Chinchillas, medium sized rodents, come from the South American mountains.
They are well known for their thick coats.
Domesticated chinchillas typically live up to 20 years of age.
In the wild, they usually live up to 15 years of age.
In the early 1900s, chinchillas have been hunted to near extinction.
Their furs are one of a kind, and these poor creatures were hunted for it.
It takes around 100 chinchillas to make one fur coat.
Surviving chinchillas were caught and an exodus to the United States was made to prevent them from being lost forever.
There were 11 chinchillas to begin with, one died, and one was born; keeping the number constant.
The chinchillas you'll find in American stores and homes are all descendants of those 11 pilgrims.
Being nocturnal creatures, chinchillas are very active during nighttime.
They will spend most of the day sleeping, so keep the noise level and disturbances to a minimum.
Quick movements will scare the chinchilla since they are sensitive to stress and noise.
A chinchilla's temperament ranges.
They are intelligent and social with mischief thrown in for good measure.
When they warm up to their owners, chinchillas are very affectionate.
Whatever the attitude of your chinchilla when you first got it, it's most likely that way for the rest of its life.
For example, if you have a shy chinchilla, then you'll always have a shy chinchilla.
If you have mean chinchilla, it will always remain mean.
When you first bring a chinchilla home, it'll be very shy and run away from you but it doesn't mean it's going to be like that forever.
You will see that as time passes, your chinchilla will warm up to you to a point that they'll even go to you for a scratch behind the ear.
Chinchillas don't like being held, but will allow you to provided the trust has been established.
If you carry a chinchilla, you must use both hands.
Cup one hand to support the hind legs, while the other hand supports the front legs.
They are scared of falling, so you can rest them comfortably against your body.
If you have someone who's allergic to animals, it would be a bad idea to bring a chinchilla home.
Besides, chinchillas aren't a kid's pet since they don't like being cuddled.
Being rodents, chinchillas need to gnaw on something to keep their teeth short.
Throwing some chew toys in their cages will make your chinchilla happy and keep them from chewing their food bowls, water dishes, or cage wires.
One thing that separates chinchillas from their rodent cousins is that they make sounds.
They let off different squeaks, squeals, and grunts.
Even so, they don't even do it a lot.
The noises you'll hear from their cages are most likely chewing noises, and whatever they are playing with.
You can't go wrong with having a chinchilla for a pet.
You'll enjoy their thick fur and they're loyal to their owners for petting.
While you're going to need to put some time for the proper caring of your chinchilla, they are actually very easy animals to take care of.
They are well known for their thick coats.
Domesticated chinchillas typically live up to 20 years of age.
In the wild, they usually live up to 15 years of age.
In the early 1900s, chinchillas have been hunted to near extinction.
Their furs are one of a kind, and these poor creatures were hunted for it.
It takes around 100 chinchillas to make one fur coat.
Surviving chinchillas were caught and an exodus to the United States was made to prevent them from being lost forever.
There were 11 chinchillas to begin with, one died, and one was born; keeping the number constant.
The chinchillas you'll find in American stores and homes are all descendants of those 11 pilgrims.
Being nocturnal creatures, chinchillas are very active during nighttime.
They will spend most of the day sleeping, so keep the noise level and disturbances to a minimum.
Quick movements will scare the chinchilla since they are sensitive to stress and noise.
A chinchilla's temperament ranges.
They are intelligent and social with mischief thrown in for good measure.
When they warm up to their owners, chinchillas are very affectionate.
Whatever the attitude of your chinchilla when you first got it, it's most likely that way for the rest of its life.
For example, if you have a shy chinchilla, then you'll always have a shy chinchilla.
If you have mean chinchilla, it will always remain mean.
When you first bring a chinchilla home, it'll be very shy and run away from you but it doesn't mean it's going to be like that forever.
You will see that as time passes, your chinchilla will warm up to you to a point that they'll even go to you for a scratch behind the ear.
Chinchillas don't like being held, but will allow you to provided the trust has been established.
If you carry a chinchilla, you must use both hands.
Cup one hand to support the hind legs, while the other hand supports the front legs.
They are scared of falling, so you can rest them comfortably against your body.
If you have someone who's allergic to animals, it would be a bad idea to bring a chinchilla home.
Besides, chinchillas aren't a kid's pet since they don't like being cuddled.
Being rodents, chinchillas need to gnaw on something to keep their teeth short.
Throwing some chew toys in their cages will make your chinchilla happy and keep them from chewing their food bowls, water dishes, or cage wires.
One thing that separates chinchillas from their rodent cousins is that they make sounds.
They let off different squeaks, squeals, and grunts.
Even so, they don't even do it a lot.
The noises you'll hear from their cages are most likely chewing noises, and whatever they are playing with.
You can't go wrong with having a chinchilla for a pet.
You'll enjoy their thick fur and they're loyal to their owners for petting.
While you're going to need to put some time for the proper caring of your chinchilla, they are actually very easy animals to take care of.
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