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Chinchillas (Laboratory) - Pathology (view source)
Revision as of 11:19, 18 August 2011
, 11:19, 18 August 2011→Physiology
==Physiology==
==Physiology==
Most laboratory chinchilla are provided with a variety of components in their diet which includes pellets and hay. Although chinchillas eat large volumes of hay they do not drink a proportionate volume of water and chinchillas are known to survive on remarkably small amounts of water.
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Chinchillas have very dry faeces and only produce very small volumes of urine with very little odour. The chinchilla requires room temperature (18-24C) and approximately 14hrs of daylight or artificial light if in labs, is optimal.
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Within a laboratory environment chinchillas are not prolific breeders and they can be difficulty in maintaining breeding stocks. Puberty is not usually reached until approximately 8 months old and they have long oestrous cycles of 41 days with 2 to 3 days of oestrous. The length of gestation for a chinchilla is 111 days and the range of litter sizes varies between 1 to 6 with 1 or 2 'kits' most common. Larger sized litters may result in fatal fighting amongst the kits.
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Kits are usually weaned at between 6 to 8 weeks and at this age it is possible to pass these young onto another lactating mother without any commonly encountered rejection issues. Chinchillas have a post-partum oestrous ans therefore it is possible to produce two litters in a breeding season which is between November to May, although the male is fertile throughout the year.
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Copulation between chinchillas can be confirmed by the existance of a copulatory plug.
==General Behavioural Characteristics==
==General Behavioural Characteristics==