Chinchilla Colors – How You Can Tell The Difference Between Chinchilla Types Just By Looking At Them

Chinchilla Colors – How You Can Tell The Difference Between Chinchilla Types Just By Looking At Them

If you were to travel to South America to study chinchilla colors, you’d be surprised to learn that all of these animals, in their native land, are about the same color. But once man started breeding them, all that changed.

If you’re choosing a chinchilla for a pet – or even to show – you’ve got a wide variety from which to choose. When talking about chinchilla colors, it’s always best to start with what breeders call the standard. This is what is considered the desired coloring. And the standard probably comes the closest to the animals still found in the mountains. They are essentially grey on their backs and sides with a crisp, white belly.

Beige chinchillas come in a spectrum of shades from light to dark. Of course, they’re beige and they too have the white bellies characteristic of the standard. In addition, you can identify a beige chinchilla by his red eyes and pink ears, which may even be freckled.

The Ebony version of chinchilla colors range from a grey to a solid black. These guys don’t have white bellies, but grey ones instead. You’ll even find some animals which have a black belly.

Upon a quick look, the tan chinchilla may look like the beige ones. But you’ll notice they don’t have white bellies. They are solid brown instead. You may find what some call “pastels” which are just a lighter version of the tan.

The black velvet chinchilla is glossy black on the back and transforms to a lighter shade as the color drapes down around its sides. A notable characteristic is the white belly and the overall blue hue to the fur.

When it comes to white chinchillas, these come in many variations. But what you’re bound to see most often is a pure white coat (even the belly is white) along with red eyes and pink ears. Sometimes you’ll see that the ears are freckled.

That brings us to a color called mosaic. And this is exactly what you’d expect from this description. It’s a combination of white and the standard color. This variation carries patches of grey on their fur. Their eyes and ears, by the way, are dark. You may also find a reverse mosaic. This simply means that the chinchilla has more grey than white.

The violet chinchilla really aren’t violet. But they are a striking and soft looking grey with a beautiful blue hue. You may also find a variation of the violet called the sapphire. The coloring of this animal is more blue than the standard violet.

One of the rarest of all chinchilla colors is what’s referred to as goldbar. The fur on this animal really does look gold, especially on his back. It’ll get white as it cascades to his sides and moves into a white belly. And the eyes of this animal are usually dark red.

Regardless of the color you choose, you can be sure that all chinchilla colors are outstandingly beautiful. It’s one of the traits that gives them their reputation. You may be a little more serious in choosing a chinchilla if you plan on showing it. But rest assured, you’ll love your pet no matter what color he is!