Chinchillas are rodents from the Andes mountains in South America, who can jump as high as 5 feet, and live 15 to 20 years. They have strong jaws and have a damaging bite, but if raised with gentle frequent handling, they enjoy human interaction and rarely bite. They lack the ability to cool their bodies, so they must have a climate below 80 degrees. Their fur is not able to dry once it gets wet, so they “bathe” in sand or pumice dust. Their diet consists of dried grasses and seeds. Our Juliet loves to be gently scratched under her chin.
