Chinchillas are cute creatures, the size of which does not exceed 25 - 35 cm. Animals that love to be taken care of and do it very carefully. In return for this, animals give tenderness and affection to the
owner
In this article, breeders, as well as lovers of these animals, will learn facts about chinchillas and get to know the animal better
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| Chinchilla |
History of domestication
An interesting fact about chinchillas is that these animals got their name from Chincha , the name of the Peruvian tribe. They lived for the first time as pets at home with the Indians who lived in the habitat of chinchillas.
The beginning of the period of the spread of rodents is considered to be 1919, when Matthias F. Chapman bought one animal from a local resident and assembled an expedition to get a few more individuals he liked.
During the three-year expedition, 12 chinchillas were caught, one of which, unfortunately, died during transportation, and another one increased the number of animals on the ship, giving birth to offspring.
To make the animals feel comfortable on the way, people used a wet cloth and ice for the cage with the animals.
Biological features
Interesting facts about chinchillas can also be found in their biological features
Chinchilla refers to timid animals that tend to hide at the sight of an intruder. That is why information about them, for the most part, is obtained from studies of tame animals
These animals have their own characteristics of the organism and life, since the place of their original habitat cannot boast of the variety and quantity of food suitable for these rodents, as well as the ability to organize a shelter
These rodents prefer to live in packs
Chinchilla females play a leading role in the life of the pack
Females, unlike males, are larger and more active
Rodents can sleep upside down, and spend most of the day doing this activity .
Due to the thick undercoat , they have a soft coat
These rodents are practically odorless
They can eat insects
Interesting for children
A chinchilla for a child can be an interesting object for study. Here's what you can tell your baby about this cute little animal.
The teeth of these pets grow all their lives, and the animals are born immediately with 8 teeth.
Freckles may appear on the ears of rodents , which is due to the presence of a gene responsible for the beige color in the DNA of the animal.
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| chinchilla breeding |
These animals do not like to be dirty and cleanse themselves by bathing in the sand. The ears are protected from the ingress of grains of sand by the membranes located in them.
The hind legs of the rodent grow a little slower than the front.
On the front paws , the pet has 5 fingers, while on the hind limbs - 4
While eating, the animal crouches and holds the goodies with its front paws
Features of chinchillas
You can learn interesting things about chinchillas by studying the features of this animal.
Hearing
Chinchillas have excellent hearing that easily surpasses human hearing.
Due to the structure of the auditory apparatus and the presence of two auditory drums of impressive size, these animals can hear frequencies that are called ultrasonic and are inaccessible to human perception.
Due to the inability of a person to perceive some sounds, situations often occur when a pet heard something suspicious and frightening and hid, and the owner could not find the reason for this.
Dream
For sleep, chinchillas are available and comfortable in both ordinary and perplexing and surprising poses.
Common sleeping positions include standing upright or lying on your side.
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| Feed the young Chinchilla |
An unusual, but quite logical placement is sleeping upside down. In these animals, the so-called natural memory of life in conditions where it is necessary to disguise and hide even during sleep is carried through the generations. We must not forget that this pose may also be due to kinship with bats.
Sound
These animals have a rich supply of sounds that they reproduce without undue embarrassment to draw attention to their person. Among the sounds reproduced by them, the cries of various birds and animals are especially frequent, parodies of which these animals are extremely skillful and talented.
Digestion
These little animals belong to the type of animals in which the process of digestion occurs repeatedly. The first stage occurs in the same way as everyone else, while the second, called coprophilia , occurs during the withdrawal of already digested food from the body and its re-absorption.
These pets eat while standing on their hind legs, while the goodies are in their forelimbs.
Socialization
These rodents are animals that are used to living in groups and in contact with their own kind.
Since such a pet has a high level of sociability, it will be lonely for him to live alone without his fellows. That is why experts recommend in advance, even before buying a chinchilla, to think about the possibility of acquiring a second pet as a friend for the first.
Some more interesting facts about chinchillas
These animals prefer to live at an altitude of up to 5 thousand meters.
Domestic animals live, as a rule, no more than 25 years.
The age of rodents living in natural habitats can reach 35 years.
The skeleton of the animal is compressed vertically.
This rodent belongs to hypoallergenic animals, it has no seasonal molt.
The pet is not a source of unpleasant odor.
The rodent does not suffer from fleas and other parasites.
Cubs are born immediately with open eyes.
The birthplace of these animals is the Andes, which are located in South America.
Paw pads with no hair and a hard surface of the skin.
In the wild, chinchillas are saved from predators by shedding shreds of fur.
The period of activity of pets falls at night.
Females bring offspring up to two times a year.
The weight of the animal is from 400 to 500 grams.
On average, from one to two animals are born at the same time, the weight of which fluctuates around 35 grams.
The eyes of these animals are red or dark ruby.
In addition to grains , vegetables and fruits, it feeds on small insects and frogs.
Chinchillas are cute and funny little animals that will surely captivate everyone who sees them live or in a picture with their activity and habits. In order to increase knowledge about these animals and become more competent in keeping or contacting these animals, experts and experienced breeders recommend studying interesting facts about these pets, the main ones of which are listed above.
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| young Chinchilla |
natural enemies
Chinchilla in the Red Book is listed as an endangered species. Her natural enemies include:
Foxes are the main enemy, since their population in the Andes is large. The predator rarely manages to get the animal out of hiding, so it guards it at the exit.
Taira. This animal is similar to weasel in body structure and behavior. Tyra easily penetrates the narrow mink of a chinchilla.
Feathered predators (owls, owls and eagle owls) lie in wait for rodents in open areas in the morning and evening twilight.
Snakes are also considered a dangerous enemy due to their ability to crawl into narrow crevices.
However, the wild chinchilla has natural protection: color imperceptible at dusk, unusually high speed of reaction and movement. If the rodent is angered or frightened, it will begin to emit sounds similar to a growl and quickly click its teeth. In this state, the animal can attack by standing on its hind legs. At the same time, it "growls", lets out a stream of urine and, finally, grabs the enemy with its teeth.
But the most severe blow to the population was dealt by man. Starting from the 18th century, it not only practically exterminated this species of mammals, but also destroyed its habitat due to:
chemical poisoning of the soil
devastation of territories by cattle grazing
development of free land for construction and agriculture.
The natural habitat of chinchillas has narrowed down to small islands of nature - hard-to-reach rocky slopes surrounded by cities and railways. Mass extermination and poaching continues, despite the current ban.
The number of wild chinchillas is steadily declining. Experts believe that humanity in the future runs the risk of forever parting with another species of mammals - the genus chinchilla.
The herbivorous rodent has become popular for home keeping due to its good health, good looks and unpretentiousness. However, the wild species still remains in the Red Book.
Will it smell in the house if you get a chinchilla
There is an opinion that all pets smell, so when starting a pet, the owner must be prepared for the fact that a characteristic “aroma” will always be in his house or apartment . However, this judgment is partly wrong and there are exceptions to the rule. These rare exceptions include chinchillas. Few people managed to smell the chinchilla. What is it connected with? Whether or not a small fluffy rodent smells will be discussed in the article.
Do chinchillas stink?
The answer to the question of whether chinchillas stink is very simple - under normal conditions, the animals do not exude any smell. This is due to the fact that they do not have glandsresponsible for an unpleasant odor
sweat
sebaceous.
Chinchillas are clean - they regularly clean their fur , taking sand baths.
Chinchillas smell only in two cases:
under inappropriate conditions of detention
with health problems (malfunctions in the work of internal organs, etc. ).
However, if the animal’s fur does not stink, but exudes a kind of medicinal fragrance, this is a sign of severe stress, fear or discontent of the chinchilla.
Wrong conditions of detention
It is not chinchillas that stink in the apartment or in the house, but their cage, which has not been cleaned in time. Chinchillas maintain their hygiene, but they cannot clean their own home. Therefore, if the animal is healthy, and the house smells, it is the owner's fault.
The feces of the animals do not smell, even if they are not removed in time, but the urine of a chinchilla, if the tray is not cleaned in time, may well begin to stink. The reason for the stink from the cage with the pet may be hay rotten from moisture, spoiled food residues , etc.
Of course, the animal living in such nightmarish conditions of unsanitary conditions will also begin to smell badly, as pollution will settle on its fur coat.
In order for the animal to live in comfort, and there is no unpleasant atmosphere in the house, the pet's cage must be cleaned in a timely manner. Needless to emphasize that you should not have a pet if the owner has neither the strength, nor the time, nor the desire to keep his home clean. The animal must live in purity.
Health problems
If you are sure that it is the chinchilla that smells , and not its uncleaned cage, this is an occasion to contact the veterinarian. The appearance of an unpleasant odor, even from the animal itself, even from its fresh feces, is a symptom of the development of a disease in the body of a rodent. What is the cause of the disease that has arisen can be preliminarily determined by the source of the unpleasant odor:
if it smells from the mouth - damage to the teeth or their roots
if feces smell - malfunctions in the digestive tract , intestinal infections or diarrhea (up to a chronic form);
if urine smells (namely fresh, and not just not cleaned up in time) - violations of the urinary system and its constituent organs
if the female 's loop smells after childbirth - evidence of complications that arose during delivery (internal bleeding, stuck dead fetus, etc. ).
If it is the fur of the animal that smells , this is not a sign of another disease, but external contamination of the fur with smelly feces. Again, you need to try to determine what is the source of the unpleasant odor - urine or feces.
An accurate diagnosis can only be made by a veterinarian. If you detect a smell that has appeared from a chinchilla, it is better not to hesitate to contact a doctor.
Degree of odor
In order to detect the smell, you do not have to sniff much at the animal or its cage. The stench will let you know about itself. Regardless of the cause of the unpleasant odor, the smelly “odor” usually radiates several meters from the cage, so it’s hard not to notice it.
How to deal with a specific odor
The first step to eliminating an unpleasant odor is to determine its source and cause. First of all, you need to find out if the stink is from the pet's cage or from the animal itself. If the source of the stink is the home of a fluffy pet, you need to urgently carry out a general cleaning in the cage, and in the future, clean it, if not more often, then at least on a regular basis, and not when it already stinks again.
During cleaning, you also need to check whether the tray is suitable for the animal, and if necessary, replace it with a more convenient model (even glass rectangular baking dishes can be used in this capacity). The most suitable litter box for chinchillas is absorbent granules made especially for cats. Their structure ensures complete absorption of not only liquids, but also odors.
Of course, after cleaning, you need to additionally clean the unfortunate animal that lived in the mud - “everyday” swimming in the sand will no longer help here. If the smell from the pet is not due to external pollution, you should contact your veterinarian as soon as possible for an examination. When the chinchilla is healed, the smell will disappear by itself.