There is a generally accepted opinion that the only chinchilla color is gray. However, this is far from the case. For decades, breeders have been trying to develop fluffies with interesting colors. This article contains useful information about what colors of chinchillas can be found in nurseries.

Varieties of chinchillas

These animals come in two types, which differ in the size of the body and the size of the tail:

• Large short-tailed chinchillas (Peruvian) are native to Bolivia and some areas of the Argentine Andes. The fur of this chinchilla breed is so valuable that you will no longer see them in the wild. Today, such animals are raised only on farms. The short-tailed chinchilla has a strong body of 40 cm, weight 800 g. The tail is short with hard hair.
• Common, long-tailed (shore) chinchillas are still found in the Chilean Andes. They have a small body and an elongated tail covered with fur. Weight does not exceed 700 g.

Both chinchilla breeds are endowed with a gray color. Through selection of the Lesser Longtail, over 40 different colors of magnificent fur coats have appeared.

Angora chinchilla

The Royal Angora Chinchilla is a subspecies of the long-tailed chinchilla. Interestingly, it was not specifically bred. It was nature itself that gave us an animal with such a beautiful long coat.

The first rodents with this mutation were noticed in the 60s of the last century. However, the standard was described in 2001. Breeding the subspecies is extremely difficult. A pair of Angoras is likely to give birth to ordinary babies with short hair. Therefore, breeding such rodents requires high professionalism when selecting pairs.

Angora has a long silky coat, which is decorated with a luxurious tail. Another distinctive feature is the long fur on the head and paws. The muzzle is flattened, so these chinchillas have another “folk” name - Persian. The rarest individuals have the colors of black velvet, blue diamond, and violet.

Angora chinchilla is the most expensive. The cost of one copy can be several thousand dollars. The fur is so valuable that the high cost of the animal has been maintained for several decades.

Dwarf chinchillas

A natural genetic mutation caused the birth of mini chinchillas with a small body, short legs and a bushy tail. Weight does not exceed 300 g.

The dwarf chinchilla produces cubs of the same size as those of normal females. The miniature mother has a hard time giving birth. Often newborns do not survive. During pregnancy, the female is under the supervision of specialists. The colors of these cute fluffies can be varied.

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 excellent “wild” 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 observe a light shirtfront, 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.

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.

Animals with beige color

Beige chinchilla (pastel) may have variations in shades. The older the animal, the darker its coat will be. It can be red, beige, brown. Animals are allowed to crossbreed.

Beige homozygous

Homobeige rodents with uniformly colored light beige fur have pink ears. The fur has no shading zoning; single hairs with dark “tops” are acceptable.

Heterobeige

Heterobeige, on the contrary, has uneven color. The entire fur is beige, and the undercoat and ends of the hairs are dark brown.

A heterobeige chinchilla with yellowness indicates a deterioration in breed qualities.

When choosing an animal, you must definitely consider the color line between the belly and the rest of the body.

Beige Tower

An animal with a coat color ranging from light to dark beige in combination with a brown ornament on the back looks intriguing.

Wellman's beige

A gentle little animal with light beige fur, delicate light ears and, as a contrast, black beady eyes.

Sullivan's Beige

The rodents that bear such a beautiful name have a rich beige coat and red eyes.

Brown velvet

These types of chinchillas have beige fur as a base, and their back and head are chocolate. The abdomen is sand-colored, sometimes almost white.

Ebony breed

The main difference between this chinchilla breed is not the color, but the quality of the fur. It shines extraordinarily and shimmers in the light. The color palette can be varied.

Homoebony

Black ebony is a rare type of color. The animals have a coal-black coat and black eyes. The second name for animals is charcoal.

Heteroebony

The shiny dark coat of heteroebony rodents combines two palettes: black and gray. Both options are great and eye-catching at exhibitions.

There are chinchillas with a shining snow-white coat, which is given a special charm by black coating at the ends of the hairs. The paws, head and beginning of the tail can be gray or beige.

Breeds of chinchillas with dark fur coats

Among the homoebony with rich black fur, the “black velvet” breed is distinguished.

Black velvet

The contrast of black and white is always mesmerizing. Fluffies with black fur on the body and tail combined with a light belly look amazing. The clearer the border of contrasts, the more valued the breed is.

The variety was bred in the 60s of the last century. It is believed that dark fur indicates the high quality of the breed. Black Velvet is distinguished by its markings: light stripes on its paws, charcoal mask, darkened fur on its head. The older the animal, the more clearly the breed characteristics are expressed. Breeders warn: the gene is lethal. Crossbreeding of “velvet” animals is prohibited. This will end badly for the mother and cubs.

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.

Crossing chinchillas

The variety of colors is a boon for skilled breeders. The process of crossing is very exciting, since there is always the possibility of the manifestation of a recessive gene of one of the parents in the offspring.

There is a serious limitation when making a pair. You cannot combine two lethal genes: white and black. This will lead to the death of newborns. The female may also die during the period of bearing babies.

To successfully crossbreed rodents, breeders are issued animal passports. The document officially states which genes the pet is a carrier of. The possible color of the cubs is calculated using a color calculator.

Results

These fluffies can become the object of a profitable business. A description of the chinchilla breed with a photo and name will help in choosing the animals. When breeding these rodents, you need to take into account that gray and beige rodents are easier to breed, but they are more common. They cost less. Sapphire and violet are rare colors, more expensive, but much more difficult to breed. The breeder will need to study many nuances and strictly adhere to them. Therefore, to maintain the financial well-being of the farm, you need to take into account a reasonable balance between breeding different species of this beautiful and amazing animal.

Work on breeding new species continues. Scientists from different countries are studying this issue. The animal is of great interest as a pet and for industrial purposes.

Keeping chinchillas at home is viewed favorably. They become attached to the owner tenderly and for a long time. Of great interest is keeping animals in pairs, when you can observe love and friendship that can be envied.

Two people are vying for the role of the person who gave his surname to the newly bred chinchilla breed.

According to some information, the rodent is named after the breeder Mrs. Wilson, on whose Californian ranch this furry miracle appeared.

Another version claims that the name came from the namesake of the mentioned Mrs. - a certain Blythe Wilson from North Carolina, who bred a white chinchilla in 1955.

The parents of the newborn fluffy were standard gray chinchillas, Therefore, the pure white baby that was born was initially perceived as an albino. But the differences were too obvious: in everything else, except for color, the chinchilla resembled the standard one with their white belly. And also - large white spots covered the back and head.

When the white beauty herself became a mother, her litter also included one baby of a similar color. Then it became clear that we could talk about a dominant mutation, which later received the name white Wilson. And it doesn’t matter at all who brought her out - Mrs. or Mister.

The coloring of white Wilson is multivariate: The fur of the animal can be snow-white, silver, or even dark. This is the result of crossing pairs of gray, standard color.

However, whatever the shade of the coat, the eyes and ears of the Wilson are often dark gray than black, like the standard, and the beginning of the tail is framed by a darker “ring”; The paws and belly are white. The peculiarity of this particular species is the snow-white end of the tail tip.

Yellowness on the white Wilson's fur is a sign of reduced breed purity and quality.

There are a great variety of colors of white fluffies. What colors are typical for the white Wilson chinchilla? The most popular:

• mosaic,
• platinum,
• predominant,
• silver,
• tricolor,
• extramosaic.

Experts note the special appearance of the mosaic chinchilla: its fur is distinguished by dark spots that have a wide variety of shapes. For some, this coloring evokes associations with the Dalmatian dog breed.

This color is hereditary, but this does not mean that your pet’s children will inherit it. The gene can manifest itself after a generation - in grandchildren.

The value of a mosaic chinchilla is determined by the clarity and symmetry of the pattern of dark spots.

The peculiarity of the platinum morph is a grayish coating over the entire surface of the fur.

The white morph with the definition of “predominant” is very impressive, although extremely rare. It is characterized by a pure snow-white coat - without any gray “smoke” or spots.

The silver one has gray tips of the fibers, and this gives the impression of a light silvery coating on the fur.

An extremely rare variant of the extra-mosaic morph is tricolor, the very name of which speaks of the tricolor color: white, gray, black spots and stripes form the original color. Of course, its uniqueness increases both the value of the individual itself and its market value.

The extramosaic nature of the morph is expressed in the presence of clear spots on the chinchilla’s coat.

How to keep white Wilsons?

Housing

Pets of this type do not require any special conditions of maintenance and care - everything is the same as for other breeds:

The cage must be high enough. We remember that the animal loves to move, mainly by jumping. Therefore, you need to equip your home with a sufficient number of shelves, ladders, and tunnels where your pet can frolic.

If you have several of them, then there should be more exercise equipment, and an individual “apartment” in the form of plywood boxes would not hurt everyone: after all, rodents are capable of conflict and quarrel.

Hygiene and climate

When it comes to bathing, this does not mean that the animal should be bathed in water. Bathing a chinchilla is a separate ritual that you can watch with great pleasure. Chinchillas “bathe” in the sand, and for this procedure, the cage must have a special container with special sand containing antibacterial additives.

When choosing sand for chinchilla bathing, you need to feel it by touch, pouring it into your palm. The sand should resemble fine, uniform dust. If you feel hard in it, touching your palm does not bring comfort, such sand is not suitable - it is dangerous for the animal’s skin.

An overseas pet needs to create a suitable microclimate, given that coolness is preferable to heat. The optimal room temperature is +18–20 degrees.

Direct sunlight on the animal is also contraindicated, as are drafts. If the summer is too hot, the solution is to install an air conditioner so that the furry child does not suffer from the heat.

It is necessary to place a salt stone in the cage to sharpen the teeth. In addition to its main function, this “sharpener” also replenishes the chinchilla’s body with microelements and minerals.

These active animals tend to scatter grains of feed and sand around them, but nevertheless the cage must be kept clean and disinfected approximately once a month.

Nutrition

At home the easiest way is to stick to herbivore food, which is sold in pet stores. This composition contains, in addition to the necessary vitamin and mineral complex, no less necessary components:

• flour - lime, fish, herbal,
• oats,
• wheat,
• salt,
• crude fat,
• barley.

Literally two tablespoons of this food is enough for a day. To the main vegetable and grain food, you can offer green food as an additive in the form of oat and wheat sprouts, young nettle greens, horse sorrel, dandelion, and plantain.

A chinchilla's menu should certainly include hay all year round. It helps move food through the intestines, preventing stagnation and fermentation.

In addition, when chewing hay, the animal evenly grinds down its teeth, which does not allow dental hooks to develop on the rear incisors. To prevent the rodent from scattering the remaining hay, it is better to give it in small portions.

• eggplants,
• grape,
• figs,
• potato,
• carrot,
• nuts,
• fruits.

These rodents also benefit from feeding in the form of leaves and branches of various deciduous trees, as well as aspen bark.

Remembering that the main health problems of chinchillas are related to the gastrointestinal tract, don't overfeed him!

Who will you get when crossed?

Of all the above morphs, only three - predominant white, mosaic and silver - have the ability to transmit to the offspring not only their type, but also any variant of white. Therefore completely It is not necessary that white chinchillas will be born from a chinchilla of the snow-white morph- they can also be mosaic. And the silver individual is capable of giving birth to pure white cubs.

White Wilson is a carrier of both the standard and white genes. Breeders believe that rodents of this species can be crossed with all others without restrictions. But “intratype” crossing (as well as closely related ones) is by no means encouraged: the number of newborn babies may decrease, and their viability will decrease.

Sometimes two white genes in combination do not allow the fetus to develop in the embryonic phase, and such a gene combination was called the “lethal gene.” Well, even a schoolchild knows what lethal is.

Combinations of white Wilson with colors such as black and brown velvet, beige and homobeige give other interesting and unexpected morphs.

An example is crossing a pair of “white Wilson” and “black velvet”. Cubs are capable of producing the following morphs: both types of parents, standard, and white velvet.

Among the descendants of white Wilson, experts call the white-pink one a particularly beautiful option, or apricot. This species is of interest to breeders as a carrier of three genes - white, beige and standard. The fur coat of such individuals can be either snow-white or with gray or chocolate-colored spots of various shapes and locations.

The apricot type should not be crossed with carriers of the white gene, as this may reduce the number of cubs in the litter. It goes well with all other colors.

It happens that chinchillas of this type, being born beige, after a couple of months are able to change color and appear pure white or golden.

If you are already familiar with this type of pet like a chinchilla, and now you have acquired a Wilson white individual, you will not experience any special conditions for keeping, feeding and caring for them. But if you plan to cross and breed this particular type, this issue should be approached thoroughly, remembering which gene can be crossed with, and with which - in no case.

Interesting video:

Chinchillas are a genus of rodents that have the most valuable and warm fur. The rodent's habitat is mainly in the Andes region, Chile. The animals were first caught for home breeding at the beginning of the 20th century. There are dominant and recessive colors of chinchillas, which are used to determine the breed of the animal.

The first record of chinchillas was made in the 16th century. The rodent got its name from one of the provinces in Peru - Chile.

Over time, the animal chose to live in the highlands of the Andes in Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. The rodent can easily live in rocks and mountain crevices due to the structural features of the skeleton. And the presence of closing eardrums allows you to wait out sandstorms without danger to life.

In 1919, M. Chapman, together with other 23 hunters, began to catch chinchillas for the purpose of domestication and breeding in captivity. There are 2 types of natural chinchillas: small long-tailed, large short-tailed. Only the small long-tailed one is considered valuable for breeding.

Over three years of hunting, 11 individuals were caught, three of which were females. In 1923, permission was received from the Peruvian government to export chinchillas to California. Since that time, professional breeding of chinchillas began on farms in plateau conditions.

The structure of a chinchilla

All anatomical features of rodents occupying natural habitats have been poorly studied. The peculiarities of the body structure and habits became known only after many years of breeding chinchillas in artificial conditions. Therefore, all signs are more relevant for small long-tailed chinchillas.

The large round head goes into a short powerful neck. The total body length is up to 38 cm, with a tail from 10 to 17 cm. There are two large eyes on the head. The length of the whiskers is up to 10 cm. The ears are 5-6 cm in size and have a membrane that can completely close the ear canal. Therefore, sandstorms do not harm chinchillas.

The entire body of the rodent is covered with coarse hair, tightly adjacent to each other. Natural chinchillas have three colors of hair: black, white, gray. It is due to the presence of several colors on one hair that it provides a different shade of the animal’s skin.

The chinchilla can easily make big jumps. There are five toes on the forelimbs and four on the hind limbs. The structure of the front legs allows the animal to quickly grasp. The hind legs are twice as long as the front legs, so the chinchilla can jump far.

There are only 20 teeth in the mouth, 16 of which belong to the chewing group. Almost all teeth grow throughout life. The animal's diet consists mainly of grasses and grain crops. Chinchillas can also eat small insects. In captivity, chinchillas eat fruits, vegetables, grass, and hay.

Types of chinchillas

The chinchilla is valuable due to its fur. The fur is very dense against the background of close proximity of hairs. There are up to 25,000 hairs per 1 cm2. Moreover, 1 bulb can support the growth of 80 hairs.

The colors of chinchillas growing in artificial conditions are divided into mutational and interspecific. The group of chinchillas obtained through artificial crossing is divided into dominant and recessive.

Table No. 1. Types of chinchillas bred in artificial conditions.

Popular dominant species

Dominant types of breeds were formed due to the transfer of a certain gene from one generation of chinchillas to another over a long time. Based on the genome, rodents are classified.

Gray standard

Gray is the natural color of chinchillas. This breed is also called agouti. The color of the skin is highly variable and ranges from black-blue to white-blue.

Coloring Features:

• back: black and blue;
• sides: dark gray;
• between the sides and belly: gray;
• belly: gray with a blue tint, turning into white;
• chest: white with gray inclusions.

The color may vary in saturation and contrast. This is due to the fact that 1 hair combines 3 colors at once: from gray to black. The length of the gaps of each color together determines the color of the fur.

The gray standard is an ideal option for obtaining new chinchilla colors. Agouti reaches sexual maturity earlier than other individuals. Gray chinchillas can be crossed with any other representatives of the species. It is through this mixing of breeds that expressive eyes, dense fur and good fertility are obtained.

The gray standard has 7 shades of skin color. During production breeding, in order to maintain a good number of chinchillas, it is recommended to keep at least 10% of the agouti breed in the tribe. The price for 1 agouti starts from 2500 rubles.

Black velvet

The difference from the agouti is that the chinchilla has a clearly defined transition from one fur color zone to another. The back, muzzle and paws are bright black. The belly is white. This transition looks like a mask, the main part of which is located in front and on the sides.

There may be a hump on the nose. There is a relationship between the structure of the muzzle and the tail. Chinchillas with small ears and eyes will have a short tail. Long-tailed chinchillas have prominent eyes and ears. Crossing two individuals of black velvet is unacceptable. Price for one chinchilla from 5500 rubles.

Homobeige

This animal is characterized by the presence of evenly colored beige fur. The coat has a pink tint without sharp transitions to other tones. The color of the inner hair is almost white.

Homobeiges have small, light-colored ears. Eyes red or pink. The rim around the eyes is white or blue-pink.

The main characteristic feature of homobeige is the uniformity of color. It is extremely rare to find inclusions of dark shades. The cost starts from 4500 rubles.

White-pink

Fur of different colors: white with a pink tint, beige, marble pattern. The transition from one shade to another can be in the form of spots and stripes. This color variability is due to the presence of 3 genes: white, beige and standard (corresponding to natural color).

Neat pink ears are often covered with freckles. The eyes are red or ruby-colored. A number of animals have marbled coloring in the form of a veil: a clear pattern due to the dark ends of the hair. The most valuable breed is considered to be the one with a mosaic color. Less common are white-pink individuals with a white tail. Price for one individual from 5500 rubles.

White Wilson

You can distinguish a white Wilson from other breeds by its dark eyes, gray ears, black ring at the beginning of the tail and white fur. If the animal has a yellow tint in its color, this indicates a decrease in the quality characteristics of the breed.

There are several color forms:

• silvery: the tips of the axial hairs are gray. Depending on the length of the gray staining, the spots may be of different shades;
• mosaic: a mosaic pattern with alternating black and gray spots;
• extra-mosaic: unlike the mosaic form, the transition boundaries are clear and contrast with each other;
• platinum: all fur visually looks like a veil with a gray tint;
• tricolor: a rarely seen form. It combines black, white and gray shades, combined into unusually shaped spots and stripes.

The more bizarre the Wilson White's color looks, the more highly valued the breed is. The price for one individual starts from 5,500 rubles.

Heterobeige

The fur on the back, sides, head and belly combines several shades that smoothly transition into each other. These are mainly brown tones: light and dark beige, brown. The belly is white. The color of the undercoat varies and can be either light beige or beige.

Eye color ranges from red to brown. Small shaped ears may be interspersed with brown.

Chinchilla furs with yellow and orange inclusions reduce the purity of the breed. To improve the breed, it is better to cross a beige female with a gray standard male. Price for one individual from 4500 rubles.

White velvet

The White Velvet breed is very similar to the Wilson White. However, there are a number of features: a light, almost white body against the background of a dark mask on the head and ears. Wide limbs with diagonal and vertical spots and stripes of black or dark gray. Rarely found is a black-colored white velvet with a white tail.

Coloring features are not always immediately apparent. Sometimes color appears only 2-3 months after birth.

White velvet has many color variations. Another characteristic feature is the presence of velvet fluff on the nose. The price for one piece of white velvet is from 8,000 rubles.

Brown velvet

Eye color can be pink, red or brown. The ears are pink and sometimes have freckles. The front legs have vertical brown stripes.

Fur with undercoat in brown shades. The color is uniform, one shade smoothly transitions into another. The belly is white. If the entire chinchilla is brown, then this greatly reduces its value as a breed. Price from 7000 rub. for one individual.

Recessive species

Recessive chinchilla species are obtained by crossing 2 individuals that do not have a dominant gene. Their color is more uniform compared to dominant ones.

Charcoal

The fur color is dark gray or with a black tint. Gray small ears and black eyes are located on a relatively small head. The fur is less dense compared to other breeds.

Belly with dark gray undercoat. The charcoal breed has been preserved thanks to hobbyists who raise rodents on their private farms. The price for one individual starts from 8,000 rubles.

Violet

Purple can have many different shades of fur, but the main one will be a skin with a purple tint on the back and sides and a white belly. The ears are small and pink.

Chinchilla fur has a chameleon effect: during the day the coat looks bright purple, at night it looks rich sulfur. Violet can have white and beige tints. White individuals may have spots of various shapes and sizes on their skin, with a purple tint. The color of such spots in the tail area is more pronounced. The price of one violet is from 5000 rubles.

Sapphire

The sapphire breed has beautiful gray fur with a bluish tint. The color of the animal does not change from birth. The skin is velvety to the touch.

Types of sapphire:

• sapphire velvet:
• blue diamond:
• sapphire ebony.

The ears and nose are sapphire pink, the eyes are black. The belly is white. Work to improve the color of sapphire is carried out regularly. Price from 4500 rub. per individual.

Albino

Chinchilla is white, without the presence of impurities. Pink skin. The eye color is red, but can have pink or brown tones. The peculiarity of the albino coloring is due to the fact that the genome does not contain a pigment that affects the color of the fur.

Purebred albino is less common and therefore its cost is high. The price for one albino starts from 8,000 rubles.

Foggy

Gray fur. In this case, one tone of gray smoothly transitions into another. Therefore, an overflow effect is created externally.

Foggy rock is also called hazy rock. The animal's eyes are often gray.

Don't agouti

The color of the fur is predominantly monochromatic. The color is uniform gray or black. The eyes are dark and may have a reddish tint. The chinchilla is similar in color to the gray standard.

Video - Chinchilla colors

Step-by-step instructions for breeding chinchillas at home

Step 1.

Determine the sex of a male by the distance between the penis and anus. It is located at a greater distance compared to females.

Step 2.

Introduce your chinchillas to each other. Move the animals into a separate cage for a few days.

Prices for cages for chinchillas

Chinchilla cage

Step 3.

Leave your chinchillas together during their mating cycle. Females reach sexual maturity at 6 months, males at 7. The sexual cycle can last up to 45 days. Mating is more effective from late November to March. The peak occurs in January-February.

Step 4.

Determine the signs of pregnancy in a female. If her belly is enlarged, her nipples are swollen, her physical activity is reduced, her diet is disrupted, then she is pregnant. The duration of pregnancy is about 4 months. Females show aggression towards males. Therefore, it is necessary to separate the female.

Step 5.

Feed the female several times a day. Food should be varied, including vitamins and minerals.

Price for food and vitamins for chinchillas

Food and vitamins for chinchillas

A female chinchilla gives birth to litters of 2 to 6 individuals at a time. She gives birth to cubs up to three times a year.

Video - Breeding chinchillas

Crossing dominant and recessive breeds on farms or private farms regularly produces new colors of chinchillas. 14 breeds and 10 species are officially registered. To make it easier to separate the colors of all chinchillas, they are classified into dark, light and gray. Breeding chinchillas yourself is not difficult. It is necessary to adhere to the rules for the care and nutrition of animals.

Today, chinchillas have firmly taken a leading position in the ranking of pets. A little earlier, people were interested in them only as a source of unusually beautiful fur. In principle, they are still studying and improving their quality characteristics. A significant improvement in the livestock is planned in the near future. This is facilitated by the fairly strong popularity of black chinchilla fur for clothing.

Among all the color variations of these exotic rodents, the black color of chinchillas is one of the most valuable and popular. In addition, carriers of this genome are often used to improve other color variations of these funny animals.

Origin of black chinchillas

The appearance of this color goes back to the mid-50s of the last century. The first black velvet chinchilla was born in 1955. It happened on a farm in the United States.

This girl was born from a pair of standard color. Her unusual appearance led to the nickname Dirty Pug. The following year, the herd with a unique girl was sold to Davenport (Washington). Their owner was farmer Gunning, who has been breeding chinchillas since the 40s. It was he who became the founder of fur production in Washington state. Gunning was also considered one of the best world judges at chinchilla shows at that time.

To the great regret of all lovers of the described animals, in 1955 a fire destroyed the entire herd along with a unique girl - the black velvet chinchilla. Over the next year, the farmer was actively purchasing animals for a new herd.

From that time on, Bob worked intensively to develop the mutation present in the unusual girl. A little later, an unusual boy was born on the farm. Outwardly, it resembled a standard color. The only peculiarity of the baby was that he had a small black mask on his face. The chinchillas produced healthy offspring and within a few years they had several litters. Most of the babies were of a standard color, only a few of them were distinguished by the presence of a black mantle.

Selection of black velvet chinchillas

It was the selection of this color that Gunning took up. After some time, when selecting the best dark pairs, he managed to breed animals in which the dark color had already spread through the neck to the entire back. As a result, only the stripe on the abdomen remained light in the animals.

By 1960, a new mutation of chinchillas was introduced to the world - black velvet. At that time it was called gunning black velvet. It is this color variation of the black velvet chinchilla that we see in our time.

Genomic features

Connoisseurs of black animals affectionately call them “a touch of velvet” or “black velvet.” The black chinchilla, the characteristics of the genotype of which have already been sufficiently studied, has some genetic characteristics. This color is considered heterozygous, that is, two genes are present in one allele - dominant (black) and recessive.

Black chinchillas have one negative feature - their color contains the so-called “lethal gene”. This leads to the fact that as a result of crossing two chinchillas with the black gene, the embryos either die during development or do not develop at all.

Description of black chinchilla

The black chinchilla is effectively used to improve the richness of other colors of its fellows. As a result of this, animals are successfully crossed with chinchillas of any color, with the exception of velvet.

Description of the black velvet chinchilla has some distinctive features. These include:

• Clearly defined mask on the muzzle.
• Gloves are clearly drawn on the paws with diagonal stripes.
• The fur is rich black.
• Highlighted areas around the eyes are not allowed.
• The black pigment should be distributed evenly from the ridge to the sides.
• Scorches and ripples are not acceptable.
• Light transitions from the dark back to the white belly are unacceptable.
• Clear low tummy line.
• The muzzle is round.
• The animal's bones are knocked down.
• The paws are wide.

One of the main anatomical features of the black chinchilla is the hump on the nose.

Crossing black chinchillas

Black velvet babies are a lighter shade of color at birth and darken as they age. Quite often, the black velvet chinchilla is mated with individuals of other colors. As a result, different color variations of the planned puppies are obtained. The most common variations of matings are those given in the table below.

Popularity of black chinchilla in production

Black velvet chinchilla is extremely popular in the fur industry. This is facilitated by the clear decorative contrast of the black color of the back and white belly. The velvety texture of black chinchilla is very pleasant to the touch.

Red shades are not allowed in fur production. Cool blue tones have the advantage. The pure white belly of the animals is no less important. Fur with a clearly defined color transition between dark sides and white belly is also considered to be of the highest quality.

The black velvet chinchilla, reviews of which are mostly positive, is popular not only in the fur industry, but also as a pet. Some, however, believe that velvet individuals are not very sociable, but in practice it becomes noticeable that the complex character of individual animals does not depend at all on the color of the fur.

Few people know that the chinchilla's skeletal structure allows it to shrink vertically. Thus, the animal can crawl into unusually narrow crevices.

In addition, the black velvet chinchilla does not shed at all. Moreover, in case of stress or danger, animals can shed their fur when nervous.

Chinchilla colors are one or a combination of primary (base) colors. There are 12 known mutations of standard color: 9 recessive and 3 dominant, as well as 10 combinative (including various mutations) forms. Due to the intensive activity of breeding work with chinchillas, these numbers are constantly growing.

The standard color chinchilla is the wild natural color of the chinchilla.
One might say the most beautiful and mysterious color.
Chinchillas of this color have thick fur, even color distribution and a clear belly line.

White velvets are either white or dark (black), if the white velvet is dark, then its distinctive feature is a completely white tail. The main color of the fur is white, and there is an almost black “mask” on the head. A chinchilla's front legs have black or dark gray diagonal stripes. Often, all signs of velvet are revealed by 2-3 months.

Chinchillas of this color may differ in fur color, but they still have dark gray or black eyes, gray or almost black ears, and a black “ring” at the base of the tail. The peculiarity of the white Wilson is that the tip of her tail will remain white. The color of the animal's fur varies from snow-white to dark silver. The presence of yellowness in the color of a white Wilson fur coat indicates a decrease in the quality and purity of the breed.There are also mosaic (White Mosaic), they are brighter and less, the extreme arrangement of dark ones is valued more spots

This is a very favorite color among breeders, it is beautiful and carries the white, beige, and standard gene. The fur of the animal can be white-pink or almost white with small beige splashes. The more interesting the distribution of spots, the more valued this color is. Chinchilla ears are pink, sometimes with freckles. The eyes are red or dark ruby. The chinchilla's fur can be white with a beige "veil" (colored tips of the hairs)

The fur of a chinchilla is pure white, since there is no pigment in the animal’s body. The pet's eyes are red. Chinchilla skin is pink.

The color of the fur is gray in different shades with a pronounced blue tint (unfortunately, it is quite difficult to convey it in the photo), the belly is white, the eyes are black. As is known, many colors change the color of the fur with age (as a rule, they darken), but sapphire retains its color throughout its life. the same color he had at birth.

Beige

Beige chinchillas come in both homozygous and heterozygous forms.Heterobeiges have slightly darker fur than homobeiges. Heterobeiges are characterized by an uneven pattern and a play of brown-beige-white colors. The beige gene, in addition to coloring the fur, gives color to the eyes and ears. The eyes of these chinchillas are bright ruby ​​or pink. Fur color ranges from light beige to dark beige. The breast is white. The ears of this color are pink with brown or black pigment spots. This color carries the standard gene and beige, and is therefore considered hetero-beige. As for homobeige, they can only be obtained from a couple in which both parents carry the beige gene. Externally, they can be distinguished from hetero-beige chinchillas by their lighter fur, very light ears, lack of zonal coloration and light pink eyes. The color of such chinchillas is uniform. Eyes red or light pink. Like any beige fur color, it can be darker or lighter.

In different lighting conditions, these chinchillas look different: when they are light gray, when they have a very delicate purple tint, and when they have a white belly. There are two variants of violet: light (Afro) and German, which is darker with a brownish tint. There are white and beige representatives of this breed, in which gray-violet hairs are evenly distributed over the skin, which gives the fur a lilac tint.

The white violet may have whole spots of different shapes and sizes on its fur coat with a violet tint, which are more clearly visible at the tip of the tail.

This is the result of crossing black velvet and beige chinchillas. Very beautiful color and quite rare. Similar to black velvet, except for the color, it can also be deep dark brown or light brown, the belly is white. The eyes, like all chinchillas with the beige gene, are ruby, pink, or brown with a red tint.