Chinchillas are type of furry small animal that originated in South American. They have tight, luxurious, thick coat. In the wild they have a life expectancy from ten to fifteen years (10 to 15 years). Their longevity is greater in captivity with a span of ten to twenty (10 to 20 years).

Early in the 1900’s chinchillas were about to be wiped off the face of the earth. They were methodically being hunted and killed for their fur. It takes about 90 chinchillas pelts to make one fur coat. Pet lovers upon seeing their dwindling numbers eleven (11) chinchillas were rescued and brought back to the United States. One of the rescued animals died and one was born keeping a group of eleven (11) animals. All the chinchillas in the United States are descendants from the original 11 imported by the pet lovers.

Chinchillas are of the night, which means that they are active at night. They spend their days napping. They need to be protected from disturbances and noise during that time. They are sensitive to stress and noise, so approach them in a silent way. They are intelligent, mischievous and social, but they can be friendly to their owners. A chinchilla’s temper has ranges. But, a chinchilla’s temperament is innate meaning that they will continue to be what they are when you first get it. If they are calm they will remain calm. If they are mean they will stay mean.

They may be shy or tend to run, when you first bring a new chinchilla home. This does not mean that they will always view you as dangerous. Spend time with your chinchilla so they will get to know you. You need to earn their trust and they may even get to a point where they come to you for a little tickle behind the ear. Although they do not enjoy being cuddled or held but some chinchillas will allow you to hold them. When you hold them make sure you use both hands and support their back legs in one hand, and their front feet slightly higher than the back with the other hand. Place them up against your body to make them feel more safe and sound.

Like all types of rodents, a chinchilla needs to munch in order to keep their teeth healthy and filed down. Help them out by giving them with safe chewable such as sticks instead of their food bowls and cage bars. Amazingly, chinchillas are able to make a variety of sounds. They make an assortment of squeaks and squeals and odd sounding barks. They are mostly noiseless and they seldom make vocal sounds. Most of the noises from an active chinchilla come from their chewing rearranging of the items in their cage or running on their wheel.

Unfortunately, chinchillas do not make very good pets for someone who has allergies to dust or animal fur. They do not always make the right kind of pets for children because they do not like to be held and cuddled.