The Mighty Chinchilla

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The Mighty Chinchilla

• Animal Science I

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About Chinchillas

• Originated in South America
• Lives in Andes mountains
• Nearly became extinct!!
• Because of fur hunting
• Used for fur coats
• Takes 120-150 pelts to make one coat!
• That scarf in the picture is 650.00!!!

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Color Groups

• Standard most common
• Blue-gray, white, beige, black
• White
• May also be silver-white and platinum-white
• Beige
• Light to medium and dark beige
• Mating white with beige produces rose or apricot
  colors
• Black
• Black undercoat, gray-white band, and black tips
  of fur

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• Beige Black
• Grey White

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Characteristics

• Resemble rabbits with short ears and short, bushy
  tail
• Tail looks like a squirrels
• 9-15 long
• 1-2 lbs.
• Fur is about 1 long
• Shed every 3 months

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• Priming line distinct line of new hair which is
  darker than old hair
• Prime fur pelt that has been completely shed and
  new fur appeared
• Large ears and eyes
• Long, stiff wiskers
• Make little noise, but squeak when upset
• Very clean
• Almost odor-free

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Housing

• Nocturnal animals!!
• Location of housing needs to be quiet during day
• Metal and wire cage needed
• They chew through wood and plastic
• Small chinchillas can crawl through openings a
  square inch big!

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• Need to be kept apart
• Polygamous breeding cages
• Three separate cages connected with holes in them
  by tunnels
• Two females and one male
• Male can go between cages
• Females fitted with collars so they cannot go
  between cages (they will not fit)
• Needs chew blocks in cage
• Prevents maloclussion

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Bathing

• Do not use water!
• Needs dust baths
• Twice a week
• Small, rectangular pan with 2-3 of powder
  placed in cage and left for about 5 minutes so
  chinchilla can bathe

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Feeding

• Pelleted food
• Ground alfalfa, corn, wheat and bran
• supplements grass, lettuce, carrots, celery,
  apples, pears
• Inadequate food will lead to fur chewing!

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Handling

• Cup hands around animal OR
• Pick up by tail and put other hand under front
• Chinchillas can release fur as a defense from
  getting picked up

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Diseases

• Suffer from conjunctivitis (eye inflammation),
  otitis (ear infection), enteritis, pneumonia,
  uterine infections AND..
• Fur chewing common problem
• Chews fur on the flanks and leaves patches of
  short fur
• Causes poor nutrition, small cage, drafty
  conditions, boredom, high humidity

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AND.

• Malocclusion
• Convulsions two types
• One caused by lack of calcium
• One caused by lack of vitamin B (may lead to
  paralysis and death)

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Reproduction

• Estrus cycle is 28-35 days
• First heat period around 5 months old
• Cannot be bred until heat cycle
• Gestation period is 111 days!!!
• Cause of animal being so expensive
• Any stress during pregnancy causes premature
  birth or abortion
• Average litter is 2
• Born fully furred, eyes open and full set of
  teeth!
• Wean at six weeks old

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Interesting.

• Chinchillas have an average life span of 10-15
  years in the wild. However, in captivity a
  chinchilla can live up to 25 years if cared for
  properly.