Chinchillas

As mentioned in an earlier post Lance and I's first pet together was a Chinchilla called Squingey. You may be thinking this is a very odd name, but it was the 2 names of Lance's childhood Guinea Pigs Squiggles and Gingey which then formed Squingey.

Back in 1991 Lance came across Squingey when he went to a pet shop with a colleague and was immediately taken with him. He took me along to see him and straight away we knew he was meant to be with us. At the time not much was known about Chinchillas as pets and Lance and I had never come across one before. Knowing what I know now I would have done things very differently but I have to trust that the Lord meant it to be how it was at the time.

Squingey - with us 1991-1997

 Chinchillas are native to South America, mainly around the mountainous regions of the Andes and part of the rodent family. They are rock dwellers and generally live in large groups. Unfortunately at the time we only had Squingey not really realising they were a group living species. If I was to have anymore I would ensure we had at least 2 together. They are known to live up to 20 years of age but I have only ever known one to reach this age.


Chinchillas were commonly bred and sadly killed for their fur to be made in to coats in the 1920s, but as the fur trade died out Chinchillas started to be taken in as pets. The reason they were so heavily sought after for their fur is due to the fact that they have the densest (softest fur) out of all land animals, the only one who has even more hair follicles per square inch is the Sea Otter.  Soft seems to be my theme of the week. If you have ever had the pleasure of handling a Chin then you will know how truly soft they are and it feels like they are all fur and nothing else🐭 They are an entertaining animal and one who whilst nervous in nature can also be loving and affectionate and certainly not timid. They are clever animals and good escape artists!       

The  Lord is truly amazing how he made so many wonderful creatures and when he says and "it was good" you get a sense of how wonderful he considered these creatures he had created.

Genesis 1:31

 It's only after we had Squingey that we became aware that our neighbour also had one called Chester and since had two others Sherbert and Monty. When I started working at the college there were a couple there then. We have had a number of Chins at the college since and currently house 3, Max, Frankie and Tufty. The most common colour is grey but you can also find them in white, beige, dark brown and black. Max is the only non grey chin that I have met, he is white with flecks of grey and quite grumpy. 

 I am often reminded when I am around beautiful creatures like Chinchillas that they are only here by the grace of God and the fact that he wanted to create them in the first place. How thankful I am to him for this fact and how wonderful it was to have Squingey with us for over six years. The Lord uses his wonderful creatures to help support us during difficult times.