Chinchilla Gallery

(Left)Three of a set of Grey quadruplets!
Soooo tame.

Our Black Velvet, Tiberius.  He has a beautiful Roman nose.   Picture on right shows how he differs from a standard Grey.

Our Beige male, Champagne, on the left, a lovely Grey female in the middle, Margarita, and our nearly all white Pink-White female, Sauvignon Blanc, on the right.

On right is one of Champagne and Margarita's hetero-Beige babies.

Chinchillas are very quiet by nature. The babies, however, make quiet sounds often when awake.
 In fact, I've found the best way to know if a new litter has arrived is to listen.

Click to hear 1 day old baby chins!

(This takes a few seconds to load and is quiet)-

Chinchilla Teeth:

We had our first Chinchilla ever go to the vet for an abscessed tooth.  Specifically a molar.   I am told by the vet, who specializes in small animals, that it is very common in chinchillas and other rodents.  It seems the pellets that they eat are too processed for them to have to grind them up with the back teeth. They can chew pellets with an up and down motion using mostly the front teeth.  In the wild, they would have to chew at great length on roots, bark and seeds on the back teeth in a sideways motion.  So this condition is believed to be usually diet related.

So I would like to emphasize that it is actually quite important to the health of these animals that they get loose hay. Our Chins love mulberry branches, leaves and all, and apple branches as well. We also give them kiln dried pine wood and pumice stones. Hopefully these measures will ensure this problem can be mostly avoided in domestic Chinchillas and their kin.  Once an individual starts developing problems with teeth it tends to be a reoccurring problem.  And an inability to eat properly will eventually lead to death if not treated. Prevention is key.

Update:  More than 3 years later she is fine!  Poly has another story to tell.  Check out her page and see why she is special!

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