| Before you think about becoming a chinchilla owner | | | | but these animals are very agile jumpers. In some |
| you should carry out some research into this | | | | cases they have the ability to jump up to 5 ft above |
| wonderful creature first. With a quick search online | | | | their own heads. |
| you will find numerous chinchilla facts available that | | | | Fact 5 - As chinchillas do not shed material (dander) |
| can not only tell you about the creature but also how | | | | from their bodies they are quite susceptible like |
| to care for them. | | | | humans to suffer from allergies. This is another |
| Below we take a look at just some of the more | | | | reason for ensuring that they are regularly bathed to |
| interesting facts regarding this beautiful but quite | | | | help prevent germs or other infections from |
| strange looking animal. | | | | remaining on their body and which can lead to health |
| Fact 1 - The fur that chinchillas have is considered to | | | | problems for your pet. |
| be one of the softest on all creatures to be found | | | | Fact 6 - You will be surprised to find that the cost of |
| one earth today. Their hair is in fact 30 times softer | | | | keeping a chinchilla is often less compared to some |
| than the hair that grows on us including that of | | | | other pets as they don't get sick quite as often. But |
| babies and young children. | | | | you will need to still keep an eye on them so that |
| Fact 2 - In order to keep their dense fur in tip top | | | | you can react to certain health problems that they |
| condition they should be allowed to regularly bathe | | | | do suffer from during the early stages. If you are at |
| either in volcanic ash or dust. This is the only way | | | | all concerned about the health of your chinchilla then |
| that excess moisture, oil and dirt can be removed | | | | seek assistance from your vet as soon as possible. |
| from it. | | | | Fact 7 - As a result of having such thick dense fur |
| Fact 3 - The density of the chinchilla fur is the | | | | when kept in a home there is a much higher risk of a |
| highest of all land creatures in the world and per | | | | chinchilla suffering from heat stroke. One of the most |
| square cm of their body you will find 20,000 hairs. | | | | important chinchilla facts to remember is that these |
| Because their fur is so dense there is no possibility of | | | | animals live in the Andes Mountains where |
| any skin parasite such as fleas being able to survive | | | | temperatures can be very cold and it is their fur |
| on them. In fact if they do get on to the fur the | | | | which helps to retain the heat of their body. So it is |
| density of it is such that they will eventually | | | | important that when keeping chinchillas at home you |
| suffocate and die. When it comes to chinchilla from | | | | make sure that the temperature of the room in |
| each follicle on their skin 50 hairs grow from them | | | | which they are kept is never allowed to go above 30 |
| whilst with us (humans) it is one hair to one follicle. | | | | degrees centigrade. |
| Fact 4 - They may not look like they have the ability | | | | |