them in a dry environment that isn’t near faucets.
While chinchillas will occasionally get some drops of water on themselves, it’s recommended to that even the chins water be kept in a drip-free bottle that is replaced after gaining some age.
2. South American Heritage
You can only find wild chinchillas in a select region of South America. They are commonly found in the mountain ranges of Chile, Peru, and a few other select countries. These unique creatures have now found their way all around the world thanks to many breed enthusiasts.
3. They Get Lonely
Chins typically hate to live alone, in the wild they even travel in herds. Some breeders even offer a discount when you buy a pair of chinchillas to encourage a healthy habitat. What could be better than having two chinchillas happily cuddling up in their cage?
Chinchillas that have a cage mate are also known to be more active. By introducing another chinchilla to play with many chins feel that their environment has a more entertaining atmosphere.
4. They’re Rodents
Despite their strange looks, Chinchillas are part of the rodent family along with squirrels, rats, and beavers. While they may be related to a rat, they don’t have much in common outside of a few key features. You also aren’t as likely to find a wild chinchilla in your home, unlike a rat.
5. Mountain Climbers
In the wild chinchillas live in the mountains. Thanks to this they have become very skilled at being able to jump around steep rocks. In fact, anyone who owns a chinchilla has probaly been surprised by just how high these little guys can jump up when they desire to.
6. Sought After Fur
One of the saddest facts about chinchillas is their value on the fur market. The beautiful fur a chinchilla grows makes them a sought-after animal for fashion. Thanks to this, many activist groups have gotten involved to fight back against fashion brands using chinchilla fur.
Thankfully the use of chinchilla fur has greatly declined in the last few years and is now very rare to see. Most movie stars are even against the act of wearing chinchillas for fashion.
7. They Repel Fleas
In the off case your chinchilla meets with a horde of fleas there isn’t too much to worry about. The chinchilla’s coat is extremely dense making it a harsh environment for fleas to live in. While they have a slight chance of getting fleas, there is honestly not much to worry about with chins.
8. They Eat Cactus Fruit
One of the weirdest things chins can eat is cactus fruit. In the wild cactus fruit is one of the few available fruits a chinchilla can get ahold of. While this isn’t something we will see sold in pet stores as a treat, it’s still a pretty unique food for a rodent.
9. No Rabbit Pellets
One of the most popular diet-related myths is that chinchillas can be fed the same diet as rabbits. Sadly, this is completely untrue and rabbit pellets don’t have many of the key nutrients chinchillas need. This is especially true since chinchillas diets are more based on hay.
10. All You Can Eat Hay
While most animals just get fed twice a day, chins need constant access to hay. Hay is the ingredient that helps chinchillas digestive tracks properly move along. In fact, it is highly recommended that hay be available for chinchilla consumption in the cage at all times.
11. They Get Bored
Chinchillas are a very intelligent species of animal that can become easily bored if their environment never changes. In order to properly stimulate a chinchillas mind, they need new obstacles and toys introduced into their environments regularly to avoid boredom and laziness.
12. Show Biz
It may not be as popular as dog breeding but there are many chinchilla breeders who work to create show quality chins. Chinchilla shows are held all over the country and contestants travel from all over to compete in the shows, there are even cash prizes for the winners.
While we won’t be seeing chinchilla shows on television networks anytime soon, you can find many videos of the shows online and some will even have live streams.
13. So Many Colors To Choose From
Chinchillas are mostly represented in media as being gray when they actually have several different color combinations. Many breeders have a wide selection of chinchilla colors available including standard grey, black, white, mosaic, and even beige.
Be prepared though many colors other than grey can be both costly and hard to find. This is because grey is the more dominant color in the breeding world. If you can find a good breeder though, you may be able to pay in advance for your favorite color.
14. They Can Be Costly
As many people know chinchillas aren’t a common breed of pet. Thanks to their unique needs and care requirements most chinchillas don’t go for less than $100. Special colored chinchillas can end up costing you up to $300 or more without show or breeding rights included.
If you want a chinchilla that comes with a pedigree or to start a breeding service of your own you can end up paying upwards of $1,000 to gain the legal rights. Many chinchilla breeders will even have you sign a contract agreeing you won’t take your chinchilla to a show or breed it.
15. Chinchillas Bond
If you can successfully introduce a pair of chinchillas to each other then it is likely they will end up bonding. Bonded chinchillas can become depressed if they are separated or even develop depression. For this reason, many bonded pairs have to be sold together or not at all.
Bonds aren’t reserved to opposite-sex pairs either. Many same-sex pairs of chinchillas can bond or even larger groups of chinchillas that end up sharing the same cage.
16. They Bathe in Dust
Since Chinchillas aren’t able to get wet they have found a unique way to stay clean. Chinchillas have to regularly take dust baths to remove dirt from there coat. The dust also helps to keep a chins coat soft and gives the coat it’s beautiful shine. This is easily one of the most interesting Chinchilla facts!
17. Vegetables Are a Treat
If these animals aren’t already weird enough then the fact that vegetables are equal to a treat may just take the cake. Chins have a very unique diet and any foods with sugar in them are considered treats. Even vegetables such as carrots fall into the treat category for chins.
If a chinchilla is fed more than 10% of their diet in vegetables then they can become sick. Many breeders will only feed their chinchillas occasional vegetables because of this fact.
18. Vertical Not Horizontal
Unlike most pets you keep in cages chinchillas need more vertical space than horizontal. A vertical environment helps to give chinchillas plenty of natural feeling exercise since they can hop up and down instead of being expected to run back and forth in a horizontal environment.
19. Small Litters
Unlike some other rodents, chinchillas have pretty small litters. Most female chins only give birth to 1 to 2 babies at a time. This low birth rate helps keep the cost of chinchillas up as it is hard to breed chins more than a few times a year depending on the breeding pairs health.
Many breeders can’t even tell a chinchilla is pregnant for the first couple of months. This can make breeding chinchillas a very time-consuming job.
20. The Difference Between Show and Pet Chinchillas
In the show world, the number one thing a judge is going to look at is the chinchilla’s coat. The bigger, softer, and fluffier the coat is, the healthier the chin. In the pet world though, chinchillas tend to have a less fluffy coat that’s not as soft to the touch.
21. They Hate The Heat
Chinchillas are delicate creatures that have to have a specific environment in order to thrive. Chinchillas can become lethargic when it starts to heat up and can have heat strokes in hot environments. Due to this a home with a chinchilla should never exceed 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Many chinchilla owners even have backup plans in case their air conditioning goes out during the hotter months of the year. Some even go as far as immediately moving themselves and their pet to a cold hotel room.
22. Cooling Pads
To combat the problem of overheating many chinchilla cages will have cooling slabs placed inside. Cooling slabs are generally put in a fridge or freezer to chill and then moved into the cage. Many popular cooling slabs are made of cold retaining material like marble.
23. They Love Cuddles
Chinchillas can often be found cuddling together while they are asleep. This is both cute and a great defensive mechanism in the wild. Chinchillas are prey animals that rely on each other to avoid becoming a predator’s next meal.
If you try to break up two chins that are cuddling they often will make a defensive noise at you or even refuse to come to be petted like normal.
24. They Can Communicate
Believe it or not, Chinchillas can be very vocal animals. Chins have tons of different cries to communicate with their herd in case of danger. Bonded chinchillas have often been noted to let out a cry to help them find their partner when separated.
25. They Live A Long Life
Chinchillas can live a long life similar to a dog or a cat. Most chinchillas live to around 15 years of age with many exceeding that limit and living to be around 20-years old. Because of this many breeders warn potential buyers of the long commitment of owning a chinchilla.
26. Saved From Extinction
Chinchillas were brought to the United States in order to save them from extinction. Before this, the mammals had been largely hunted for their fur and breeding them as pets was seen as a great way to save the species from going extinct.
The name of the gentlemen who saved the species is Mathias Chapman. Mathias brought 11 chinchillas over from South America that are now the ancestors of the chinchillas you see being bred in today’s society.
27. They Can Survive Harsh Environments
A chinchillas coat grows to be amazingly thick in order to help the animals survive in cold environments. These coats can protect the animals from harsh weather conditions in the cold mountains they call home. Now thats what I call a Chinchilla fact!
28. They Are Prey Animals
Many people are surprised to find out that chinchillas are pretty timid. This is because they are a prey animal and it can take weeks to get your new friend to feel safe around you. Many chinchillas prefer to sleep in hideouts because of their instinct to stay hidden when unconscious.
Many chinchillas who are taken out of their environment to play may be still at first or seek out an area to hide in. Because of their timid nature, it’s best to ease chinchillas into new environments.
29. They Love Getting Attention
Believe it or not, chinchillas are a type of animal that can actually miss their owner. Chinchillas can not only bond to other chins, but their owners as well. This can even lead some chinchillas to become sad when their owners go out for the day.
Chinchilla owners have even noted that their pet will run to the door of their cage when they enter the room. Many chinchillas even enjoy being petted regularly by their owner.
Did I miss out on some interesting facts? If I did, please let me know about some more Chinchilla facts down below as I plan on updating this list. Thanks for reading!