FAQ

Q: Are there different breeds of chinchillas?
A: There are different colors, fur types, and species - Chinchilla lanigera and Chinchilla chinchilla - of chinchillas, but no true ‘breeds.’ A breed consists of a closed gene pool, or breeding population, within a species of animals. Read the full article in Resources.

Q: Do you export to China?
A: Yes, but not directly. China does not allow the import of chinchillas directly from the United States. Therefore, in order for chinchillas to go from the US to China, they must undergo two exports; one from the US to Hong Kong, then a second from Hong Kong to China. Chinchillas.com has been exporting chinchillas to Hong Kong and China for the past fifteen years.

Q: What are Regular, Proxy, and Dynamic bidding?
A: On the Chinchillas.com Auction, a bidder can enter either a regular bid or a proxy bid.

If a regular bid is entered, that exact bid price is submitted and displayed. For example:
A chinchilla is listed with a $500 minimum bid price. You enter $540. $540 is then submitted and displayed. If there are no higher proxy bids entered on that chinchilla, you will be the high bidder at $540.

Proxy bids work differently. For example:
A chinchilla is listed with a $500 minimum bid price. You enter $540. (For this example, we will assume the minimum bid increment is $5). If yours is the first bid, $500 will be displayed, and you will be the high bidder at $500. If someone else bids $520, the computer will automatically enter your bid at $525, and you will be the high bidder at $525.

Please be advised that Chinchillas.com uses 'dynamic bidding,' which makes the Chinchillas.com Auction function like a live Auction, not like Ebay. With dynamic bidding, if someone enters any kind of bid (regular or proxy) during the last few minutes of the Auction, the end time will extend by a few more minutes (usually 1-3 minutes). Dynamic bidding gives the other bidders time to continue bidding if they choose. Therefore, on the Chinchillas.com Auction, there is no 'sniping' like there is on Ebay. Dynamic bidding gives bidders in different parts of the world time to respond. We recommend you watch any important Auction lot carefully until it closes. Many people do not bid until the last few minutes of the Auction. Visit http://www.chinchillas.com/help/bidtypes.cfm for more bidding information.

Q: How are your chinchillas cared for?
A: Chinchillas.com's facilities in the US exceed most expectations. They are designed so that all animals have natural daylight, and room to move and enjoy life. The chinchillas have Brytin Professional Chinchilla Feed, supplements, a variety of grass and legume hays, and exercise wheels. Chinchillas.com does not use breeding runs, breeding collars, or small commercial cages, which are vestiges of the pelting industry. It is not only a priority to provide the highest quality chinchillas to select clientele around the globe, but also to provide a higher standard of life for the chinchillas.

Q: What does G2 and G3 stand for?
A: G2 and G3 are subjective terms coined by Chinchillas.com, and used on the Auction starting in 2015 and 2019 respectively. They are terms used to describe the progression of the Royal Persian Angora (RPA) chinchilla gene mutation. They simply mean Generation 2 and Generation 3. G2 Royal Persian Angoras started to display ear tufts, lion manes, and/or longer fur. The G3 Royal Persian Angoras began to display even longer ear tufts and lion manes, or fur so long that it grew past ground level. Every angora chinchilla is different. One might have super long ear tufts, but not much of a lion mane. One might have no ear tufts, but fur that lays on the table.

Q: What is a Royal Imperial chinchilla?
A: The term 'Royal Imperial' is a phenotype name which originated on the Chinchillas.com Auction in 2017. It is used to describe the RPA/Locken hybrid chinchilla. An Imperial is both Angora (long fur) and Locken (curly fur).

Please do not hesitate to contact us with more questions.