Standard Chinchilla

The Standard Chinchilla is a medium-sized domestic rabbit whose fur is bred to mimic the colouring of the wild South American chinchilla. The coat blends grey, black and white banding into a sparkling silver-grey finish under natural light. Adults generally sit between 2.3 and 3.4 kilograms (about 5 to 7.5 lb), putting the breed at the smaller end of the medium bracket.

Temperament-wise, the breed is calm and even. It handles well and settles into a household routine without much fuss. Combined with its manageable size, that makes it a sensible option for keepers after a docile companion rabbit rather than a live wire.

The Standard Chinchilla is also the founding breed behind two larger cousins, the American Chinchilla and the Giant Chinchilla, both bred up in size from the original French line.

Who it suits

The Standard Chinchilla suits keepers after a gentle rabbit that's easy to handle and doesn't need constant activity to stay content. Its temperament works well in households with older kids who've been shown how to support a rabbit properly during handling. Anyone keen on showing will find a well-documented standard to breed toward, while those after a companion get a steady, good-natured animal in return.

The breed was developed in France by M. J. Dybowski, who crossed wild-grey, Himalayan and Beveren stock to get there. The goal was a pelt that resembled the fur of the wild chinchilla, an animal whose coat was highly sought after in the fur trade at the time.

The Standard Chinchilla had its first public showing in 1913, in France. The unusual colouring caught attention straight away, and breeding stock was exported quickly. England and the United States both had the breed within a handful of years of that debut.

In the US the French import became known simply as the Chinchilla, or Standard Chinchilla. American breeders then worked on lifting its body size for meat and fur production, which is how the separate American Chinchilla and, later, the Giant Chinchilla came about. The Standard held on to its smaller frame and stayed the compact original of the three.

The chinchilla colour pattern the breed introduced had a wider influence too. Later crossbreeding carried it into a string of other rabbit breeds.

The Standard Chinchilla has a short, rounded, compact body, a well-rounded head, and ears that stand upright. The build is balanced rather than long, giving an overall impression of a neat, solid medium rabbit. What sets the breed apart is the coat: agouti banding that produces the silver-grey chinchilla look.

Coat and colours

Each guard hair carries bands of colour along its length. Close to the skin it's dark slate-blue, then a band of pearl or off-white, tipped in black. Blow the fur open and distinct rings of colour show up; across the whole rabbit these bands merge into the sparkling silver-grey that gives the breed its name. The belly is paler, with white around the eyes and on the underside of the tail. The coat has a rollback texture, meaning it settles back into place slowly when stroked against the grain, unlike a flyback coat that springs straight back up.

The Standard Chinchilla is gentle and good-natured. It's generally relaxed around people and settles well into a regular feeding and handling routine. Loud noise or rough handling will startle it, as it would any rabbit, but the breed is less flighty than most and usually settles back down quickly.

With family it's affectionate on its own terms and will often sit still to be patted once it trusts the household. Around strangers it tends to be reserved rather than fearful at first. With other rabbits it can live in bonded pairs or groups, though introductions should happen gradually, and any rabbit not being kept for breeding should be desexed to cut down on territorial behaviour. Its calm streak makes it one of the more manageable rabbits for a patient keeper.

Grooming

• Brush once a week to clear loose hair and keep the dense coat sitting well.
• Step it up to every few days during the heavier spring and autumn moults.
• Check the nails roughly every four to six weeks and trim once they get long.
• Skip the bath; spot-clean any mess and keep the hutch itself clean instead.

Exercise

• Give at least three to four hours of supervised time out of the hutch each day, somewhere rabbit-safe.
• Provide tunnels, untreated wood, and other things to chew and explore.
• Rabbit-proof the space by covering or removing power cords and keeping toxic houseplants out of reach.

Environment

Keep the rabbit somewhere shaded and free of draughts, with steady temperatures. Rabbits cope with the cold far better than they cope with heat, and the Standard Chinchilla's dense coat makes it especially prone to overheating in an Aussie summer. Keep it out of direct sun, add extra airflow, and offer cool surfaces such as tiles on hot days. Bedding needs to stay dry and absorbent, and should be changed often.

Hay is the backbone of the diet and should account for roughly 80 percent of what the rabbit eats. Unlimited grass hay, such as timothy or meadow hay, keeps the gut moving and wears down teeth that never stop growing. Add a daily serve of washed leafy greens, plus a measured amount of plain pellets to round things out. Fresh water needs to be available around the clock.

Treats and supplements

Keep treats small and occasional. A slice of carrot, a small piece of apple with the seeds taken out, or a few herbs like parsley or coriander all work well. A rabbit on a balanced hay-and-greens diet usually doesn't need supplements; offer a chew item such as untreated apple wood for dental wear instead of a mineral or salt lick.

The Standard Chinchilla is a robust breed without any widespread breed-specific defects. Given good care, it typically lives 5 to 8 years. As with any rabbit, most health problems come down to teeth, digestion and parasites rather than anything particular to the breed. A hay-heavy diet does the most to head off the two big issues: overgrown teeth and a slowed gut.

Preventive care

• Feed unlimited grass hay to support the teeth and gut.
• Vaccinate where local diseases such as myxomatosis and calicivirus (rabbit haemorrhagic disease) are present, on your vet's advice.
• Desex rabbits not being kept for breeding to lower the risk of reproductive disease.
• Check the teeth, eyes, ears and rear at least once a week.
• Book an annual checkup with a vet who treats rabbits regularly.

Housing needs to give the rabbit room for several hops, the ability to stand fully upright, and space to stretch out flat. A single medium rabbit needs a minimum enclosure of about 1.1 square metres (roughly 12 sq ft), paired with a bigger exercise run of around 3 square metres (about 32 sq ft). The hutch can sit indoors or in a sheltered spot outside, but it has to stay dry, shaded and free of draughts. Predator-proofing is essential for any outdoor setup.

Setup checklist

• A solid-floored hutch with a sheltered, enclosed spot for sleeping.
• A hay rack or a constant supply of hay.
• A heavy ceramic food bowl plus a water bowl or bottle.
• A litter tray in whichever corner the rabbit picks.
• Chew items and a hideaway for a sense of security.
• A secure run or rabbit-proofed room for daily exercise.

Standard Chinchillas reach sexual maturity at roughly five to eight months old, with does usually getting there a touch earlier than bucks. In rabbit breeding, the doe goes to the buck's enclosure for mating rather than the other way round, since does tend to be territorial. Gestation runs about 31 days, and a doe will build a nest from hay and her own belly fur in the days before kindling.

Litters average four to six kits, though bigger litters do happen. Kits arrive hairless, blind and completely dependent. Their eyes open at around 10 days, and they start leaving the nest and nibbling solid food by about three weeks. Weaning is usually done by six to eight weeks. The doe only nurses once or twice a day, which is normal and doesn't mean the litter is being neglected. Responsible breeding comes down to pairing sound, healthy parents and lining up good homes for every kit.