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On this page is a very brief overview to the
chinchillas history, pls stay to read, but also check
etc etc site for a fantastic
history page.
 In the Wild
History
Did
You Know?
In The Wild
Chinchillas are South American rodents, they live mainly in the Andes,
however they can also be found in Peru, Bolivia, Chilli and Argentina.
As they live 3,000ft to 15,000ft above sea level their climate is cold,
dry and very rocky. They can sustain temperatures in the minus degrees.
They are herd animals and live in large groups burring in the rocky
terrain and foraging for food.
They feed off very arid, poor quality vegetation; because of this their
digestion system is designed to extract what nutrition is available.
There are three types of chinchilla; the Brevicaudata (short tail) and the
Lanigera (long tail) and the costina.
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Thankfully the chinchilla is now protected against being
captured and pelted from in the wild.
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History
They get their name from the South American Indian tribe called the Chinta.
Chinchilla actually means ‘Little Chinta’
In the later era of the 1800’s and early 1900’s the chinchilla became
close to extinction because of their fur they became highly sought after
and very expensive. The fur industry was big business. In 1899 over
435,000 pelts were shipped from Chilli alone.
In 1918 a man called Mathis F Chapman, (shown below) was working as a
mining engineer when he first came across this curious creature.
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M. F. Chapman and Pete. Pete often rode on Mr. Chapman's shoulder as he
tended to the rest of the herd.
As Chapman became more and more acquainted with this loveable animal, he
decided to capture a small number he could breed from and take back to
North America with him.
However, finding them proved more difficult then he had first anticipated,
in fact 23 trappers had to make several visits and cover vast distances,
taking from 1919 to 1922, in period of 3yrs Chapman had only acquired 11
chinchillas he deemed worthy of breeding from (only 3 being female).
To give some idea of the areas covered the picture below is of the Rio
Juncal Valley where Chapman and his trappers searched for chinchillas;
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The Rio Juncal Valley where Chapman and his trappers searched for
chinchillas.
Chapman actually imported 12 chinchillas into North America, as on the way
one of the original eleven died and two were born.
These were to become the heritage of nearly all chinchillas in captivity
today.
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Dona Inez Suez, the finest of the original eleven chinchillas.
Some of M. F. Chapman's original 11 chinchillas actually out lived him!
One of his animals (the eighth one caught and for that reason tattooed
with the number 8), lived to be about 22 years old. His exact age was
impossible to know as he was born in the wild. He was nicknamed Old Hoff,
after the German blacksmith who built the shipping cages used to transport
the chinchillas to the North America.
Chinchillas have been in England since the early 1950’s and would have
cost thousands to buy initialy.
Thankfully they are now thriving and cost a lot less to buy, as a result
of their kind nature, wonderful personalities and luxurious fur they have
become and continue to be a very popular pet.
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Did You Know?…
It takes over 100 chinchillas to make 1 medium sized jacket. Sad that
something so barbaric still goes on in today’s day and age. One day
hopefully the farms in America will be abolished and pelting will be
banned all over the world.
Chinchillas have the softest fur in the world. And if you own one already
you will be able to feel just how lush it is!
Each follicle (hair root) has 40-80 hairs growing from it. When under
attack the chinchilla has the ability to shed its hair when caught, this
is its natural defence mechanism in the wild.
To each hair there are 3 colours. This is known as AGOUTI colouring.
Chinchillas are odourless and rarely if ever cause allergies. Great news
for people like me, who have every allergy under the sun! I have never had
a problem with my chins (if anything the hay or dust can cause an allergic
reaction).
The chinchilla’s fur is too dense for fleas, lice and other small
parasites to live in. So no nasties can be passed on from cats or dogs
(and vice versa) and no itchy bites for us!
The first beige bred in captivity was in 1955 on a ranch in Oregon. There
are now many beautiful beiges being bred all the time.
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All pictures on this page are very kindly supplied by
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