Terms and Definitions

Terms used in the Chinchilla world that you may not know what they mean:

barking

a fairly high pitched alarm sound... chinchillas will bark when they see/hear/smell something they are unsure of; Click for Further Reading

bloat

a condition where a buildup of gas has occurred in the tummy of a chinchilla; Click for Further Reading

crepuscular

active at dawn and dusk

fur chewing

a nervous condition where the chinchilla will chew chunks off their fur off boredom can also cause a chinchilla to fur chew; Click for Further Reading

fur slip

a defense mechanism; Click for Further Reading

gi stasis

a condition where the digestive process has stopped functioning ; Click for Further Reading

hair ring

because of their dense fur and the habit of male chinchillas to play with their privates, hair can wrapped around the penis making a ring ; Click for Further Reading

kit

a baby chinchilla

malocclusion

a disorder involving the teeth; Click for Further Reading

pedigree

simply put, it's a family tree of a particular chinchilla created and certified by the breeder to be the correct parentage of said chinchilla should list parents and grandparents at a minimum

popcorning

a quick jump straight up a sign of happiness

pyometra

an uterine infection; Click for Further Reading

wall-surfing

running up, across and down a wall a sign of happiness