We've come across some interesting facts about chinchillas during our research. Here's a list of things that don't quite fit in with other pages on this site.
- Chinchilla fur is considered the softest in the world and is thirty times softer than human hair.
- Chinchillas must regularly bathe in dust or volcanic ash to remove oil and moisture that gathers in their thick fur.
- Chinchillas have the highest fur density of any land animal with more than 20,000 hairs per square cm. Their fur is so dense that skin parasites (such as fleas) cannot live on one lest they suffocate. Whereas humans grow one hair from each follicle, a chinchilla has more than fifty hairs from a single follicle.
- They are agile jumpers and can jump up to five feet above their head.
- Martha Stewart has 15 pet chinchillas.
- Chinchillas have no dander, which is the leading cause to pet related allergies.
Sources:
Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
Chintasia
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April 13th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
Christina,
Take your chinchilla to a vet. It's safer than experimenting with home remedies.
April 11th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
I have 3 chin's. My male is about 3 years old and he is missing fur on his side. I have tried athlete's foot powder in the dust but it doesn't seem to be working. Any suggestions?
March 23rd, 2007 at 2:31 pm
Debra,
That's a hard one to answer. One odd behavior isn't enough to say whether a chinchilla is stressed or not. Ours don't exhibit that behavior, but they probably do other strange things that your chinchilla doesn't. Is your chinchilla otherwise fine? Does he eat? Does he run around the cage and around the room when you let him out? Does his fur look healthy? Are his eyes clear and lively looking?
March 22nd, 2007 at 10:40 pm
I have a question about the behavior of the chins. I have seen my chin make rapid scraping movements as though he is digging for something with his front paws on the plastic perch where the food is in his cage. Is this normal behavior or does it mean he is stressed or just playing?
January 6th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
I have 2 chinchillas. Some chinchilla owners may be concerned if their chinchillas do not eat any fresh food (fruits, vegetables, etc.). As a general rule they do not. I know several people with chinchillas, and none of them will touch fresh food. For example, I dry lettuce for mine (it takes 3 or 4 days) and they go crazy over it, but if I offer them fresh lettuce, they run away. There is a place called JustTomatoes,etc. online that has the greatest quality dried fruits and vegetables for humans. My chinchillas adore these. They like the following (dried of course): Corn, peas, carrots, apples, persimmons, peaches, apricots, bananas. I am in no way affiliated with this company. It is just that I have not found any dried products that remotely compare. Try drying some leaf lettuce until it's crisp and watch your chinchillas "gobble it up".