Gray standard (Standart)
The gray chinchilla is one of the most common species. This is explained by the fact that this color is natural. The Incas began breeding rodents of exactly this color many centuries ago. They called them "chincha", which means "bug". All other colors were developed artificially much later.
Their belly is white, and the rest of the fur is grayish, with a smooth transition from light to darker. There are:
- Light.
- Average.
- Dark standard.
The gene responsible for this coloration is called agoti. It is thanks to him that the smooth play of fur is created. It ensures the presence of pigment granules in certain areas, so each hair has a black or bluish lower part, a snow-white middle part, and a black tip.
Gray individuals are larger and stronger than others and reach maturity early. This color is a simple dominant one; crossing gray individuals with any others is allowed.
Color options
In the wild, animals have many enemies. An inconspicuous and dim grayish fur coat is one of the shields. Rodents are less noticeable against the background of rocks.
Since people became interested in animals, white, black and beige breeds have been brought into the world. The result of many years of breeding research is rare colors. Today it is difficult to imagine that nature originally endowed this fluffy with only one color.
The entire palette of fur coats can be divided into the following groups:
- gray or agouti, which are considered standard;
- white with varying saturation or an admixture of pink, beige;
- brown or pastel, available in all colors, including chocolate;
- black with varying degrees of saturation;
- original fur coats in purple, sapphire and pink colors.
Animal colors are:
- Dominant, which are visible from birth.
- Recessive, when the rodent is only a carrier of the gene that is responsible for a certain fur color.
For breeding work, it is important to know what recessive color a rodent has.
Standard gray
Gray chinchillas exist in nature and in captivity.
There is a division by shade and depth:
- light;
- average;
- dark;
- moderately dark;
- extra dark.
This is the native color of wild chinchillas and their ancestors. Darker color on the back. The sides are light, the belly is snow-white. Color distribution on the hair: from gray-blue at the base to black at the crown.
What distinguishes individuals with gray colors is their health. They begin to bear offspring early. You can cross with any subspecies. The fur is pleasant and soft to the touch.
Light
A light gray fur coat with a silver tint looks very impressive. In such animals you can see a light shirt-front, abdomen, and paws.
Average
It is considered the typical and most common color. The body is a uniform gray color, lighter on the belly, chest and paws.
Dark
Gray fur with a blue tint and lighter coloring on the belly and chest makes rodents stand out from the general gray mass.
Moderately dark
Such animals have a dark gray coat that turns into spectacular ash on the paws, face and sides. Their belly is bluish-white.
Extra dark
Many fans have charcoal-gray chinchillas with light sides and chest. Their bellies are light beige.
Breeds with white fur
White chinchillas look elegant and representative. They have their own nuances.
White Wilson
Rodents, which are called white Wilson, are “dressed” in a white coat with possible admixtures of grayish or beige colors:
- Silver mosaic. The animal has a white fur coat with a silvery tint and dark fur on the head and base of the tail.
- Light mosaic. Rodents have light gray spots on a pure white coat. The scruff and ears are dark gray.
White chinchillas are not uncommon in nurseries. Breeders are willing to raise it, the color is in demand
Albino
Animals are not identified as a separate breed. An albino is an animal that lacks color pigment at the genetic level. Has milky fur and red eyes.
White Lova
A representative of an interesting variety of chinchillas is the White Lova. He has a white coat with a cream tint. Beautiful eyes the color of dark ruby.
White velvet
Rodents are carriers of a pleasant light velvet coat, which can be beige or silver. It is distinguished by expressive gray spots on the front legs and head.
White-pink
The milky coat of the rodent, which has black eyes and pinkish ears, produces a stunning effect. An individual with a pink back looks even more interesting.
Violet
Violet is a very beautiful rodent, the species carries a white gene and two purple ones. Often confused with Wilson White, but the main difference is in the coloring of the spots; Wilson’s are gray.
In normal light, the fur coat of these individuals has a purple tint, which imparts a special charm due to its sparkle. Under artificial light it becomes steel gray. The belly, like the standards, is snow-white. There are White and Gray Violet. The first may have various purple spots on the fur, their shade most noticeable at the tip of the tail.
The quality of the coloring is characterized by an even, bright rosette, which is ensured by the color of the base of the hairs in a gray-violet color, the light middle part and the tip from light purple to bright purple. The color intensity of an adult animal’s coat can be determined at birth, and the final color appears by the seventh or eighth month.
When choosing a pair for your purple pet, consider the following recommendations:
- to get a beautiful pet, choose light standards;
- the purple gene is passed on in both the first and second generations;
- due to the recessivity of violet, when crossed with non-violet, the offspring will only be a carrier.
Animals with purple fur reach maturity late. But despite the ability to reproduce only after 14-18 months, such animals are very popular.
Pink White
White-pink is a very beautiful color that carries three genes:
- White.
- Beige.
- Standard.
And it is the first gene that is responsible for the manifestation of mosaic pattern: gray-brown spots on the surface of the fur. Sometimes there are beige individuals with whitish spots or stripes. The ears of white-pink individuals are pinkish, sometimes there are freckles, and the eyes are bright or dark red.
Due to the presence of a lethal gene, such animals cannot be paired. With the exception of this feature, otherwise such individuals will be excellent partners for rodents with other coat colors.
Rare breeds
The most expensive chinchillas have a rare and amazing color. Breeders have developed interesting breeds of animals that cause genuine delight.
Violet
The fabulous light lilac fur of the body contrasts with the white belly. There is a purple impurity on the nose and ears.
The lavender color is passed on through the first and second generations. Rodents become sexually mature late. The ability to produce offspring occurs by one and a half years.
Sapphire
Bluish-gray or light blue fur with a graphite veil in combination with a white belly and pink ears looks simply amazing. The eyes are shiny black. Sapphires are one of the most expensive and sought after chinchillas.
Color appears by 7–8 months. It is better to purchase younger rodents with a declared sapphire color in specialized nurseries.
Blue Diamond
Pedigree chinchillas with light blue fur, a metallic tint and a dark pattern on the ridge and head are more valuable than sapphire ones.
White and pink diamond
Animals with a pearl coat and a shade of rose are considered rare. Ears are harmonious pink.
Animals have a lethal gene, so they cannot be paired together. They will make an excellent pair with rodents of other coat colors.
Homo beige and Tower beige
Both homobeige and heterobeige are mutations of beige animals, the photo clearly demonstrates the difference between these rodents. Their common property is heterozygosity and dominance of the allele. The eyes of these animals are bright red or pink, and their light pink ears have beige or dark freckles.
The heterobeige chinchilla, the photo of which was posted first, has a coat of cream, beige, light or dark chocolate, and the animal’s belly is snow-white. The undercoat is grayish with a blue tint, with variations from light to dark, so in artificial light the coat may appear beige or bluish. It is noteworthy that yellowness degrades the quality of the breed. A feature of heterobeige rodents is the obligatory color boundary between the tummy and the rest of the body.
Homobeige individuals have light beige or cream fur and a whitish undercoat. The fur does not have shade zoning, it is evenly colored, and occasionally there may be hairs with slightly darker tips.
There are no restrictions on pairing beige chinchillas with others.
Black Velvet
The black chinchilla, the photo of which you see above, is a very beautiful and unusual animal. The species was developed in the early 1960s, as was the Wilson White. The darker the fur of the animal, the higher the quality of the breed. A distinctive feature of the fur coat is light stripes on the paws, a charcoal mask on the “face”, darkened by fur on the head. The completeness of the coloring appears as they grow older. Unfortunately, the velvet gene is lethal, so such animals cannot be crossed with each other. What is noteworthy is that the size of the muzzle and ears of such rodents is directly related to the length of the tail. And velvet is not just the color of a fur coat, but the structure of the wool itself.
Black velvet carries two genes:
- standard;
- black velvet.
That is, when crossing them with standard agoutis, with a 50/50 probability, both gray and black puppies can be born.
Lifestyle
The biology of chinchillas in natural habitats has been little studied; basic data on behavior, reproduction, and physiology are obtained in artificial conditions. Most of the data relates to long-tailed chinchillas due to their mass breeding in captivity.
A highly developed cerebellum provides good coordination of movements necessary for safe movement on rocks.
Chinchillas are herbivores. Their diet is based on various herbaceous plants, mainly cereals, as well as seeds, mosses, lichens, shrubs, tree bark, and small insects. In captivity, they eat only dried foods (such as dried apples, carrots, hay, nettles and dandelion roots), granules as the main food.
Chinchillas make very interesting sounds: when they don’t like something, they make a sound similar to a quack or chirp. If you make them very angry, they begin to make sounds similar to growling or blowing their nose, and sometimes click their teeth very quickly. If they get hit hard or get very scared, they can squeak very loudly. But chinchillas are not defenseless - when threatened, they can attack: they stand high on their hind legs, begin to “growl”, release a stream of urine, and then cling with their teeth.
Other colors
In addition to the above, there are other colors of chinchillas, photos of which you can see below. They are recessive, so such individuals are rare and highly prized. These include:
- sapphire;
- albino;
- foggy;
- charcoal.
The fur of those with the Sapphire color is gray, but has a pronounced blue tint, and the animal’s belly is white. The peculiarity of such animals is that their coats remain colored throughout their lives; they do not darken with age.
Albinos lack any pigment, so their fur is snow-white, without mosaic spots or transitions, and their eyes are red.
Rodents with a foggy (hazy) color have a gray coat on which a blurred pattern can be distinguished; it can be a tone lighter or darker than the main one. The animal's eyes are dark.
Choice when purchasing
Choosing the right animal at the time of purchase is the key to success in the future.
Did you know? Despite their fatness, furry rodents can fit into very narrow crevices due to the ability of their skeletons to compress vertically.
The main criteria that you should first pay attention to include:
- appearance of the animal - a healthy chinchilla should have a clean nose and eyes without any discharge, yellow, even and clean teeth, ears without ulcers or wounds, thick, shiny, even, clean fur, a tail pointing upward, without remains of feces, the body is elastic;
- rodent behavior - despite the fact that chinchillas can be different in behavior (active, calm), normally the animal should look well-fed, not lethargic, without signs of disease;
- It is recommended to buy an animal from trusted sellers-breeders (not preferably at the market or in a pet store), who provide its pedigree, know everything about their pet (what it eats, when and how much, what vaccinations have been given, its character, preferences, etc.) , professionally and specifically tell you how to further care for him, leave your contact information if necessary;
- It is not advisable to purchase a rodent based on advertisements from the Internet or other information sources; you need to see it with your own eyes in order to buy a healthy animal;
- It is not recommended to buy animals at reduced prices, because their cost ranges from 6 thousand rubles and more;
- animals weighing up to 200 g may not survive in new habitats.
Crossing chinchillas
The variety of chinchilla colors provides ample opportunities for breeders. This process is very exciting, because there is always the possibility of manifestation of one of the recessive genes carried by animals.
The only restriction is the ban on combining two lethal genes - white and black. This leads to the death of babies soon after birth. The female may also die without being resolved.
Usually, when selling animals, breeders provide a rodent passport, which indicates which genes the animal is a carrier of. Using the color calculator, you can calculate what kind of offspring your pets will have.
