Unlike other rodents, males stick around and may assist with parental duties like babysitting. Should a female be unable to nurse her offspring, another female may step up to feed the youngsters. Conservation measures were implemented with legislation to protect the long-tailed Chilean chinchilla in However, laws were not seriously enforced until the establishment in of the Reserva Nacional Las Chinchillas in Auco, Chile.
The IUCN reports that populations inside the reserve are in decline, while those outside, in restored habitats, are increasing. Mining operations are a significant threat to this once widespread rodent. In decline. The short-tailed chinchilla population has declined by about 90 percent in the past.
Illegal hunting and trapping of them has declined somewhat through the establishment of rearing in human care. Though they once populated the Andes of Bolivia, Peru, northwest Argentina, and Chile, they persist in only two known regions in Chile.
But threats to chinchillas persist, including illegal hunting, quality habitat loss from grazing by cattle and goats, mining, and firewood extraction. Domestic chinchillas are not subject to international conservation regulations.
Sharing chinchilla information and providing up-close encounters with these endearing rodents will hopefully inspire people to help conserve them. Body length: 8 to 11 inches to millimeters ; tail 5 to 6. Chinchillas are one of the longest-lived rodents, making it to a ripe old age of 20 in managed care. Its crazy-soft fur is dense, with 50 to 75 hairs springing from a single hair follicle.
In contrast, humans have only 2 to 3 hairs growing out of a single follicle. The lungs on a Chilean chinchilla are asymmetric, with three lobes on the left and four on the right side.
Main menu. Search form Search. Chinchilla lanigera, C. By the early s, chinchillas were a whisker away from becoming extinct. Life Span 10 years in the wilderness; up to 20 years in expert care Young Gestation: days Number at birth: 1 to 6, average 2 Weight at birth: 4 to 6 ounces to grams Age of maturity: about 8 months Size Body length: 8 to 11 inches to millimeters ; tail 5 to 6.
Fun Facts Chinchillas are one of the longest-lived rodents, making it to a ripe old age of 20 in managed care. Chinchillas like to chill! White Rhinoceros. Rock Hyrax. Monarch Butterfly. Spotted Hyena. Their fur is extremely dense — 80 hairs per follicle, on average, as compared to one hair per follicle for humans — and keeps them well insulated from the cold. Their long, strong hind legs propel them across the rocky terrain in search of food — and away from predators!
Their large eyes and ears are well suited for nighttime vision and hearing. Chinchillas are social rodents that live in colonies of up to animals. By day they mainly rest in rocky crevices and caverns, out of sight of predators. They may come out of their burrows to warm themselves in the sunshine, take a dust bath, or hop around in the rocks, but they are most active at dawn, dusk, and night.
Out in the open, at least one chinchilla will maintain a lookout for the colony and vocalize alarms. All remain close enough to their burrow entrances to scurry back inside when necessary.
Chinchillas forage for food at night. When feeding, they sit upright on their back legs and hold food with their front. They eat bark, grasses, herbs, and other native Andean plants.
Water is scarce where they live, but chinchillas are adapted to get as much water as they need from the plants that they eat. Such fashion-forward fame has not helped the chinchilla. They have been trapped to near extinction for their pelts. Andean tribes always hunted chinchillas for their fur, which they used to make blankets and clothing. Sustenance hunting of this sort did not threaten the stability of wild populations, but eventual and continued commercial hunting has.
By the late 19 th century, chinchilla fur had become a valuable export to Europe, North America, and elsewhere and was in increasingly high demand. Chinchilla populations began to decline and those that remain are still threatened by hunting, even though now illegal.
Chinchillas are mostly monogamous, which means that they mate for life. Females produce two litters per year on average, with two to three young per litter.
Chinchillas are crepuscular animals that are primarily active at dawn and at dusk , somewhat nocturnal, and typically do not like to be disturbed during the day, which may make them less favorable as pets to some people. Chinchillas are naturally very skittish creatures and generally do not like to be held, although they can become very attached to their owners. Because of their high-strung disposition, they are not usually considered to be good pets for small children.
However, chinchillas can be very friendly animals if sufficiently acclimated to human touch as kits babies , making them excellent pets for patient owners. Chinchillas typically live about 15 years, but living between years is not uncommon. Although they are generally small creatures, their body length can grow from inches, and their height about inches.
With gentle handling from a very young age, most chinchillas will become quite tame and bond closely with their owners, although sometimes they do not like to be held or cuddled. They are very active and playful. Chinchillas can be kept singly, and will usually do fine as same sex pairs, especially if they are litter mates or introduced to one another at a young age.
Chinchillas are largely nocturnal so will be most active at night. Sometimes they are called crepuscular, meaning their activity peaks at dawn and dusk. In any case, they should be kept in a fairly quiet area during the day. They prefer a consistent routine for handling and feeding times and may be stressed out by changes to their routine. Since they are so active and playful, chinchillas need a roomy cage for exercise as well as their daily playtime.
Warm temperatures are more of a concern for chinchillas than cool temperatures, so care must be taken that pet chinchillas do not become overheated. Chinchillas require a lot of roughage, and the diet should mainly be made up of a good quality grass hay along with pellets made for chinchillas. Treats should be given in moderation one teaspoon per day in total.
The digestive system of chinchillas is fairly sensitive so any diet changes should be made gradually. Chinchillas have very sensitive digestive systems, and feeding a good quality diet appropriate for chinchillas is essential to their health.
In the wild, chinchillas naturally eat a diet of vegetation that is high in roughage. Chinchillas are not designed for rich or fatty diets, and such diets can easily cause serious digestive upsets.
If you are changing the diet, begin by mixing a small amount of the new food with the older food, and gradually increase the proportion of the new food. Also, treats must be limited to very small quantities to avoid upset.
Though we don't normally think of twigs and branches as anything special, your chinchilla will likely view them as a terrific treat. Twigs from apple trees and other safe trees can be given to your chinchilla.
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