How long do Chinchillas live?

In captivity, a chinchilla can live between fifteen and twenty years. However, if they’re living in a climate they’re not used to, they can live less than ten years. They normally don’t get longer than a foot or so. They’re native to the Andes mountain in South America - in places like Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay.

The chinchillas that aren’t kept as pets have a far worse fate. Chinchillas are often raised in fur farms these days since the hunting of chinchillas in the past has left the native population devastated. The animals have very soft fur, and many chinchillas are needed for the production of a single product. If a chinchilla isn’t wild or a pet, it’s on a fur farm being raised for its fur, unfortunately.