User:PIrish/sandboxes/sandbox5

Chinchillas and their relatives, viscachas, are small, crepuscular rodents native to the Andes mountains in South America. They belong to the family Chinchillidae.

History
The animal (whose name literally means "little Chincha") is named after the Chincha people of the Andes, who wore its soft and dense fur. By the end of the 19th century, chinchillas had become quite rare due to hunting.

Mathias F. Chapman, a mining engineer from California, was working in Chile in 1918 when he purchased a chinchilla as a pet and took a liking to it. He envisioned raising a whole herd of chinchillas and he applied to the Chilean government for permission to capture and transport several animals to the US. At this point, chinchillas were already close to extinction from humans killing them for their soft pelts. The Chilean government was reluctant to grant trapping permission, but Chapman persisted, and eventually the government allowed him to catch them.

Chapman and a group of men searched the mountain for three years and caught only eleven chinchillas. He then took the 12,000 foot climb down over a period of twelve months so the chinchillas could acclimate to the changing environment. He then brought the eleven wild chinchillas he had captured to the United States for breeding, where he started the first chinchilla farm. Only three of these chinchillas were female. This was the beginning of the domestic chinchilla. Since the mid-1960s, chinchillas have become increasingly popular as house pets.

Native environment
In their native habitat, chinchillas live in burrows or crevices in rocks. They are agile jumpers and can jump very high. Predators in the wild include hawks, skunks, felines, and canines. In the wild chinchillas have been observed eating plants, fruits, seeds, and small insects, though this diet would be dangerous for a domestic chinchilla whose diet has adapted to be primarily hay-based.

In nature, chinchillas live in colonies. Chinchilla females are significantly bigger than males. Chinchillas can breed any time of the year. At 111 days, they have a very long gestation period compared to other rodents. Due to this long pregnancy, chinchillas are born fully furred and with eyes open. Litters are usually small in number.

Fur industry
The international trade in chinchilla fur goes back to the 16th century. The fur from chinchillas is popular in the fur trade due to its extremely soft feel. The color is usually very even which makes it ideal for small garments or lining of large garments, though some large garments can be made entirely from the fur. Though wild chinchillas are no longer hunted for their fur, domestic chinchillas are still bred for this use. Some controversy surrounding the chinchilla fur trade was stirred up when the animal rights organization, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), uploaded a video on their website which shows chinchillas on a fur farm living in bad conditions and not being euthanized humanely.

Chinchilla species
There are two species of chinchilla, Chinchilla brevicaudata and Chinchilla lanigera. There is little noticeable difference between the species except that the Chinchilla brevicaudata has a shorter tail, a thicker neck and shoulders, and longer ears. This species is currently facing extinction. The Chinchilla lanigera species, though rare, can be found in the wild. Domestic chinchillas are thought to come from the lanigera species.

Chinchillas as pets
Domestic chinchillas can be kept as pets, but they are naturally skittish and are not considered to be good pets for small children as they have delicate bones and generally do not like to be held. Chinchillas live, on average, 15 years, but some have been known to live up to 20 or more. Chinchillas make many noises, including barks, chirps, and squeaks. They have a different noise for every situation, from a calm, loving chirp given to a potential mate to a loud, aggressive bark when spooked. They can be housed with other chinchillas of the same sex as long as they don't fight.

They need a large cage with many shelves to leap on. Toys can be added including hanging wooden toys, a large wheel (not made of mesh so their legs and toes don't get caught), or paper towel tubes. Wooden sticks and chew toys are also good options. As with most small animals, red cedar bedding should never be used due to its toxic nature. The cage must have good air circulation. The chinchilla can not sweat, therefore, if temperatures go above 25°C (75°F), the chinchilla could get overheated and may suffer from heat stroke.

Chinchillas can be found in a variety of colors including the standard grey, beige, ebony, and many others. They instinctively clean their fur by taking dust baths several times a week, in which they roll around in a container full of special chinchilla dust made of sand or fine pumice. Chinchillas have no guard hairs so it is important a chinchilla never get wet because their fur retains the moisture and can grow fungus if not dried quickly with a blow dryer on a low, cool setting.

Chinchillas have very sensitive digestive systems and cannot efficiently process fatty and sweet foods. A high quality, hay-based pellet and a constant supply of loose hay will sufficiently meet all of their dietary needs. A very occasional treat of a raisin or small piece of dried papaya are fine, but cannot be overdone. Fresh vegetables should be avoided as these can cause bloat in a chinchilla, which can be fatal. Nuts should be avoided due to their high fat content. A water bottle with fresh water should always be available.