Fun & Interesting Facts About Chinchillas
Without any doubt, chinchillas are surely adorable animals. Their cute features and lush fur make them famous animals to post on Instagram, however, they are wonderful creatures with more than only a cute look.
Here are a few more incredible facts you probably never heard of about the bushy-tailed chinchilla.
Chinchillas are rodents
Chinchillas may look like a cross between a rabbit and a squirrel, however, they are in fact rodents. Chinchillas are classified as rodents due to their distinct teeth that grow continuously. To maintain their teeth at an ideal size, they frequently have to chew on solid objects.
Chinchillas have a vast range of vocal sounds
They can make as many as 10 distinct sounds based on what is happening around their environment. Chins also have a large vocal range and they are able to make noises in various tones.
Chinchillas are mainly herbivores
Chinchillas mostly feed on plants. They intake whatever type of greens their surrounding offers, like leaves, fruits, flowers and grass. They may also feed on insects they find in nature. They reside in extremely dry places in the wilderness and they primarily consume water from cacti and morning dew.
Their fur helps them to camouflage in the wild
Chinchilla fur doesn’t just protect them from the rough temperatures in the mountain territory – it also saves them from attackers like foxes, owls and snakes. Mainly grey with black fronts, the fur helps chinchillas disguise within their mountain nature. Although, domestic chins are available in a range of colours with over 30 various kinds.
Chinchillas are especially different from rabbits
Although they are most times classified in the same group of “furry and small”, chinchillas are quite dissimilar from rabbits. Unlike rabbits, chinchillas belong to the rodents group which is more closely connected to porcupines and guinea pigs that have rounder, shorter ears than a rabbit and that run rapidly.
Usually, rabbit's reflexes are a bit slower. Remember this when letting small kids handle them, and always give supervision, as they are wiggly creatures.
Chinchillas are available in a range of colours
In present days, most chinchillas available have a coat with dark blue-grey. But, in nature, they used to have yellow-grey fur. In addition to the currently available dark blue-grey colour, you may also find some white, beige and ebony coats, and also the recessive colours of violet, sapphire, velvet and charcoal may be present in some chinchillas.
Chinchillas may bite if handled wrongly
Chinchillas are great pets for somewhat older kids as they become comfortable getting handled. Although, supervised handling is recommended.
Chinchillas are sooo adorable. But there are some things their hoomans should be careful about. Kids should always be monitored when handling chins as they may bit if handled without care or roughly. Keep chins close to the body as they can wriggle and move to some extent. Also, observe if the chin tries to hide its face from you since it can indicate nervousness.
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chinchilla, fun facts, pet