The softest fur on land
Fifty or more hairs grow from each root. We have one. The fur is too dense for fleas to live in.
Rodents · A lot of time and space
Chinchilla
Rodent · from the Andes of South America
A round, silver-grey animal with the softest fur imaginable, very large ears and a bushy tail.
- Size
- 25 to 35cm long, plus the tail
- Lives for
- 10 to 20 years
- Suits
- Adults and teenagers: a long-lived, evening pet
Bounces after you in soft hops. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about the chinchilla
It bathes in dust
It must never get wet. It keeps clean by rolling in fine volcanic dust.
A high jumper
It can leap nearly two metres, and bounces off walls.
Twenty years
It can live for twenty years: far longer than any other small rodent.
Rare in the wild
It was hunted almost to extinction for its fur. Wild chinchillas are now endangered and protected.
It needs to be cool
Its thick coat is made for cold mountains. Above about 25 degrees it can die of heat.
The real thing
Photos of the chinchilla
-2.JPG){kind=link}
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
Looking after one
Keep a pair in a very tall cage in a cool, quiet room. They need hay, chinchilla pellets, a dust bath several times a week and wooden things to gnaw.
Before you get one
A chinchilla is active at dusk and dawn, dislikes being held and lives a very long time. It suits a patient owner more than a young child.
Keep going