Before buying a chinchilla, has it ever crossed your mind that you have to know what you are getting yourself into? Having a chinchilla as a pet is not easy, and you'd better know the basic chinchilla facts, than get confused later for apparently knowing nothing or too little about chinchillas.
First, differentiating the male from the female chinchillas can be a challenge, as it usually is with most rodents. One clear giveaway in telling a pair of chinchilla couples is the size. Given the same diet, the female chinchilla is usually bigger than the male. The latter can be as heavy as 400-500 grams, whereas females are about 400-600 grams. Looking at the organs might not be very helpful, as the penis of the male chinchilla only shows usually after three months. By the third month, a chinchilla will have reached puberty. By the 8th month, it is ready to breed.
As for female chinchillas, they can be pregnant for as much as twice a year. Since the gestation period normally takes 111 days, a time allowance in between two pregnancies is recommended. To make sure that a pair of chinchillas will not breed, separating their cage is the most advisable thing to do. A mother chinchilla will give birth to a litter of 1 to 3 kits, the name for baby chinchillas. Once born, a kit is already fully developed and does not need intense caring from its parents. The normal weight of baby chinchillas is 35-40 grams.
Upon growing, chinchillas will develop stronger teeth. As it does, you have to supply its cage with a lot of wood and toys that they can chew on. These objects will help them sharpen their teeth and ensure that they don't get too sharp.
Chinchillas will also develop their own personalities as they grow up. Although its unique traits should be observable upon birth, they will be more prominent upon growing up. Take note of these key traits as they will not only help you differentiate chinchillas from each other but will also help in communicating with them.
A claim to fame of these rodents is its highly valuable fur. Considered endangered for its expensive fur, chinchillas had been viciously hunted until the end of the 19th century. With 150 to 250 chinchillas, a stylish coat made of chinchilla can be made.
Because of the uncontrollable rate at which chinchillas were being hunted and killed, something had to be done with the situation. This explains the presence of many chinchilla farms around. These provide a healthy breeding environment for chinchillas, which was meant to supply the increasing demand of chinchilla fur for clothing. However, with the times changing in favor of animal rights and against the killing of chinchillas for clothes, these animal farms began to serve an altogether different purpose: providing an unconventional alternative to pets like dogs, cats and other rodents.
Chinchillas are a breath of fresh air. Very few people have them and once they do, they simply cannot help but love them. Martha Stewart, in fact, confesses her love for the creatures and even owns as much as 15 of them! With the distinct nature of chinchillas, there is every reason why you should have them as your new pets. Knowing your chinchilla facts can be a enlightening experience.
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