Facts About Chinchilla Pets - Important Chinchilla Information About Lifespan, Origins And Caring

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Chris_Arkell]Chris Arkell
A type of rodent that is originally from South America, chinchillas have thick, luxurious coats. In their native, wild environment chinchillas live between 10 and 15 years, but in captivity their life expectancy increases to between 10 and 20 years.
It takes between 80 and 100 chinchillas to make just one fur coat. Hunted and killed for their fur, chinchillas were on the verge of extinction in the early 1900s. In response to this drastic population decline, 11 chinchillas were captured and brought to the United States. One of these transported chinchillas died en route, but another was born before they arrived, so a total of 11 chinchillas arrived in the US. Every pet chinchilla in the United States today descends from this original group of 11.
Chinchillas are most active at night. Being nocturnal animals, their days are spent sleeping so they need to be insulated from daytime noise and disturbances. Chinchillas should be approached quietly and calmly because they are sensitive to noise and stress. They can have different personalities, but typically chinchillas are social animals. They can be affectionate toward their owners and are mischievous and intelligent. A chinchilla's temperament is inbuilt, however. This means that your chinchilla's personality when you first get it is probably how it always will be. For example, a calm chinchilla will probably always be calm, and a mean one may stay mean. A new chinchilla might be shy or skittish when you first bring it home, but that doesn't mean it will always act like you are a threat. You can earn your chinchilla's trust by spending time with it, and eventually you might get it to come to you looking for a fond scratch behind the ear. Some chinchillas will let you hold them, but generally they do not like being held or cuddled. When you pick one up, be sure to use both hands. Use one hand to support its rear legs, and hold its front legs slightly higher with your other hand. It's a good idea to hold a chinchilla against your body because it makes them feel safer and more secure. They generally do not make good pets for people who are allergic to dust or fur, and because they do not like to be held or cuddled, they also do not always make good pets for children.
Chinchillas, like all rodents, need to regularly chew on objects to keep their teeth filed down and healthy. Chinchilla owners need to give their pets safe things to chew on so they don't gnaw on their food bowl or the bars of their cage. Although they don't vocalize all that often, they are able to produce an assortment of squeals, squeaks and peculiar-sounding barks. Most of the sounds chinchillas make are actually caused by running on their exercise wheel, chewing or rearranging the items in their cage.
These little animals make wonderful pets. The luxurious coats that chinchillas are known for make them soft when you pet them, and they are social animals. Chinchilla owners do need to spend some time caring for them, but they are a relatively easy pet to care for.
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Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Facts-About-Chinchilla-Pets---Important-Chinchilla-Information-About-Lifespan,-Origins-And-Caring&id=6640970] Facts About Chinchilla Pets - Important Chinchilla Information About Lifespan, Origins And Caring