Okay, we all know that our chinchillas are incredibly soft – and of course that’s the reason that certain people think it’s okay to use their fur as clothing – but have you ever wondered why the fur of a chinchilla is probably the softest known to man?
A chinchilla in full health simply has the most beautiful, awe inspiring coat that is probably one of the softest and most luxurious things that you will ever touch. But did you know that a chin’s fur is actually in layers?
The base layer is the fur closest to the skin and is known as the ‘underfur.’ The layer above this is called the ‘bar,’ followed by ‘veiling.’ It is this veiling that causes the coat of a chinchilla to have that beautiful bluish tinge. It is a black coloration at the very tip of the hair in the case of regular colored, grey chinchillas. For those that have been bred to different colors then this veiling does not exist. But whatever color a chinchilla may be, the quality of its coat is measured by this wonderful bluish tinge.
When you press down on a chinchilla’s coat it should feel springy and dense. When you blow on it you should not be able to see the skin. This is because each hair follicle sprouts many hairs (unlike in humans, where each hair follicle has only one hair).
Photo courtesy of Chinchiya and reproduced via attribution licence thanks to Creative Commons and Flickr
If you intend to show your chinchilla then the quality of his or her fur is of vital important. Of course, this is only intended as a very brief guide, and if showing is something you wish to get into then a lot of research will be needed. But even if you keep your chinchilla purely for pleasure, it’s always great to understand a little more about them.
Thanks for dropping by, and till next time – love those chinnies!
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