Jesse reigns as only chinchilla living at SC-CARES

Jesse is the one and only chinchilla at S.C. Coastal Animal Rescue and Educational Sanctuary.

Chinchillas are in the rodent family and are known to be crepuscular, which means they’re active at dawn and dusk. These adorable creatures, which look like a large mouse mated with a rabbit, are normally living in the wild in the Andes Mountains of South America. Sadly, due to the fur industry, they’ve been captured, bred and are now sold as pets.

The fur industry really took a toll on chinchillas in the wild. Their numbers have dropped by 90 percent in the last 100 years due only to hunting by humans. They are currently listed as a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Thankfully, the demand for fur has declined as more people become compassionate toward animals because to create one full-length chinchilla coat, it would mean the lives of 150 creatures. I think I can speak for Jesse in saying he would much rather we all wear our own skin.

Jesse came to us in 2006, the first year SC-CARES opened, and already was 7 years old. He had been a pet to a family whose children left for college, and the parents weren’t willing to continue to care for him. Chinchillas can live to between 15 and 20 years. Our boy Jesse is currently 15 and, thankfully, seems to be feeling quite good. Jesse eats a pellet food formulated for chinchillas and on occasion gets a couple of Cheerios and yogurt drops as a treat.

He has access to Timothy Hay but has never really seemed too interested in it. Here at SC-CARES, we try to let all of the creatures out of their cages, and Jesse comes out to run around the room weekly. He really seems to enjoy it. When he’s not out, he enjoys running in his wheel — a very large rodent wheel.

Chinchillas, like pigs, cannot sweat, so their ears serve as coolers for the body, and that’s probably why genetically they look large compared with the size of their bodies. Chinchillas secrete an oil from their skin and require what’s called a dust bath. If they were in the wild, they would locate soft dirt to roll in to keep their fur from becoming matted. We use volcanic ash in a dust bath container that Jesse jumps right into and starts rolling around in it. He is so cute to watch.

This story was originally published December 2, 2014 at 9:05 AM with the headline "Jesse reigns as only chinchilla living at SC-CARES."