Davidson Chinchillas - Specialising in Charcoal Chinchillas

The origins of man’s relationship with the beautiful, charismatic, mischievous, and inquisitive little creature known as a chinchilla is shrouded in the mists of time and legend. The chinchilla is a small, rabbit-sized rodent which originated in Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina . Once prized by ancient tribes and royalty the chinchilla has been hunted for food and fur, removed from it’s native lands to farm, and now has a special place in many homes as a much loved pet. What follows is a brief history of the chinchilla from ancient times up to the present.

     In the 1500s the Spaniards conquered the Incas and named the beautiful little grey and white furry animals "Chinchillas" meaning “Little Chincha”. Chinchilla robes were sent to Spanish Royals, setting court fashion but it was not until the 1700s that chinchilla fur became popular throughout Europe.

   Sadly this was the beginning of a massive decline for the wild chinchilla and in the 1800s chinchilla furs were exported from South America in great quantities. The early 1900s saw the South American government place an export duty on all skins leaving the country in an effort to slow down the decline of the chinchilla population however, this did not stop the exploitation of the chinchilla and in 1910 the four South American governments concerned set up regulations which prohibited the trapping and killing of the chinchilla. They even encouraged raising the animals in captivity in their native countries.

     1918 saw an American working in Chile, called Mathias Chapman, meeting his first chinchilla. He was fascinated and intrigued by the inquisitive and beautiful little creatures. It was this fascination which led to the long and arduous process of capturing and eventually gaining permission to export 11 chinchillas to California (which he accomplished in 1922). The journey for the chinchillas was a difficult one and spent most of the trip down in the hold with the chinchillas, ensuring their (relative) comfort. This included using huge blocks of ice to keep them cool.  Despite the difficulties, Chapman persevered and started up the first chinchilla ranch in the US . Thus, the chinchilla fur farming industry came into existence in 1923.

     Over the next few decades more chinchilla ranches were set up in the US, in Canada, and in Europe . In the late 1950s and early 1960s colour mutations began to appear in various ranches and the standard grey chinchilla with it’s pure white contrast belly was joined by the Tower Beige, Wilson White, Gunning Black, Larson Sapphire, Sullivan Violet, Broucke Charcoal Brown etc.

     Happily for the chinchilla, there are no chinchilla farms in the UK now due to legislation prohibiting the raising of animals for pelting. There are several breeders in the UK however, who have considerable numbers of chinchillas, but these are now bred mainly for the pet market and for showing.