Hobbies And Interests
Feeding Habits
Chinchillas have a largely herbivorous diet, consisting of grass, leaves, seeds, fruit, roots and bark. However, they may also eat insects and eggs. Chinchillas usually forage for food at night, as they are mostly nocturnal. Strong senses of sight and hearing help the chinchilla to find its way around and search for food in the dark. Sleeping in rock crevices during the day helps to protect chinchillas from predators. Chinchillas eat in a sitting position with their back legs on the ground while they use their front paws to hold their food.
Defensive Behavior
Although the chinchilla avoids many predators by hiding and sleeping for most of day, it also has a number of defense mechanisms that it can use when threatened. Chinchillas can be prey for a number of animals, including cats, eagles and snakes. Strong, powerful legs give the agile chinchilla a strong chance of escaping from these predators across rocky terrain. However, if there is no chance of escape, it may try to make its body appear larger and more intimidating by making the fur on its tail stand on end and rearing up on its back legs to assume an upright position. It can also shed fur that has been grasped by a predator. As a last resort, the chinchilla may bite the predator with its long, sharp teeth.
Social Behavior
Chinchillas are social animals that live in herds. A single herd of chinchillas can contain as many as 100 individuals. Chinchillas communicate with other members of their herd to warn them of approaching danger or to show their emotions through a range of vocalizations, including barks and chirps. These herds provide safety by increasing the chances of at least one chinchilla spotting danger and warning the others. An entire herd will tend to remain close to shelter in case a predator approaches, and at least one individual will always be watching out for any threats approaching the herd.
Reproduction and Care of the Young
Chinchillas are usually mature enough to begin breeding at the age of around 8 months. Chinchillas are monogamous animals that mate for life. Female chinchillas give birth approximately 111 days after mating and usually produce 2 litters per year. The average litter contains between two and six young chinchillas, or kits, but a single litter can contain as many as 12 young. The mother cares for her young for between six and eight weeks. By this time, the young chinchillas have been weaned onto vegetation after the weeks of reliance on their mother's milk.