Black Chinchillas - Facts About Their Colors And What Sets Them Apart From Other Chinchilla Types
Talk to enough chinchilla owners and you'll eventually discover that black chinchillas are a proverbial favorite of many of them.
Why? One look at them and you'll discover the answer.
These animals are deep black and have black ears.
Even their eyes are dark and beautifully colored.
It's no wonder these chinchilla types are among the most cherished with owners.
These are native to the harsh and dried-out parts of the Andes Mountains in Chile.
Chinchillas, for the most part, live in heights of 700 and 1100 meters in communities they've developed in the rocky crevices of these mountains.
These chinchillas, when they can be found in their native land, spend much of their time trying to find food, especially in the dawn and in the evening.
Their favorite foods include fruits, herbs, seeds, moss and a variety of wild grains.
Now you may think that all black chinchillas look the same.
But that just doesn't happen to be the case.
Let's look briefly at the Ebony variety.
While this little animal is indeed black, his colors can also range from grey to a solid black.
For the most part, their bellies are grey, but you'll discover some with black underneaths that are perfect matches to their black fur.
Another variety is known as black velvet.
This chinchilla is black on top and his fur turns a lighter color as it wraps around his sides.
They have white bellies and overall the hue of their fur is a blue.
Caring For Black Chinchillas What do these beautiful animals eat? Their diet consists of many things.
They especially like raisins, dates and nuts -- any type of nuts.
And of course, they like the standard chinchilla pellets as well.
When designing your own chinchilla diet, you'll want to ensure your friend gets 25 percent of his diet from protein, as well as hay and alfalfa.
You'll also want to ensure your pet gets an adequate amount of vitamins A, E and D.
You'll want to keep his beautiful fur healthy and shiny! The history of the black chinchillas is pretty remarkable.
They were first discovered by Westerners in the sixteenth century by Spanish explorers.
Right away these westerners saw the innate value in the fur of these beautiful animals.
They noticed that the native population were already using the fur of the black chinchillas for warmth.
So the Europeans began to trap them and take them to Madrid, where the pelts became popular as coats.
In fact, the pelts became too popular, and at one point it looked as if the animal might end up extinct.
If you could imagine how small these animals are, you wouldn't be surprised.
It takes more than 100 pelts to create just one medium-sized chinchilla coat.
Some Westerners then tried to domesticate them.
However, there were far too many factors involved in the process and it inevitably failed.
However, one individual did eventually transport them from South America to California, creating the first chinchilla farm.
And that made a remarkable difference in the health of the population.
No matter what types of black chinchillas you own or just admire, you're sure to appreciate and love them once you get to know them.
How could you not?
Why? One look at them and you'll discover the answer.
These animals are deep black and have black ears.
Even their eyes are dark and beautifully colored.
It's no wonder these chinchilla types are among the most cherished with owners.
These are native to the harsh and dried-out parts of the Andes Mountains in Chile.
Chinchillas, for the most part, live in heights of 700 and 1100 meters in communities they've developed in the rocky crevices of these mountains.
These chinchillas, when they can be found in their native land, spend much of their time trying to find food, especially in the dawn and in the evening.
Their favorite foods include fruits, herbs, seeds, moss and a variety of wild grains.
Now you may think that all black chinchillas look the same.
But that just doesn't happen to be the case.
Let's look briefly at the Ebony variety.
While this little animal is indeed black, his colors can also range from grey to a solid black.
For the most part, their bellies are grey, but you'll discover some with black underneaths that are perfect matches to their black fur.
Another variety is known as black velvet.
This chinchilla is black on top and his fur turns a lighter color as it wraps around his sides.
They have white bellies and overall the hue of their fur is a blue.
Caring For Black Chinchillas What do these beautiful animals eat? Their diet consists of many things.
They especially like raisins, dates and nuts -- any type of nuts.
And of course, they like the standard chinchilla pellets as well.
When designing your own chinchilla diet, you'll want to ensure your friend gets 25 percent of his diet from protein, as well as hay and alfalfa.
You'll also want to ensure your pet gets an adequate amount of vitamins A, E and D.
You'll want to keep his beautiful fur healthy and shiny! The history of the black chinchillas is pretty remarkable.
They were first discovered by Westerners in the sixteenth century by Spanish explorers.
Right away these westerners saw the innate value in the fur of these beautiful animals.
They noticed that the native population were already using the fur of the black chinchillas for warmth.
So the Europeans began to trap them and take them to Madrid, where the pelts became popular as coats.
In fact, the pelts became too popular, and at one point it looked as if the animal might end up extinct.
If you could imagine how small these animals are, you wouldn't be surprised.
It takes more than 100 pelts to create just one medium-sized chinchilla coat.
Some Westerners then tried to domesticate them.
However, there were far too many factors involved in the process and it inevitably failed.
However, one individual did eventually transport them from South America to California, creating the first chinchilla farm.
And that made a remarkable difference in the health of the population.
No matter what types of black chinchillas you own or just admire, you're sure to appreciate and love them once you get to know them.
How could you not?
