is rather difficult to track chinchillas because of their hidden lifestyle. However, local residents reported that they saw animals unknown until that time in the mountains.

By the 1980s, chinchilla fur had become very popular, and the number of chinchilla breeders had skyrocketed. During this period and up until the early 1990s, chinchillas were bred primarily for sale.

For all the time of breeding chinchillas, people have managed not only to increase their numbers, but also to improve the method of their reproduction in captivity and the technology of dressing skins. In the course of research activities, selection work was carried out to breed animals with certain qualities, as well as to artificially inseminate females.

The chinchilla is listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and is protected by the laws of those countries where it lives in natural conditions.

By now, chinchillas are one of the most famous animals in the world. And it’s not at all about their beautiful fur: people liked these cute, smart and friendly rodents so much that they were happy to keep them at home as decorative animals. Chinchillas were especially popular in the countries of Western Europe and North America, as well as in some developed countries of Southeast Asia.

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General information about chinchillas
Chinchillas are small rodents that, over time, have developed their own anatomical and physiological features of the body.

Chinchilla is a representative of the order of rodents of the chinchilla family (Chinchillidae). The genus also includes the short-tailed chinchilla (Chinchilla liechtenstein) and its relatives, the long-tailed chinchilla (Chinchilla laniger) and the lesser short-tailed chinchilla (Chinchilla brevicaudata).

Under natural conditions, the animal lives in remote areas of the mountains of South America: in the desert highlands of the Andes in Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina, where it builds nests between stones. In those areas where the number of rodents is relatively large, they prefer to settle in colonies.

By external signs, the rodent is similar to a hare and a squirrel: it has long ears, a fluffy tail and soft thick fur. Therefore, the chinchilla often called mountain rabbit or mountain squirrel.

The weight of adults reaches 0.5–1 kg; body length is 19.6 - 38 cm, tail - 8 - 17 cm. Females are somewhat larger than males.

In nature, chinchillas live in the mountains and are nocturnal, so they have developed some anatomical and physiological features and adaptations.

Chinchillas have a large head and round, movable ears 5-6 cm long, located on the crown. Whiskers (whiskers) are long (up to 8-10 cm), developed, arranged in bunches and sticking out in all directions. Thanks to them, the animals can navigate in the dark among the rocks, feel various objects, and look for food.

The eyes of chinchillas are large, black; type of vision is nocturnal, however, they can see perfectly in the daytime.

Animals have 20 teeth that grow throughout life, of which 16 are molars and 4 are incisors.

Another feature of chinchillas is their unusually developed cerebellum, which is responsible for coordinating movements and maintaining balance. Therefore, rodents are perfectly oriented and move among rocks and crevices.

Chinchillas differ from other mammals in the special mobility of the skeleton: in them it is compressed vertically (that is, from the sides), and not horizontally (from top to bottom), like in other animals. Thanks to this, rodents can relatively easily penetrate through narrow vertical cracks, which are so numerous in the mountains.

The hind four-fingered limbs of chinchillas are longer than the front five-fingered ones, and they are stronger, as they play the main role in movement. With their help, rodents move in large leaps from place to place, change direction in a jump.

Due to the special structure of the body, chinchillas can glide from a small height, avoid obstacles in flight and always land on their limbs.

Chinchillas are native to the highlands of the Andes in South America, where extreme temperature changes and dry weather are common. Therefore, the fur of animals is thick, long and perfectly protects rodents from any bad weather.

The main wealth and decoration of chinchillas is, of course, their fur, which can also be attributed to a kind of adaptation for life in the mountains with sharp fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Their fur is strong, silky, even, 2.5–3 cm long, very soft and thick: there are over 25 thousand hairs per 1 cm2, which is several times more than that of other furry animals. The downy hair is slightly wavy, very thin, 4–8 mm longer than the underfur.

Such thick fur, like that of chinchillas, requires special care: to clean it of dirt and matted hairs, rodents take dust baths every day. And so that dirt and wool do not get into the auricles, the animals have special membrane-outgrowths there.

Chinchilla fur not only warms in the cold season, but also serves as a kind of protection against predators: if necessary, rodents can throw it off and slip out of the claws of the attacked animal. Thanks to the same feature, the animals easily penetrate between narrow crevices. It takes a long time for the new fur to grow back, as the molt lasts for 9 months.

Coloring on the back and sides of various shades: from light gray to dark gray and black with a bluish tint; belly white or bluish-white. Due to the special structure and color, it seems that the body of the animal is covered with a delicate veil. Currently, chinchillas of beige, bluish-brown, golden, white, rich black and other colors have been bred: white with gray ears, dark gray with a black stripe on the back, black with a dark gray belly, etc.

Chinchillas lack seasonal and sexual dimorphism. Sexual dimorphism is the differences between females and males, for example, in structure, color, etc .; seasonal dimorphism is expressed in the presence of winter and summer colors, a change in the density of the fur depending on the season.

Chinchillas are herbivores. They feed on green parts of plants, seeds and fruits of herbs and shrubs, as well as cacti and lichens. For a long time they can do without water: they have enough dew and the moisture that is contained in plants. In nature, rodents forage for food near their burrows, and only with a lack of food can they move a little further than usual.

In nature, chinchillas are monogamous, and under natural conditions, the female gives birth 1-3 times a year, while the number of puppies in the litter is no more than 1-4 (most often 2). Cubs are born with open eyes and after an hour they can move independently.

Young growth develops relatively quickly: after 2 months, chinchillas are already able to live on their own, and after 7-8 - to breed.

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Buying and domesticating chinchillas
Before buying a chinchilla it is necessary to learn as much as possible about these animals, the features of their content.

Buying a chinchilla is a responsible business, since this animal is very peculiar. Those who decide to start it for the first time have a lot of questions. Therefore, the first thing to do is to get acquainted with the available literature, evaluate your capabilities and decide whether you can provide the future pet with all the necessary conditions for its existence.

Below we will detail how to care for a cute rodent, but first we will reveal the positive and negative points in keeping chinchillas.

Chinchillas were kept as pets by the ancient Incas. At present, these rodents, distinguished by their charm, cheerful disposition and special cleanliness, are very popular decorative pets.

A few reasons why you should buy a chinchilla
According to experienced chinchilla breeders, these rodents are great for keeping at home, as they:

- good-natured, cheerful, gentle, rarely bite;

- amenable to training;

- become tame over time

- rarely get sick

- breed well and live long (up to 20 years);

- very beautiful, they have a pleasant to the touch, silky, soft fur.

- relatively unpretentious, do not have an unpleasant odor, as well as their discharge.

Negative points in the content of chinchillas
Before you start chinchillas, you need to find out what you have to endure daily if you have a couple of these funny rodents:

- Chinchillas, as you know, are nocturnal animals, so they have an active period precisely in the dark. They are very fond of frolic and make it very noisy;

- rodents are very curious, and if you accidentally forgot to close the cage, you will have to spend a lot of time looking for your pet;

- the result of their walks around the apartment will be gnawed furniture, wires, slippers, in general, everything that got in the way (it is almost impossible to wean animals from chewing - after all, rodents);

- cages and aviaries for chinchillas take up quite a lot of space;

- Animals need to take sand baths every day, and this is constant dust in the apartment;

- they really do not like when they are picked up, trying to stroke and cuddle;

– chinchillas cannot tolerate high humidity, sudden temperature changes;

– in case of illness, it is quite difficult for them to find a specialist veterinarian.

In general, keeping a chinchilla is a rather troublesome and expensive pleasure.

However, if the above difficulties did not frighten you, then you can safely go to the pet store to purchase one of the most interesting pets - the chinchilla. You can also say that only the first time, until you and your pet get used to each other, it will be difficult. According to those who are already the happy owner of these charming rodents, their content is actually not very difficult.

Acquisition and domestication of chinchillas

Buying a chinchilla is currently easy, but getting a healthy animal is much more