Whats a Chinchilla?
Chinchillas are rodents, originally from the Andes Mountains in South America. They have large ears, like a mouse, and a tail like a chipmunk’s, but their fur is totally unique. You’ve got to feel it to believe it. They are about 8 to 12 inches long from nose to base of tail when they stretch out fully. They weigh about one to two pounds when full grown. Chinchillas typically live from 10 to 15 years. However, with proper care, some have lived over 20 years! Because of their incredibly soft fur, chinchillas are popular in the fur industry. It takes about 100 animals to make a coat, so they nearly went extinct in the wild due to trapping. Those of us who love them as pets are glad that the popularity of fur is declining. Today, as faux furs have become popular, you can even get fake chinchilla fur.