Copyright © www.cheekychinchillas.com
This   
site   
endeavours   
to   
provide   
information   
on   
caring   
for   
pet   
chinchillas   
with   
pages   
on   
feeding
chinchillas,  
their  
general  
care,  
equipment,  
cages  
and  
health  
problems.  
The  
general  
care  
and  
feeding  
of
your pet chinchilla is very important.
The  
health  
page  
covers  
the  
more  
common  
problems  
and  
there  
is  
some  
helpful  
information  
on  
hand
feeding if your chinchilla is sick.
Keeping and looking after a chinchilla is a long term commitment.
There  
are  
also  
photographs  
and  
videos  
of  
chinchillas,  
along  
with  
a  
page  
on  
the  
different  
sounds  
and
noises that a chinchilla can make.
I have also included details and photos of the more common colours of chinchillas.
This  
site  
is  
for  
owners  
of  
pet  
chinchillas  
and  
not  
a  
breeder's  
site.  
However,  
I  
have  
included  
some  
basic
information on breeding with photographs of kits.
Along  
with  
information  
about  
the  
general  
care,  
health  
and  
feeding  
of  
your  
pet  
chinchilla,  
there  
are
Pictures, Videos and a page of humour, which I hope you will find amusing.
There is always a competition running, so why not enter and try to win one of the chinchilla prizes.
Send a picture of your own chinchilla or pet to display on the site
The Cheeky Chinchillas Challenge has  previously helped to raise funds for Chinchilla Rescue.
For  
those  
of  
you  
who  
are  
not  
familiar  
with  
chinchillas,  
they  
are  
members  
of  
the  
rodent  
family  
and
originate  
from  
the  
rocky  
mountain  
range  
of  
the  
Andes  
in  
South  
America.  
Discovered  
by  
Spanish
explorers  
in  
the  
1500's,  
they  
were  
named  
after  
the  
Chincha  
Indians,  
who  
through  
necessity  
to  
keep
themselves warm and have food to eat, used them as a source of food and made clothing with their fur. 
Later  
introduced  
to  
Europe,  
their  
soft  
luxurious  
fur  
became  
very  
popular  
and  
was  
sought  
after  
so  
much,
it nearly caused their extinction, as literally millions of chinchillas were killed for their pelts.
It is very distressing to know that it takes well over a 100 chinchillas just to make one coat!
Today,  
hunting  
the  
wild  
chinchilla  
is  
banned  
and  
they  
are  
protected  
by  
the  
Convention  
on  
International
Trade of Endangered Animals.
Mr  
M.F.  
Chapman,  
is  
responsible  
for  
the  
domestication  
of  
the  
chinchilla.  
He  
worked  
as  
a  
a  
mining
engineer  
in  
Chile.  
In  
1923,  
after  
finally  
getting  
permission  
from  
the  
Chilean  
Government,  
he  
transported
11  
chinchillas  
to  
California.  
They  
bred  
successfully  
and  
were  
originally  
sold  
to  
fur  
ranches  
and  
then
later  
sold  
as  
pets.  
It  
is  
more  
than  
likely  
that  
most  
of  
our  
pet  
chinchillas  
today  
are  
descended  
from  
Mr
Chapman's original eleven.
This site is dedicated to
Whisper
the Chinchilla                                        
Always in my heart
I hope you will enjoy your visit and call again soon.
Chinchillas as Pets - Cheeky Chinchillas
© Copyright Cheeky Chinchillas 2000 - 2024
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The content of this site is based upon the experiences of enthusiastic pet owners. The Webmaster cannot be held
responsible for any of the information on the site or for the consequences of any actions taken by anybody relying
upon this information or opinions given

Cheeky Chinchillas

For Owners of pet Chinchillas