Standard Chinchilla

The Standard Chinchilla is a medium-sized domestic rabbit whose coat was bred to echo the colouring of the wild South American chinchilla. Banded in grey, black and white, the fur catches the light with a faint sparkle rather than lying flat. A fully grown adult typically weighs between 5 and 7.5 lb (roughly 2.3 to 3.4 kg), which puts the breed towards the smaller end of the medium range.

Temperament is where the breed wins most of its following: it settles into a routine without much fuss and tolerates handling far better than many rabbits do. Combined with its manageable size, this makes it a sensible choice for anyone wanting a placid companion rather than a rabbit that demands constant entertaining.

Two larger relatives, the American Chinchilla and the Giant Chinchilla, were both developed from the original French Standard by breeding up for size. The Standard remains the smallest of the three and, in many respects, the original.

Who it suits

The Standard Chinchilla suits keepers after a placid rabbit that is straightforward to handle and doesn't need endless activity to stay content. Its temperament makes it workable for households with older children, provided they've been shown how to support a rabbit properly when picking it up. Those drawn to the breed for showing will find a clearly documented standard to work towards, while anyone wanting a companion alone gets a steady, good-natured animal.

The breed was developed in France and is credited to M. J. Dybowski, who produced it from a cross of wild grey, Himalayan and Beveren stock. The goal was a rabbit whose pelt resembled that of the wild chinchilla, an animal whose fur was highly sought after in the trade of the period.

The Standard Chinchilla was shown publicly for the first time in 1913, in France. Its unusual colouring caught attention straight away, and breeding stock was soon exported. The breed had reached Britain and the United States within a few years of that debut.

In America the original French rabbit became known simply as the Chinchilla or Standard Chinchilla. Breeders there worked to increase its size for the meat and fur trades, and those efforts eventually produced the separate American Chinchilla and, later, the Giant Chinchilla. The Standard itself kept its smaller frame and remained the compact original of the three.

The chinchilla colouring the breed introduced went on to influence rabbit breeding more widely. Through later crossbreeding, the same banded pattern was carried into a number of other 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. Its defining feature is the coat, which carries the agouti banding responsible for the silver grey chinchilla look.

Coat and colours

Each guard hair is banded along its length: dark slate blue near the skin, then a band of pearl or off-white, tipped in black. Blow the fur open and the rings show up clearly; across the whole animal they blend 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 fur has a rollback texture, meaning it settles back into place slowly when stroked against the grain, rather than standing up as a flyback coat would.

The Standard Chinchilla is gentle and good-natured, generally relaxed around people and quick to adapt to a regular routine of feeding and handling. A sudden noise or rough treatment will startle it, as it would any rabbit, but the breed is less flighty than many and usually settles again within minutes.

With family members it is affectionate on its own terms, often sitting calmly to be stroked once it trusts the household. Strangers tend to get a reserved welcome rather than a fearful one. It can live happily with other rabbits in bonded pairs or groups, though introductions should be gradual, and any animal not intended for breeding is best neutered to cut down on territorial behaviour. Its even temperament makes it one of the more forgiving rabbits for a patient keeper to handle.

Grooming

• Brush once a week to clear loose hair and keep the dense coat in order.
• Brush more often, every few days, during the heavier seasonal moults in spring and autumn.
• Check the claws roughly every four to six weeks and trim when they grow long.
• Do not bathe the rabbit; spot-clean any soiling instead and keep the living area clean.

Exercise

• Allow at least three to four hours of supervised time out of the hutch each day, in a rabbit-safe space.
• Provide tunnels, untreated wood items and other things to chew and explore.
• Rabbit-proof the area by covering or removing electrical cables and blocking access to toxic houseplants.

Environment

Keep the rabbit somewhere shaded and free of draughts, with a stable temperature. Rabbits cope with cool conditions far better than with heat, and the Standard Chinchilla's dense coat makes it especially sensitive to warm weather. Avoid direct sun and provide extra airflow and cool surfaces when it's hot. Bedding should be dry, absorbent and changed regularly.

Hay is the foundation of the diet and should make up 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 portion of washed leafy greens, and feed a measured amount of plain pellets to round out the nutrients. Fresh water needs to be available at all times.

Treats and extras

Treats should be small and occasional: a slice of carrot, a small piece of apple with the seeds removed, or a few herbs such as parsley or coriander all work well. A rabbit on a balanced hay-and-greens diet doesn't usually need supplements. Offer a chew 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 husbandry, it commonly lives 5 to 8 years. As with any rabbit, the health problems seen most often relate to teeth, digestion and parasites rather than to the breed itself, and a diet high in hay does the most to head off the two leading issues: overgrown teeth and a slowing gut.

Preventive care

• Feed unlimited grass hay to support the teeth and gut.
• Vaccinate against diseases such as myxomatosis and rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease (RVHD) where these are present locally, following your vet's advice.
• Neuter rabbits not 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 check-up with a vet experienced with rabbits.

Housing should give the rabbit room to take several hops, stand fully upright and stretch out flat. A single medium rabbit needs a minimum enclosure of about 12 sq ft, paired with a larger exercise run of around 32 sq ft. The enclosure can sit indoors or in a sheltered spot outdoors, but it has to stay dry, shaded and free of draughts. Predator-proofing matters for any outdoor setup, particularly against foxes.

Setup checklist

• A solid-floored hutch or enclosure with a sheltered, enclosed area for sleeping.
• A hay rack or a constant supply of hay.
• A heavy ceramic food bowl and a water bowl or bottle.
• A litter tray in whichever corner the rabbit chooses.
• Chew items and somewhere to hide away for 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 often maturing a little earlier than bucks. In rabbit breeding the doe is taken to the buck's enclosure to mate, rather than the other way round, since does tend to be territorial. Gestation lasts about 31 days, and in the days before giving birth a doe will build a nest from hay and fur pulled from her own belly.

Litters average four to six kits, though they can run larger. Kits are born hairless, blind and entirely dependent on the doe. Their eyes open at about 10 days, and they start leaving the nest and nibbling solid food at around three weeks old. Weaning is usually complete by six to eight weeks. A doe nursing only once or twice a day is normal and doesn't mean the litter is being neglected. Responsible breeding means pairing sound, healthy parents and lining up good homes for every kit before it's born.