Talk:Chinchilla
An anonymous user just changed the lifespan of chinchillas from 15 to 25 years. Now, a long lifespan is always good, but isn't 25 years a bit too optimistic? Can anyone point to a source that will validate either the 15 or 25 number? Nyh 06:52, 8 Sep 2004 (UTC)
Jumping height
Jumping height?
It is listed as one foot, but anyone who has had a chin knows this is quite short compared to the actual jumping ability of chinchillas. I've personally seen chins jump slightly in excess of three feet.
Spraying?
Do/can some Chins really spray urine up to six feet?
- Females can spray according to a book i have.. although it doesn't indicate distance. -max rspct 13:50, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
Fur density
"In fact, they have the highest fur density of any animal on earth with more than 20,000 hairs per square cm." This contradicts the entry for Otter, as well as the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which give the hair density of the sea otter as one million per square inch, or 155,000 per square centimeter.
Softness?
How exactly can one animal be "thirty times softer" than another? Is there an internationally-recognized softness scale? Is the unit the snuggle? ^^'
Lifespan of Chinchillas
Although I did not put in the information about chinchilla lifespan, the following reference material may be of help to those who wish some reference material as to the potential lifespan of chinchillas. I understand that a rare few have even lived to more than 30 years.
Look under the section "Health." The individuals responsible for the site, Betti Cogswell, RN, Lani Ritchey, and Roxane Beeman, have privately published a booklet called "The Joy of Chinchillas" that I think is in its 6th edition now. I merely mention it because it was cited in the veterinary book by Elizabeth V. Hillyer, DVM, and Katherine E. Quesenberry, DVM, in their first edition (1977) of "Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery" (by W. B. Saunders Company). (The Hillyer & Quesenberry book has since been updated, but I cannot keep up with every edition that is published when I am not a veterinarian.) Betti, Lani, and Roxane have worked with chinchillas for a long, long time, from show chinchillas to rescues. They have been researching the health needs of just chinchillas.
As a result of their research and the increasing knowledge in general about chinchillas, the life span has been revised. It is necessary for an individual contemplating a chinchilla as a companion to know that the commitment may be for a long time.
Spraying Urine
Chinchillas do spray urine as a defense mechanism, but they do not have very big bladders. I have never seen a chinchilla capable of spraying farther than about one and one-half feet, and by then it is just a few droplets. Between zero and one foot, they can be exceedingly accurate if they are smart. If they are not so smart, they might hide behind something and the spray backfires.
I have had eight pet chinchillas, four males and four females. So far, only six of them, that I know of, have attempted to spray. Three of the four females (knock on wood) sprayed with great accuracy. Three of the four males sprayed and either nothing came out, or only a dribble came out, or they sprayed themselves by accident. The fourth male was given to a friend after he was weaned, so I do not know whether he ever sprayed. Spraying occurred very infrequently when the chinchillas grew past two or three years. One male would squat and urinate on the rug in my line of site whenever he was angry with me.
I do not know why spraying urine is a defense mechanism. It never prevented anything from happening for which I was sprayed (the urine is not very strong in smell). In dominance "fights" it never fazed either combatant, and my using a spray water bottle never made any difference in my chinchillas' behavior. Whenever I tell my friends about my chinchillas spraying urine as a defense, they roll on the floor laughing.
physical characteristics?
Shouldn't there be information such as how big they can get, how much they can weigh, etc.?
I was under the impression these things were the size of mice, maybe rats, then I GISed them and saw some photos that made them look much larger.
Not to mention I can't imagine something jumping five feet vertically if it isn't fairly large. Sdr 10:19, 20 Jun 2005 (UTC)
In my experience chinchillas tend to be about 500 g. I've never taken the time to measure one. Raw numbers are pretty meaningless, anyway. Perhaps someone could take a picture of a chinchilla next to a soda can? StradivariusTV 05:00, 23 Jun 2005 (UTC)
Image
Someone changed the image on this article. Putting a link to the old image here to preserve it. Template:Taxobox image
- thanks whoever put the new image up. my poor Cho-Cho just died bo-hoooo! this new pic looks just like him! in sadness --max rspct 16:32, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
