Chinchilla Facts

Terminology:
Male: Buck
Female: Doe
Offspring: Kits

Average adult size : Ten inches long (excluding tail).

Average life span : Varies, but ages of 20-22 years have been documented (for a pet).

Adult Body weight: 450g-900g.

Body temperature: 100.5-102.2°F (38-39°C).

Heart rate: 100-200 beats per minute.

Respiratory rate: 40-80 breaths per minute.

Faeces: slender, brown pellets 2-3 mm diameter, 5-12 mm long.

Dental: Teeth are open-rooted and grow continuously throughout life.

Incisors: yellow, grow 5.5-6.5 cm (2.5-3") annually.

Dental formula: 2 (I 1/1 C 0/0 PM 1/1 M 3/3).

Oestrus cycle: 30-50 days, seasonally polyoestrous (Nov to May); postpartum oestrus fertile; spontaneous ovulation.

Reproductive life span:
Sexual maturity can be from 4 months and on rare occasions earlier, so kits must be separated by sex by the age of 10-12 weeks. Adulthood is reached from 7 to 9 months old but a chinchilla is not fully grown until 2 years old. Chinchillas can reproduce from the age of sexual maturity until death.

Gestation Period: 111 days (may be +/- by 4 days).

Average litter size:
One or two kits per litter is usual, but chinchillas can have litters of 3 or 4. Cases of 6 and 8 kits have been documents, but the don't usually all survive if there is a big litter.

Weaning:
Approximately 6-7 weeks of age, although kits should remain with their mother until approximately 8 weeks of age.

Birth weight: 40-60 g is normal.

Newborns: Eyes open, fully furred and fully mobile.

D.G.W.