Chinchillidae

Chinchillas Family:Chinchilladae



Family The chinchilladae family has unique features such as they are all small. They also have fur, and they have tails. Some other animals in the chinchilla family are Rabbits, Guinea pigs, Squirels and Rats.

Animal: Chichilla Chinchillas walk on 4 legs and sometimes they stand on two. The time when they are most active is at night, so predators can't attack them. Chinchillas don't eat in any unique way, they just nibble on it like a chipmunk. They eat grass and domestic chinchillas eat chinchilla pellets, and sometime they will eat whatever they can find. A male chinchilla takes 5 months to mature, while a female takes 8 months to a year. They grow about 10-14 inches when they become adults. Gestation takes an avererage of 111 days for them to fully gestate. Their fur color is grey, they classify the greys by different terms. The only other color is albino, that is when their fur is white. One unique feature about chinchillas is that a skilled jumper can jump 6 feet.

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Rodentia Family: Chinchillidae Gene: Chinchilla Species: Chinchilla lanigera



Domestic vs. Wild Domestic and wild are different in many ways. One way they are different is that domestic chinchillas eat foods such as pellets instead of rotten food. Also wild chinchillas have a shorter life because of lack of food, poison, predators, and no water.

Predators Some predators include wild birds, skunks, felines and snakes. But the chinchillas have battle techniques such as spraying urine and releasing fur if bitten. Chinchillas are obviously not the most powerful creatures but they can defend themselves from predators.

Life in the wild They live inside of burrows and rock crevices. Those are their native homes. They are rarely to be seen because they are mostly out at night.

Bathing Chinchillas take bathes alot differently from any other animals. They roll around in dirt and somehow the dirt cleans them. I have watched one roll around before and it doesn't even look like it's bathing.

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