BREEDING THE PERFECT CHINCHILLA?-Article

BREEDING THE PERFECT CHINCHILLA?
Written by - Anjela Ross, of Crystal Chinchillas

Has anyone ever done this yet? Not to my knowledge. Having attended major Chinchilla shows in the past, seeing gorgeous Chinchillas, whom achieve excellent comments and points when they are graded, yet I have never seen one that got the maximum points on every section of his score card. Is it possible even to attain such a status of a 'perfect' Chinchilla? They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so what may seem perfect to one, may not be ideal to another. Everyone has a different idea of what they perceive to be 'perfect'.

Looking at it another way, I guess that personally I am happy to be breeding 'beautiful' Chinchillas, this is my opinion, but others who buy from me have validated this. To me, I think that if I were to breed the perfect Chinchilla, what would I do with it? Sure, you can take lots of photos, travel around to shows and proudly display what you consider to be your 'perfect' Chinchilla, but not necessarily everyone else will agree with you. Then what? Hmm OK so I will breed this perfect Chinchilla. So then, if the offspring do not turn out to be as 'beautiful' as the parent, what do I do next? Do I feel disappointed at then only having bred 'beautiful' Chinchillas and not ' perfect' ones! Do I then find that I have to strive to have a ' perfect' Chinchilla in every colour? Or should I just give up breeding Chinchillas altogether, after having already reached perfection? Hmm difficult one huh?

Whichever way you look at it, Chinchillas are beautiful creatures. No matter whether they have excellent density or are the bluest white you have ever seen. Every Chinchilla is special in its very own way, whether it is its size, or that patch of coloured fur in a certain place, or even just how cute it is! When breeding or keeping Chinchillas as a hobby, never forget that you should enjoy having your Chinchillas around, never consider them to be a chore, or feel disappointed if the baby did not achieve 'perfect' status in your eyes. What you may miss in that baby, someone else may see, loving it or breeding with it for a totally different reason to what you may have liked or disliked about that animal. Plus, the next litter of babies could turn out to be exactly what you were waiting for.

Never write off an animal because it did not turn out to be quite as beautiful as the parents you selected to breed, your prospective 'perfect' Chinchilla. Give your babies time to grow and a chance to prove their worth and beauty. After all, the genes of those parents made that youngster and I have seen many people whom have sold a considered 'less than beautiful' Chinchilla only to find out that bred with a good combination it sired babies that have achieved show champion status. Do not be deterred, if you start out with healthy, good quality animals to breed with, in time, you will breed desirable Chinchillas, but it does not happen over night, but remember that every baby is still special in one way or another.

I have in my Chinchilla room the most beautiful Ebony Chinchilla I have ever seen, she is as black as can be, shiny,sleek, dense fur, good natured and weighing in at over 2 pounds. Everyone that comes to buy an animal from me comments on her beauty. I guess to some she would be considered the 'perfect' Chinchilla, as she has amples of everything. The worst part of this story is that she is now nearly four years old and despite introducing her to my keenest breeding males, she has never gotten pregnant. Yet also, in my Chinny room, sits a very ordinary looking Beige Hetero Ebony female. She is one of those that picks at her fur when the mood takes her, usually more so when she is pregnant. She has big batty ears, that are now all freckled as she is getting older. But, if you asked me which of my Chinchillas breed the most 'attractive' or 'beautiful' babies?, or who is the best mum Chinchilla in your breeding unit? My answer would be that Beige female. But to look at her, well you would not give her a second look, not until I told you that every baby has been consistantly good, the majority winning prizes at shows. Makes you think about it doesn't it?

This article is not the usual matter of fact, technical type of article that I would usually write, but my point is, that we all breed or keep Chinchillas because we love them, for the majority of us, it is not making money or achieving perfection that is important. It is the pleasure of getting up in the morning and seeing those newborn kits and the excitement of winning a trophy for a Chinchilla you have bred yourself. Or just those cute faces peeping out the cage at you when you get the raisin jar out!

Enjoy breeding and having your Chinchillas around!