Is it possible to mate a beige chinchilla with a beige. Colors of chinchillas: types of domestic rodents. Animals with beige color

Two people claim the role of the person who gave his last name to the newly-bred chinchilla breed.

According to some reports, the rodent is named after the breeder Mrs. Wilson, on whose California ranch this fluffy miracle appeared.

Another version claims that the name comes from the namesake of the mentioned Mrs. - a certain Blythe Wilson from North Carolina, who bred a white chinchilla in 1955.

The parents of the newborn fluffy were standard gray chinchillas, therefore, the born pure-white baby was initially perceived as an albino. But the differences were too obvious: in everything else, except for the color, the chinchilla was like the standard with their white belly. And yet - large white spots covered the back and head.

When the white beauty herself became a mother, her litter also included one baby of a similar color. Then it became clear that we can talk about a dominant mutation, which later was called the white Wilson. And it doesn’t matter at all who brought her out - Mrs. or Mister.

The coloring of the white Wilson is multivariate: the fur of the animal can be either snow-white or silver, and even dark. This is the result of crossing pairs of gray, standard, color.

However, whatever the shade of coat, the eyes and ears of the "Wilsons" are often dark gray than black, as in the standard, and the beginning of the tail frames a darker "ring"; paws and belly are white. The peculiarity of this particular species is the snow-white completion of the tip of the tail.

Yellowness on the white Wilson's fur is a sign of reduced breed purity and quality.

There are a great variety of white fluffy colors. What colors are typical for chinchilla white Wilson? Most popular:

mosaic,
platinum,
dominant,
silver,
tricolor,
extramosaic.

Experts note the special appearance of the mosaic chinchilla: its fur is distinguished by dark spots that have the most diverse shapes. For some, this coloring evokes associations with the Dalmatian dog breed.

This color is hereditary, but this does not mean that your pet's children will inherit it. The gene can manifest itself in a generation - in grandchildren.

The value of a mosaic chinchilla is determined by the clarity and symmetry of the pattern of dark spots.

A feature of the platinum morph is a grayish coating over the entire surface of the fur.

The white morph with the definition "predominant" is very effective, although extremely rare. She is characterized by a pure snow-white fur coat - without any gray "smoke" and spots.

The silver has gray hair tips, and this gives the impression of a light silver coating on the fur.

An extremely rare variant of the extramosaic morph is the tricolor, the very name of which speaks of the tricolor of the color: white, gray, black spots and stripes form the original color. Of course, its uniqueness increases both the value of the individual itself and its market value.

The extramosaic character of the morph is expressed in the presence of clear spots on the chinchilla's coat.

How to keep white Wilsons?

Housing

Pets of this type do not require any special conditions of maintenance and care - everything is the same as for other breeds:

The cage must be high enough. Remember that the animal loves to move, mostly jumping. Therefore, it is necessary to equip the dwelling with a sufficient number of shelves, ladders, tunnels, where your pet can frolic.

If you have several of them, then there should be more simulators, and an individual “apartment” in the form of plywood boxes will not hurt everyone: after all, rodents are capable of conflict and quarrel.

Hygiene and climate

When it comes to bathing, this does not mean at all that the animal should be bathed in water. Bathing a chinchilla is a separate ritual that can be watched with great pleasure. Chinchillas "bath" in the sand, and for this procedure in the cage there must be a special container with special sand containing antibacterial additives.

When choosing sand for chinchilla bathing, you need to feel it by touch, pouring it into your palm. The sand should resemble fine homogeneous dust. If stiffness is felt in it, touching the palm does not bring comfort, such sand is not suitable - it is traumatic for the animal's skin.

An overseas pet needs to create a suitable microclimate for him, given that coolness is preferable to heat for him. The optimum temperature in the room is + 18–20 degrees.

It is also contraindicated to get direct sunlight on the animal, as well as drafts. If the summer is too hot, the solution is to install an air conditioner so that the fluffy child does not suffer from the heat.

It is necessary to place a salt stone in the cage - to grind the teeth. In addition to its main function, such a “grindstone” also replenishes the body of the chinchilla with microelements and minerals.

These active animals tend to scatter feed grains and sand around them, but nevertheless, the cage must be kept clean, and about once a month it must be disinfected.

Food

At home it's easiest to stop at herbivore food, which is sold in pet stores. Such a composition contains, in addition to the necessary vitamin and mineral complex, no less necessary components:

flour - lime, fish, herbal,
oats,
wheat,
salt,
raw fat,
barley.

For a day of such food, literally two tablespoons is enough. It is possible to offer green fodder in the form of oat and wheat sprouts, young nettle greens, horse sorrel, dandelion, and plantain as an additive to the main vegetable and grain food.

Hay must be included in the chinchilla menu all year round. It helps move food through the intestines, preventing it from stagnation and fermentation.

In addition, chewing hay, the animal evenly wears down the teeth, which does not allow the development of dental hooks on the posterior incisors. So that the rodent does not scatter the remnants of hay, it is better to give it in small portions.

eggplant,
grape,
fig,
potato,
carrot,
nuts,
fruit.

Feeding in the form of leaves and branches of various deciduous trees, aspen bark is also very useful for these rodents.

Remembering that the main health problems of the chinchilla are related to the gastrointestinal tract, don't overfeed him!

Who will turn out when crossing?

Of all the above morphs, only three - predominantly white, mosaic and silver - have the ability to transmit to offspring not only their own type, but also any variant of white. Therefore completely it is not necessary that white chinchillas will be born from a chinchilla of a snow-white morph- they can be mosaic. And the silvery individual is capable of producing pure white cubs.

White Wilson is a carrier of the gene for both standard and white. Breeders believe that it is possible to cross rodents of this species with all others without restrictions. But “intratype” crossing (as well as closely related) is by no means welcome: the number of newborn babies may decrease, and their viability will decrease.

Sometimes two white genes in combination do not allow the fetus to develop even in the embryonic phase, and such a gene combination is called the "lethal gene". Well, what is lethal - even a schoolboy knows.

Combinations of white wilson with colors such as black and brown velvet, beige and homobeige give other interesting and unexpected morphs.

An example is the crossing of a pair of "White Wilson" and "Black Velvet". Cubs are able to "give out" the following morphs: both the types of parents, and the standard, and white velvet.

Connoisseurs call white-pink a particularly beautiful option among the descendants of white Wilson, or apricot. This species is of interest to breeders as a carrier of three genes - white, beige and standard. The fur coat of such individuals can be either snow-white or with gray or chocolate-colored spots of various shapes and arrangements.

The apricot type should not be crossed with carriers of the white gene, this may reduce the number of cubs in the litter. It pairs well with all the other colors.

It happens that chinchillas of this type, born beige, after a couple of months are able to change color and appear pure white or golden.

If you are already familiar with such a type of pet as a chinchilla, and now you have acquired a white Wilson, you will not feel any special conditions for keeping, feeding and caring for them. But if the plans are to cross and breed this particular type, this issue should be approached with thoroughness, remembering which gene can be crossed with, and with which - in no case.

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Chinchilla breeds are now quite diverse, at the moment there are about 14 of them, and in addition there are 12 more crossbreeds between them. The colors of chinchillas also vary greatly, therefore, on breeding farms, the color of the coat is divided into three main categories - dark, light and gray. If the standard gray is not valued too highly due to the fact that it is very common, then for representatives of the species with rare skin colors, you can sometimes get a fairly large sum.

In order not to get confused in the variety of breeds, they are divided into two main types: small long-tailed and large short-tailed. Their main differences are in the size of the tail and body.

small longtail

Most often, this particular type of chinchillas can be found as cute domestic plush animals. They have soft dense fur, intelligent eyes, a long tail and good health. And also this species has a huge number of varieties and colors for any, even the most demanding taste.

Their natural habitat is South America, namely the zone of the Andes and Chile. However, due to the illegal extraction of valuable fur, these chinchillas are also practically not found in the wild. By the way, the fur of long-tailed chinchillas is of better quality than that of their counterparts.

In the wild, chinchillas live in small herds in burrows dug in the ground. They are predominantly nocturnal and feed on plants. As a rule, their diet includes various seeds, tough stems and plant greens.

Chinchillas breed once or twice a year. The average litter size is 4 babies. Pregnancy lasts 111 days, the cubs are born already sufficiently prepared to meet the outside world. Chinchillas see everything from birth, can walk, and their little bodies are covered with fur. A week later, the kids try to eat regular food. A year later, the young are considered to be fully grown and can give their own offspring.

The average life expectancy of small long-tailed chinchillas with proper care is about 15 years, which is quite a long time for rodents. However, in the wild, these small rodents live much less.

Great Stubtail

This type of chinchilla is also called Peruvian or royal. Their natural habitat is South America, however, today such chinchillas, unfortunately, are no longer found in the wild. In part, because of their dense thick fur, which is of great interest to hunters. Now large chinchillas are bred on special farms in order to get their skins.

The weight of a large chinchilla can reach 900 grams, and the body size is 40 cm. These are quite large rodents, so they are rarely kept at home. The color of a large chinchilla is always gray, but different shades may occur.

Breeds and colors of chinchillas

The Greater Chinchilla is primarily bred for its fur and has only one breed and one color. But the small one, which is now very popular as a pet, is distinguished by a wide variety of subspecies and colors, thanks to the many years of efforts of breeders.

The variety of colors of domestic chinchillas is simply amazing, and breeders are still working on getting new colors.

New colors are formed due to changes in the density of the wool, the color of the coloring pigment and the color of the parents' skins. Each of these criteria corresponds to a specific gene, and it is the combination of genes in different generations that makes it possible to constantly receive new colors, sometimes even from the most common individuals.

The main difficulty in breeding chinchillas of rare colors is that they acquire their color due to a genetic mutation that will not be stable for future generations. That is, by crossing the spirit of chinchillas of a rare color, you can get ordinary gray cubs. And as a result of crossing individuals of the same standard color, babies of a unique color are sometimes born. In addition, especially rare colors are often obtained by careful selection over several generations, and such selection sometimes leads to serious health problems. So, for example, the albino gene sometimes turns out to be lethal, which is why it is not recommended to cross white chinchillas with each other. Health problems are also not uncommon in blue and purple individuals; these colors are considered the rarest and most difficult to achieve, not by chance. Separate difficulties arise with dwarf chinchillas. The mutation of the gene responsible for the size of the animal is more stable, however, females always have difficult births due to their small size, and some of the cubs do not survive.

Chinchilla standard colors

All available colors of chinchillas have come from a combination of genes of individuals of the three main colors - black, red and brown. If there is no coloring pigment, a white animal is born. But among the combinations of basic colors, there are both standard and rarer ones.

For example, standard colors include:

Grey. This is the original coloring of individuals living in the wild. Color carriers are dark gray on the back and slightly lighter and brighter on the sides. The belly remains white. The hair is gray-blue at the base, light in the middle and black at the end;
Beige. There are several subspecies (homozygous, heterozygous) and several shades of this color. Homozygous individuals have a darker back, pink ears, and red eyes. The first chinchilla with this color was registered in 1955. Heterozygous individuals are lighter and have bright red eyes;
Pastel. In adults, this color is similar to beige. However, it is noteworthy that babies are almost white at birth;
Black, also known as "Black Velvet" or "Ebony". Like the previous one, this color has also been known since the 60s of the 20th century. In carriers, the coat is black, but white colors remain on the belly and legs;
White-pink. The color was originally cream, but now you can see both silver and all-white colors with a pinkish tinge;
White velvet. The carriers of this color scheme have a snow-white back and dull spots on the head;
Brown velvet. Chinchillas of this color can have various shades from chocolate to woody. But the muzzle and paws of such individuals are usually darker;
Sapphire. He has a bluish tinge to his white coat. This is one of the most difficult to breed colors. In addition, its carriers often have health problems. Sapphire color has several basic shades: sapphire ebony, sapphire, white, sapphire velvet;
Violet. Representatives have gray ears and dark eyes, and the coat itself has a slight purple tint. Ksati wool is very soft and pleasant to the touch. Color first appeared in 1960 in Zimbabwe. Violet color variations are very diverse, these include: German violet, purple velvet, Sullivin violet and more. Shades can be either light gray or even almost white, or saturated, such as lavender.

The main color options are listed here, but chinchillas come in other colors.

Popular varieties

Among the most popular subspecies of chinchillas are the following:

Tower Beige Chinchilla. This species is the most common. Its representatives have a beige skin of various shades. There is often a pattern on the back, and the coat shimmers beautifully. The undercoat and hair at the tips are dark;
White Wilson. Also a fairly common subspecies. It distinguishes three main colors: albino, mosaic and silver. By the way, two white chinchillas cannot be crossed, since this color is a sign of the presence of a lethal gene that can lead to the birth of dead babies;
Velvet. It has three main colors - black, white and brown. Animals of this species are often crossed with colored individuals to obtain rare colors;
Pastel. This species includes pets with a skin of various shades of beige, from light, sandy to dark brown. Several basic shades are distinguished here: velvet pastel, chocolate, original pastel, homobeige;
Ebony. The main feature of the subspecies is the bright shine of the coat, the uniformity of color and the presence of a thick undercoat. Representatives can have a skin of any shade of gray. Sometimes you can also find a velvet ebony chinchilla color.

Rare subspecies

The relatively short breeding cycle of chinchillas opens up wide horizons for breeders. In the course of selection, new varieties of individuals are constantly being bred. They differ not only in color, but often also in the shape of the eyes, the density of the coat and other features. Depending on how easy it is to get a particular species, each individual is classified as common or rare. At the moment, the following subspecies can be attributed to rare varieties with unique hard-to-reach colors:

Angora. This is one of the rarest breeds. She has longer hair. The species is very difficult to breed, since even two Angora individuals can get ordinary babies. The most highly valued among the angoras are the colors of diamond and sapphire, but even representatives of the species with a standard color will look like a king;
White Lova. This subspecies appeared only in 2002. Its individuals have a creamy white coat, often with a hint of champagne. At the same time, they have round dark ruby eyes, in contrast to the Wilson subspecies;
Blue Diamond. Sometimes this subspecies is divided into two: purple sapphire and blue diamond velvet. Blue chinchillas have a metallic color with a bluish tint and are considered one of the rarest. Only a few nurseries in the world deliberately breed animals of this color, so they can be seen much more often in the photo than in real life;
Dwarf chinchillas. The dwarf gene appears in the most common animals as a result of an accidental or purposefully fixed genetic mutation. The size of such animals is quite small, and the weight reaches only 300 grams. The species is considered rare and quite difficult to breed. Firstly, because it is difficult for small females to give birth, and secondly, not all babies are viable. Dwarf chinchillas can come in a wide variety of colors and shades, just like their counterparts.

When breeding, it is quite difficult to get any shade of purple and blue, especially for unusual pygmy or angora chinchillas. Indeed, in this case, several recessive genes should appear at once. As a result of crossing individuals with a large number of mutations, not all offspring can be viable, both at birth and during further maintenance, even with careful care and diligent care. Not all individuals will be able to reach even one year, the age of sexual maturity.

In order for the chinchilla to be able to survive in its natural habitat, nature gave it fur of a modest color. The most recognizable color of a chinchilla coat is white on the tummy, gray on the back and sides. This is the basic color, the so-called standard. Shades from light ash to graphite are the frames in which this gray classic is sustained. The breeders decided to change the scenario of nature and the chinchillas themselves, as they were a century ago.

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One gray, the other white - colors

For several decades, experiments have been ongoing on crossing individuals in order to obtain skins of extraordinary beauty. The result of this work were such new shades as violet, diamond, sapphire, ebony ...

Let's figure out exactly what shades encode these and other, no less spectacular, names. Let's find out who the degu and the Siberian chinchilla are. Is there a Siberian color at all? What does the color of a degu look like? But before answering these questions, let's talk about the basic gray color.

Strictly speaking, what we call "gray", referring to the suit of a wild rodent, is actually a more complex, tricolor color. Just imagine a hair that is pigmented from tip to root with black, white and gray. It is very difficult to notice the zoning of staining, because these hairs are located extremely closely to each other.

Invisible to the eye, the three-level coloring of the hairs creates an amazing optical effect. – Depending on the depth of black, the purity of white and the shade of gray, fur is obtained, dyed gray in varying degrees of intensity.

The highlight of the color is a silvery sheen or the so-called veil. These are the short-tailed chinchilla and the long-tailed chinchilla. - This is the name of two species of rodents of the chinchilla family. And the colors that these breeds of chinchillas have in nature are the standard.

Color "standard" has four types. Each type corresponds to a degree of color saturation: moderately dark standard, dark standard, extra-dark standard and medium standard. The most valuable is an individual of the extra-dark standard suit.

The restrained beauty of the wild chinchilla is challenged by its domesticated relatives. They expand the number of varieties of rodents of the chinchilla family. And belonging to one or another depends no longer on the length of the tail, but on the color.

Popular chinchilla colors

So, to date, many individuals of various stripes have been bred, the most popular of which are:

Possible variations that are obtained by crossing

When crossing animals of different stripes, they get others. The number of possible options is so large that it is simply impossible to list them. Among them White velvet, Heteroebony, Homoebony and others.

Rare and spectacular colors of chinchillas

Rare suits of rodents of the chinchilla family are as follows:

So who is this Siberian chinchilla? Having listed a large number of suits, we have not met the Siberian. It turns out that the Siberian chinchilla is a breed of cats. Attempts to find a "Siberian" shade (or anything else "Siberian") in rodents of the chinchilla family are in vain.

But Siberian cats “borrowed” their zone-colored hairs from rodents. Surprisingly soft fur of Siberian cats added similarity to animals from different orders.

Chinchilla Color Genetic Calculator

The colors of chinchillas are very diverse. How to breed an individual of the desired color? Understanding the complex interweaving of pet genes can be quite difficult. A tool such as a genetic calculator comes to the aid of a chinchilla breeder. With the help of a genetic calculator, you can determine which color offspring will be born with the highest probability.

So, using this calculator, you can calculate that Homoebony mom and Homoebony dad with a probability of almost 64% will bring Homoebony cubs. There is a 22% chance that their pups will be Extra Dark Ebony. The chance of these parents giving birth to dark ebony babies is 10%. And in only 4% of cases, such a pair gives birth to Ebony-light and Ebony-medium cubs.

In this video, the chinchilla breeder shares his experience in breeding diamond color specimens.

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Video "Colors of chinchillas"

This video presents White and Pink Chinchilla, Angora Chinchilla, Beige Chinchilla, White Wilson. Here you can also see individuals of such colors as Brown velvet, Homoebony, Homobeige, White velvet, White sapphire. The authors of the video did not forget about the colors Albino, White Violet, Blue Diamond, Pastel, Ebony, Violet, Homobeige Sapphire, Sapphire, Black Velvet.