Chinchillas naturally hail from high up in the Andes mountains of South America.  They are rodents and as such are related to hamsters, squirrels and the like.  They were hunted almost to extinction for their fur, but thankfully are now a protected species in the wild, though still endangered in terms of habitat erosion.  It is widely recognised that the history of the domestic chinchilla began with Mr. M. F. Chapman in the early 1920s.  The vast majority of pet chinchillas today are probably descendents of the "Chapman Chinchillas".

They are nocturnal creatures who sleep most of the day and become more lively at night, feeding and exploring their environment.  They feed primarily on seeds, grasses and vegetation native to their South American habitat.

Like other rodents, they have very strong incisor teeth which continue to grow throughout their lifetime, so their ENDLESS chewing is necessary to keep these in trim.

Chinchilla fur is remarkably beautiful, so dense, soft and light.  Hence the huge demand for it for the purposes of making garments.  Each strand of hair has three different colours.  Near the root (called the undercoat) it may be dark, the middle section (the banding) is usually white and the tips tend to be some shade of grey.  The tips determine the general appearance of the chinchilla, as this is the colour you see.  This is known as the "clouding" or "veil".  If you blow gently on a chinchilla's fur, it will separate to let you see these three colours along each hair. Chinchillas were, from the days of Chapman, carefully bred using the original standard grey, eventually producing the first "Wilson White" (white body with grey ears) in 1955. From there, successive breeding has produced the many different and beautiful colours we see today.

MY OPINION:  CHINCHILLA FUR IS ONLY BEAUTIFUL WHEN IT IS ATTACHED TO A CHINCHILLA!

I am reminded of little poem of Spike Milligan's:

The best use for a crocodile skin

Is for keeping a crocodile's insides in!

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(Last Modified 29/11/2006 )