Stuffed Chinchilla

Isn't our stuffed chinchilla the cutest?

This engaging, realistic-looking stuffed chinchilla is soft and cuddly. The chinchilla replica is sewn with soft plush mottled synthetic fur and is sturdy enough to stand on its feet and rump. It reflects the total quality of stuffed animal toys made by Hansa. The head is accentuated with large realistic looking eyes, a light muzzle with fine whiskers and large fur-lined pink ears. This plush chinchilla is about 11 inches long, including its beautifuly curled, gray tail. Our stuffed chinchilla has a kindly expression and promises not to bite. This chinchilla makes a wonderful gift for chinchilla pet lovers and nicely complements any stuffed animal collection. Check out our other chinchilla toys and gifts.

Our Chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera) is the common long-tailed chinchilla. It is the size of a small rabbit, crepuscular, and is found in the Andes of South America. Its name, chinchilla, comes from the name of a tribe of Andean people, the Chincha, who adorned themselves with furs from this rodent. In their native habitat, chinchillas live in burrows or crevices in rocks. They are agile jumpers and can leap up to five feet. Predators in the wild include hawks, skunks, felines, and canines. Chinchillas have a variety of defense tactics including spraying urine and releasing fur if bitten. In the wild, chinchillas have been observed eating plants, fruits, seeds, and small insects. Chinchillas were brought to the United States in the 1920s and were domesticated and sold in pet stores. There are several chinchilla owner pet clubs and lots of information on how to care for a domesticated pet chinchilla. The native Chilean chinchillas have been hunted for human apparel since the early 1900s. Around 1900, an estimated 500,000 chinchilla skins were exported annually from Chile. Chinchilla pelt is considered by some to be the most valuable pelt in the world, and coats have sold as much as $100,000. This scale of hunting seriously depleted the number of wild chinchillas, and the international trade in wild chinchillas or their skins is now restricted by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.