Chinchilla

Chinchillas are small, fluffy animals with big ears and soft fur. They live in mountains and like to jump and play. Chinchillas eat plants and need dust baths to stay clean! Ready to meet the fluffiest, friendliest, and furriest rodents around? Discover the coolest chinchilla fun facts just for little adventurers! Join Albert as he explores cute chinchilla facts for toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners. Click on the images to hear silly sounds and then read about fun chinchilla facts like what do chinchillas look like?, what sound do chinchillas make?, how big are chinchillas?, what do chinchillas eat?, where do chinchillas live?, and more fun facts about chinchillas!

What do chinchillas look like?

Photo by Filipe Ramos (CC BY 2.0)

Chinchillas are mammals which means that they are warm-blooded, have fur and they feed milk to their babies.

They are rodents like mice and rats. They have silvery-gray and black fur which is velvety soft. They have long ears a bit like a rabbit and a long bushy tail, a bit like a squirrel.

What sound do chinchillas make?

Click the the image to hear the sound!

Cheetahs make lots of different sounds.

They make growls, chirps and purrs when they are happy. But can also yelp, moan and hiss when they are angry.

How big are chinchillas?

Chinchillas are 9 -14 inches (23 to 36 centimeter) long with 3–6-inch (7-15 centimeter) tails.

They are a similar size to rabbits.

What do chinchillas eat?

Chinchillas are omnivores which means that they eat plants and meat. They eat insects, leaves, fruits and seeds.

Where do chinchillas live?

Chinchillas only live in South America. They like rocky and mountainous areas. They like to hide in burrows and rocks.

More fun facts about chinchillas for kids

If a predator tries to catch and eat a chinchilla it can protect itself. It can spray pee at the predator and shed fur if it gets bitten.
Groups of chinchillas are called herds. That’s the same name for cows!
Chinchillas can jump up to 6 feet (1.8 metres). That’s the length of a door!
Chinchillas usually live for 10 years in the wild or up to 20 years as pets.
Chinchillas like to live in the mountains. They can survive very high up (16,000 feet, 4,800 meters) where it is very cold. Sometimes it’s as cold as 23 °F (-5 °C). To keep them warm, chinchillas have very thick fur.
Chinchillas like to have baths. Not the kind of baths that we have with water and bubbles. They like to have dust baths. They pick up dirt and dust and rub it into their fur, then they roll around in it. This removes grease and loose material from their fur.
Female chinchillas can have babies twice a year. They usually have 2 babies, or kits, each time. These kits drink their mother’s milk for 6-8 weeks.
Unlike rats and mice which are born naked (without any fur), chinchillas are born fully clothed! They have all their fur when they are born and their eyes are open.

Sources: Wikipedia, Live Science, Creative Commons, Britannica.com and Freesound.org