Chinchilla Breeding

Over the years through selective breeding, chinchillas have taken on a variety of colors. Here's the most complete list we've come across.

Before we dive in to the topic of breeding chinchillas, please be aware that 1) we aren't chinchilla breeders ourselves, and 2) we don't recommend that you engage in such activities unless you really, really know what you're doing. There are plenty of unwanted chinchillas out there and there is no need to add to the list.

Anyone considering getting in to the business of breeding chinchillas should have a good understanding of genetics and how they related to chinchillas. The following is a list of terms and their definitions that should prove to be a good introduction.

In this second of three articles in the series on breeding chinchillas, we look at the mating process along with the actual pregnancy.

In this third and final article in the series of breeding chinchillas, we look at raising newborn chinchillas.

In nature, chinchillas are usually grey. However, since becoming domesticated, breeders have worked to mate individual chinchillas to bring out certain colors by combining the right pairs of genes. Here is a description of chinchilla genes and colors.

We're often asked if we know of any chinchilla breeders in such and such an area. Generally, our answer is, "no." We're just pet owners and aren't really part of the world of raising chinchillas in large numbers. However, we recognize that finding a list of chinchilla breeders isn't necessarily easy so we decided to compile one.