Chinchilla Research Paper

Body What is a chinchilla? The Chinese word for chinchilla means “dragon cat”. Chinchillas are exotic animals and are hard to describe. They look like a cross between a rabbit and a squirrel. They come from South America and have big ears, tiny front paws, dense fur, and a curled tail. They also have the softest fur on earth. Chinchillas are mammals and come from the Rodentia family and have a long life span. Their wild ancestors originated in the mountains of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. They typically live ten to fifteen years but can live up to twenty years. There are three species of chinchillas: the brevicaudata, which has a short tail, coarse coat and a large blocky appearance and weigh more
than 24 oz., the lanigera, which has a long tail and is smaller and leaner with a silkier coat and weighs 16 ' 24 oz., and the costina, which has longer ears and is slim with short fur and weighs less than 20 oz..
They come in several color variations with most chinchillas being standard grey though they can also be black, white, tan and variations of each. Some colors such as violet, blue, sapphire, and chocolate are rare. Chinchillas have a very long gestation period lasting 111 ' 119 days which is longer than a dog or cat. A chinchilla will usually have 1 to 2 babies but on occasion can have 3. And they usually have 1 or 2 litters a year. Chinchillas are herd animals and it is often a good idea to have 2 chinchillas for companionship. Chinchillas lived in large herds that could number up to 100 and were originally hunted for their fur until about 1910 when the governments of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru outlawed the trapping of wild chinchillas. A chinchilla’s natural defensive reflex is to run. They are very fast, very quiet and can jump several times their body height. And if they are grabbed they can blow their fur out to escape capture. Chinchilla’s are
the perfect pet. Chinchillas are shy animals that are nocturnal. They prefer to sleep all day and be awake and play all night. They are easily stressed and don’t really like being pet.
Once you have earned a chinchillas trust they can be very affectionate and playful. They are constantly on the move and like routine. Chinchillas manage best when they are kept on a schedule, being fed and allowed out for play time at approximately the same time every day. It can take up to six months for a chinchilla to become fully tame and bonded with you. They like to run and jump and the more you laugh at them the more they will continue their antics. They have very light bones and need to be handled with care, so they are not usually suitable for young children. Chinchillas are medium maintenance pets, they are from a dry climate_, _and they drink and urinate very little and are practically odorless. Being chinchillas urinate very little their cages only need to be cleaned about once a week. They are not needy animals. They can be fed in no time and can be taken out for play time while you are watching TV or reading a book. They also need a dust bath a couple times a week to keep their fur smooth and clean. Chinchillas need to be kept cool and do the best at approximately 65 to 70 degrees. They should never be exposed to temperatures over 79 degrees and should
not be in high humidity. So where you keep chinchillas is important. A chinchilla’s cage should be in a quiet, cool area that is out of direct sunlight. Since they sleep during the day they need a relatively quiet area. They should be in an area that gets about the same amount of sunlight as darkness, with gradual change for different seasons. They should also have a nest box in their cage so they can get out of the light if they want to. The cage should be at least 30 inches long, 18 inches deep and 30 inches high. The cage should be made out of wire mesh but should not have a mesh bottom or mess shelves. The bottom should be solid and the shelves should be made out of wood. Chinchillas should be given fresh food and water every day and it is best if the water bottle is glass, so they can’t chew it, and the food bowl is crock-type to avoid tipping over. It is always a good idea to have a travel cage to use for transportation, like going to the vet, and to put the chinchillas in when cleaning their cage if they can’t be out playing. Soon after bringing a new chinchilla home it should be taken to the vet for a checkup. You should not fuss with a new chinchilla the first couple of days in a new home. They need to get use to their new environment. They also need to gradually be switched over to new food. Chinchillas are strict herbivores. They need to eat high fiber and can’t process sugars or fats well. So high sugar snacks such as raisins and dried fruit, which they love, need to be given sparingly. Instead they should be given treats of oats and cheerios. They eat pellets that look like rabbit pellets but are specially made for chinchillas. They also need to be given timothy hay and on occasion a little alfalfa as a treat or a reward for a trick. Chinchillas can be trained to do little tricks. They can also understand some human language and also the languages of other animals. They also have their own way of communicating including barking, whining, squeaking, whimpering, crying, cooing and chirping. They also have their own body language that consists of begging, bouncing, dancing, smiling, winking, blowing fur, stamping, and spitting. Conclusion In conclusion I would like to say that I think chinchillas are great pets. They are easy to take care of. If you are going away for the weekend you can leave them extra food and wonder and they will be fine unlike a dog. They are soft, affectionate, playful and very inquisitive. Not to mention they are very, very cute.