CHINCHILLAS

Our 
Story

The ASU is home to a family of Chinchilla's made up of 2 bucks and 2 does. They have been named Michael Finnegan, Mrs Finnegan and Jack and Jill. 

​

There are two different species of chinchillas being long-tailed and short-tailed chinchillas. Both species of chinchillas are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to hunting and trapping. 

​

Chinchillas belong to the rodent family and are native to the Andes Mountains of northern Chile, where they are endangered with low numbers left in the wild due to them being hunted for their fur.  

​

Chinchillas are crepuscular, meaning that they are very active at dawn or dusk and sleep during the day. They make their homes by burrowing in underground tunnels or nestling in rock crevasses, living in colonies that consist of hundreds of chinchillas in the wild.

​

Chinchilla are a relatively new type of pet and people are still learning about them, but with careful handling these animals ca be curious and social pets

​

​