Chinchilla rabbits: the rabbit breed, not the rodent

Is a chinchilla rabbit a chinchilla?

No. A chinchilla rabbit is the same species as every other pet rabbit. The Livestock Conservancy explains that a French breeder, M.J. Dybowski, created it to imitate the soft grey pelt of the much rarer South American chinchilla, a separate animal entirely. The rabbit was bigger and quicker to raise, so its fur was cheaper.

The difference matters for care. A chinchilla rabbit eats hay, grass and greens, lives in pairs in a large run or room, and needs everything in our rabbit care guide. A real chinchilla is a rodent that needs dust baths, cool temperatures and tall cages; our guide to chinchillas as pets covers those.

The three chinchilla rabbit breeds

All three share the same coat. What changes is size, and with it how much space and food they need.

Weights and status are from the Livestock Conservancy; ARBA gives the same top weights of 7.5 lb (3.4 kg) for the Standard and 12 lb (5.4 kg) for the American.

Standard Chinchilla

The original, and the smallest. Breeders call it the "granddaddy of all Chins". It reached England in 1917 and the US in 1919, and ARBA says it took the US by storm in the 1920s. The Livestock Conservancy describes it as docile, sweet, intelligent and curious, and says it needs daily exercise outside its pen and daily time with people.

American Chinchilla

US breeders selected the Standard for larger size, and the bigger rabbit was renamed the American Chinchilla shortly after 1924. The Livestock Conservancy notes that the chinchilla has helped create more rabbit breeds and varieties than any other domestic rabbit. It calls the American large, hardy and gentle; The Vet Desk, in a vet-reviewed profile, calls it passive and cooperative and good for families and first-time owners.

Giant Chinchilla

Edward H. Stahl of Missouri developed the Giant from 1921 by crossing a large chinchilla buck with New Zealand Whites and other big breeds. His ideal doe, "Million Dollar Princess", was born on Christmas morning that year. At up to 7.3 kg (16 lb), it needs giant-breed housing, like a Flemish giant or a Continental giant.

Other chinchilla rabbits you might hear of

In the UK you will also meet the Chinchilla Giganta, a heavier chinchilla shown under British standards, and the Soviet Chinchilla is a separate large breed from the former Soviet Union. We haven't found a welfare or breed-club source we trust with their weights, so ask a breed club or the breeder for the adult size before you plan a home.

What colour is a chinchilla rabbit?

Grey at first glance, and much more interesting up close. The Livestock Conservancy says the coat looks "salt and peppered", but blow into the fur and four distinct bands appear. The Vet Desk describes bands of black, white, blue and pearl over a grey-blue undercoat. Breeders describe it as a slate-blue base near the skin, a pearl band above it and black-tipped hairs that give the ticking.

Oregon State University Extension explains how it works. Normal wild-coloured (agouti) hair has a yellow band; the chinchilla gene replaces yellow and red pigment with white or cream, so the yellow band turns white and the rabbit looks silvery grey instead of brown.

Oregon State explains that the dilute gene turns black to blue and chocolate to lilac; the blue, lilac and brown rows are our reasoning from that, applied to the chinchilla coat.

Chinchilla lop, lionhead and angora rabbits

These are other breeds in the chinchilla colour, not chinchilla breeds. A chinchilla mini lop is a mini lop in every way except colour, and a chinchilla lionhead still has a lionhead's mane and grooming needs. Look up the breed, not the colour, for size and care: our profiles of the mini lop and the lionhead cover those, and our guide to rabbit breeds and colours has the rest.

Chinchilla rabbit temperament

Calm and friendly, by every source we read. The Livestock Conservancy lists all three breeds as docile and gentle and rates the Standard and American as suitable for novice keepers. The Vet Desk says the American enjoys being groomed. As with any rabbit, a calm temperament grows from gentle handling at floor level, a companion rabbit and plenty of space; our guide on taming and bonding with a rabbit shows how.

How to care for a chinchilla rabbit

Exactly like any other rabbit of its size. Here is the short version.

• A neutered rabbit companion; rabbits are social and shouldn't live alone (see rabbit bonding)
• At least 3 x 2 m (10 x 6 ft) and 1 m (3 ft) high for a pair, which the RSPCA gives as the minimum; more for American and Giant Chinchillas
• A shelter and run joined together, open day and night (our rabbit runs guide explains how)
• Hay or grass as 85% of the diet, a large handful of mixed greens and 25 g of pellets per kg of body weight (about an egg cup), as the RSPCA advises
• Fresh water at all times, changed twice a day
• Brushing at least twice a week, more in spring when they moult, as The Vet Desk suggests
• Vaccinations, neutering and a yearly vet check; our guide to how long rabbits live covers each life stage

For a Standard Chinchilla, a 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) rabbit, that pellet guide works out at about 60 g (2 oz) a day. For a 6 kg (13 lb) Giant it is about 150 g (5 oz), which is why big breeds cost more to feed. Our rabbit diet guide has the full detail.

Chinchilla rabbits for meat and fur: why they were bred

All three breeds started as fur and meat rabbits. The Livestock Conservancy says their numbers fell when the rabbit fur trade collapsed in the late 1940s, and meat producers now prefer all-white rabbits. Between 1928 and 1929, more than 17,000 chinchillas were registered in the US, a record never broken. Today most are kept as pets and show rabbits, and we write about them only as pets.

Chinchilla rabbit price and where to find one

Expect to look hard. The Vet Desk says American Chinchillas are hard to find for sale, and the Livestock Conservancy counts all three breeds among the rare ones. We haven't found a trustworthy published price, so we won't guess one. The ongoing cost of food, hay, housing and vet care is far bigger than the purchase price either way; our guide to what a rabbit costs sets it out. Rescues often have grey rabbits of mixed breeding that look very similar; our guide to where to get a rabbit covers rescues and what to ask a breeder.