Author Jamie
of Lowcountry Chinchillas
Understanding Chinchilla Numbers
Whether you are breeding chinchillas or buying one as a pet, it is still a good idea to understand the basics of chinchilla record keeping. Once you understand the proper way to number chinchillas you’ll be able to keep better records and easily understand pedigree cards.
Let’s start with basics of numbering a chinchilla. Most breeders have adopted a special code called a brand. This has 3-4 characters and is registered through either the Mutation Chinchilla Breeders Association (MCBA) or the Empress Chinchilla Breeders Cooperative, Inc. (ECBC). When a new chinchilla is born this special code becomes the first part of its number. For example if a breeder were to register the code ABC, then ABC will start each chinchilla’s number.
After the breeder code you will notice a letter. This corresponds to a certain year and tells when the chinchilla was born. Below you will see the chart for years. All chinchillas born in the year 2005 will be given the letter R.
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1996- E | 2001-L | |
1997-F | 2002-M | |
1998-H | 2003-N | |
1999- J | 2004-P | |
2000-K | 2005-R |
UPDATE:
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2009 | X |
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2010 | Z |
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2011 | A |
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2012 | B |
Behind the year letter there will be a number. The first chinchilla born into a herd at the beginning of the year will be given the number 1. The second kit will be number 2, and so on. Many breeders take their numbering a step further and place the chinchilla’s color in abbreviation at the end.
So now that we have broken down the steps to a chinchilla’s number lets dissect one.
ABCP48EB
Just from looking at the chinchilla number above we know it was born into the herd that uses the brand ABC. It was born in the year 2004. It was the 48th chinchilla born into that herd that year, and it is Ebony.
To put that knowledge into better use let’s look at the Chinchilla Pedigree below.
Just by looking at the numbers of the parents you can find out who bred them, about how old they are, and their color.
To better help you read your pedigrees visit the Chinchilla Ranch Brand Directory at
www.ChinchillaBreeders.org/brands/ It lists many of the registered ranch brands in alphabetical order and shows which breeder they belong to.
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