1. Origins
  2. Classification
  3. Biological and physiological features
  4. Housing conditions
  5. Main health problems
  6. Respiratory disorders

Origins

The domestic chinchilla species is the result of crossing two wild species, C. Laniger x C. Brevicaudata. The C. Laniger species is found in the Andean regions of Chile between 3'000 and 4'000 metres of altitude. It has almost disappeared, but we know that a colony has re-established itself in Tajikistan. The C. Brevicaudata species is found on the borders of Argentina, Chile and Peru.

Classification

Class: Mammals
Order: Rodents
Suborder: Hystricognaths (Wilson or Reeder) or Caviomorphs or Hystricomorphs
Family: Chinchillidae
Genus: Chinchilla
Species: laniger and brevicaudata
Common name: chinchilla

Biological and physiological features

Adult weight (the female is larger than the male)
male: 400 to 500 g
female: 450 to 800 g

Body length: 25-30 cm

Tail length: 7-15 cm

Dental formula:

upper jaw 1 0 1 3
I C PM M
lower jaw 1 0 1 3

The chinchilla has 5 toes on the forelimbs and 4 toes on the hindlimbs.

Biological parameters

Way of life: the chinchilla is active at dusk and at night, but adapts to the daytime life of its owners. It is an excellent climber.

Social system: in the wild the chinchilla lives in colonies of 10-100 individuals, organised against predator attacks by means of sound signals. Keeping a chinchilla on its own is prohibited.

It eats 30-40 g of food a day and drinks 10-20 ml a day.

Its temperature is 38°C to 39°C.

The chinchilla lives about 10 years, but ages of up to 20 years have been recorded.

Reproductive physiology

Age at sexual maturity: male: 9 months, female: 4-5 months; however, they can only be bred between 7-9 months.

The breeding season runs from November to May. The female's cycle lasts 30-50 days, polyoestrous. The heat itself lasts 31 days on average, but this is highly variable. Ovulation is spontaneous in the female chinchilla. Gestation can last from 110 days to 120 days, with an average of 112 days.
At birth the newborns have their eyes open and they have teeth. They weigh between 30 and 60 g. Their mother can have 2 litters a year and between 1 and 5 offspring per litter.
The young must be weaned between 6 and 8 weeks, which means separating parents and offspring.
The female has 6 teats in all.
Heat can reappear 12-24 hours after giving birth.

Living environment

Chinchillas must have a large, spacious cage with several levels, at least 2m x 2m x 2m.
As bedding you can use a thick layer of hay, straw, hemp or wood-bark shavings. A sand bath is also needed, with special bathing dust or, failing that, an equal-parts mix of talc and fine sand, in which they can bathe to remove the excess sebum on their skin.
Avoid placing the cage in a damp spot or one exposed to draughts, and place a wooden nest box up high on one side of the cage. Fit the cage out with large branches to ensure exercise.
The temperature where the chinchillas are kept should be 18-20°C, with 12 hours of lighting, and the humidity should be 30-70%.

Feeding

The chinchilla is a strictly herbivorous rodent that eats between 50 and 90 g of food a day. It needs a dry diet with 30 g of complete food in the form of pellets containing 18-20% protein, good-quality hay ad libitum, and, from time to time, a few vegetables and fruit.

Handling

Since the chinchilla can bite, it must be handled gently. Place one hand at the shoulders and the other at the rump. You can also grasp the chinchilla by the base of the tail. Above all, avoid the tip of the tail and pinching the skin.

Main health problems

Digestive disorders

  • Dental abnormalities and malocclusions
  • Gastrointestinal disorders of nutritional origin: too much greenery, constipation (lack of water, age, sluggish bowels), enteritis
  • Bacterial enteritis: yersiniosis, listeriosis, salmonellosis, other bacteria possible, enteritis following inappropriate antibiotic treatment
  • Parasitic enteritis: coccidiosis, cryptosporidiosis, giardiasis, rarely helminthiases
  • Rectal prolapse: this can follow diarrhoea, intense straining (constipation, giving birth), or stress. The prognosis is guarded.
  • Disorders linked to hair ingestion: trichobezoars, constipation, intestinal obstruction

Respiratory disorders

Predisposing factors: draughts, insufficient ventilation, inadequate humidity, stress

Responsible germs: various germs are responsible, including Pasteurella multocida.

Clinical signs: purulent nasal discharge, fever, a septicaemic course with congestive and haemorrhagic lesions, ear infection, cold, conjunctivitis

Other bacterial disorders

  • Conjunctivitis
  • Cold
  • Bronchopneumonia
  • Middle ear infection
  • Meningitis

More info at: http://www.protection-animaux.com/publications/animaux_de_compagnie/infothek/petits_animaux/chinchillas.pdf