21 Different Colors Of Chinchillas (Which Ones Are Rarest?)

Chinchillas are rodents that originate from the Andes Mountains in South America. They have very dense soft fur that helps to keep them warm in their very chilly natural habitat.

What color are chinchillas?

In this article, we have listed all of the chinchilla colors that will help you choose the pet that most suits your taste.

What are some of the most beautiful chinchilla colors? And which are the most rare?

To find out the answers to these questions and more, check out our chinchilla color guide up next.

What Colors Do Chinchillas Come In?

Chinchillas are adorable small animals that make great pets for families. They are docile and friendly and love the company of their owners and other chinchillas.

Chinchillas are also easy to train and look after.

But, what colors do chinchillas come in?

Before you choose your fluffy pet, you want to make sure you know all of the color options out there. That’s why, up next in this article, we’ll take you through all of the different chinchilla colors.

Chinchillas come in the following dominant colors:

• Standard gray
• Beige
• White
• Ebony

You will also find them in the following recessive colors:

• Violet
• Sapphire
• (Pastel) Charcoal
• Brown

Now, I know what you’re thinking. That’s a lot of colors!

Up next, we’re going to go into detail about these different chinchilla colors and help you choose the right pet.

Chinchilla Colors

Chinchillas come in many dominant and recessive gene color variations. In the next section, we’ll discuss what that means and discuss the different and some of the most rare colors in existence.

These chinchilla facts will help you choose the mutation that is right for you.

Blue-Gray Chinchillas

There are many different colors of chinchillas that you will find as you search pet stores, local breeders, and the internet for your new pet.

But which is the most common of all the chinchilla colors?

The most common color you will come across is the dark blue-gray. This is the dominant fur color.

Among these standard gray chinchillas come some very beautiful color shades. There are 3 in particular that are normally recognized among breeders.

Here is a list of them.

• Light standard gray. The lightest fur color.
• Medium standard gray. A medium gray fur color.
• Dark standard gray. The darkest gray fur color.

Chinchillas of this sort always have dark gray faces and backs. They have white bellies.

They are the only original colors, anything outside these is a mutation.

Dominant Colors

Chinchillas are popular exotic pets that are very popular with families with young children and people with allergies. Although the blue-gray chinchilla is the most common chinchilla color, it is easy for you to get your hands on other variations.

What are some other popular chinchilla colors?

Selective breeding has made the following additional dominant colors:

• Ebony chinchillas
• Beige chinchillas
• White chinchillas

Let’s get to know these color genes a little bit better.

Ebony Chinchillas

We’ll start the ball rolling with the darkest of all chinchilla colors.

What color are we talking about?

The ebony chinchilla.

Chinchillas with the ebony gene are also called black chinchillas and black velvet. This is because their fur resembles velvet.

Although these black velvet chinchillas have very dark fur, their underbelly are usually bright white. When you breed them with chinchillas of other colors, you will get chinchillas that are TOV or a touch of velvet.

Ebony chinchillas don’t just come in one bog standard dark shade. Here is a list of the most common shades.

• Light ebony (heterozygous ebony chinchillas). These chinchillas are black all over but they have a lot of light gray patches on their fur.
• Medium ebony. These pet chinchillas are very dark all over with fewer light patches on their fur.
• Dark ebony. This black chinchilla has very dark fur but a gray nose and a few stray gray hairs dotted on its body.
• Extra dark ebony (homozygous ebony chinchillas). This chinchilla is black velvet and has very shiny fur. Its nose and eyes are black.

Beige Chinchillas

Amongst the dominant colors of chinchillas, there is one that exists in two forms.

Which one?

The beige chinchilla. These are its two forms.

• Homozygous beige. The homozygous beige chinchilla is lighter in color and has red eyes.
• Heterozygous beige chinchillas. The heterozygous beige chinchilla, on the other hand, has darker fur and ruby-red eyes.

These chinchillas have white bellies and pink ears.

White Chinchillas

We’ll now move on to the lightest of all chinchilla colors.

Which of the chinchilla coat colors are we referring to?

The white chinchilla.

White chinchillas have all-white fur. You must not breed white chinchillas together, rather, breed them with other color chinchillas.

Some white chinchillas carry the beige gene so they are not pure white. They have red or pink eyes and have pink ears.

There are many genetic variations in the white chinchilla category. Here are some of them.

• Pink whites. A pink-white chinchilla carries the beige gene and has pink ears. It sometimes has gray freckles.
• Ebony whites. An ebony white chinchilla is crossed with ebony. It often has tan blotches on its fur and a white belly.
• White mosaics. This name is given to white chinchillas crossed with any other color chinchilla. Some of the most popular patterns among the white mosaics are the Wilson whites and the Extreme mosaics.
• Touch of velvet whites. These are white and black velvet chinchillas bred together.

Recessive Gene Colors

The dominant gene colors we have just discussed are the chinchilla colors you are most likely to come across when you search for your new pet. But aside from those, there are many recessive gene colors that are equally if not even more beautiful.

Which rare chinchilla colors are we talking about?

Here is a list of some of them.

• Violet chinchillas
• Sapphire chinchillas
• Brown velvet chinchillas
• Charcoal (pastel) chinchillas

Let’s get to know these colors a little better.

Violet Chinchillas

Likely the most popular of all the rare colors is the violet chinchilla. Both parents of the chinchilla need to carry the violet gene in order for the rodent to be this color.

The fur of these chinchillas is one solid color. It must be closer to violet than it is to dark grey.

This chinchilla has a white underbelly.

There is also another variation of this mutation called the white violet. This chinchilla is homozygous for violet and has markings like a white mosaic.

Some white violets have a lot of markings on them and others have fewer.

Sapphire Chinchillas

Sapphire is a recessive gene so both parents must be carrying it for the chinchilla to be this color. It is caused by a dilute gene from the standard grey.

These domestic chinchillas appear slightly blue. To tell a sapphire chinchilla from a standard grey, look out for the barring on its fur.

Brown Velvet Chinchillas

This chinchilla mutation is a heterozygous beige with the touch of velvet gene. It has silky soft brown color fur.

It has a white underbelly, white fur underneath its jaw, and dark eyes.

Pastel Chinchillas

Amongst domesticated chinchillas, you will sometimes find pastel chinchillas. In Europe, people know them as charcoal chinchillas.

These tan chinchillas are beige crossed with ebony. Depending on the colors of the parents, you will get either light pastel chinchillas or dark pastel chinchillas.

Unique Chinchillas

So, we’ve just had a look at the different colors of chinchillas you will find amongst both long-tailed and short-tailed chinchillas.

But do all chinchillas have exactly the same shades of colors?

No, not all colors of chinchilla are exactly the same. Some, vary slightly but are all within the spectrum of the dominant and recessive colors.

Underbelly Color

Thanks to selective breeding, chinchillas now come in a wide range of colors. But no matter what color yours is, it will likely have the same color underbelly as every other chinchilla.

What color underbelly do chinchillas have?

The fur underneath them is usually yellowish, cream, or off-white.

Upper Body Color

Chinchilla coat colors can vary greatly as there are beautiful shades within the recessive and dominant colors that these animals can come in. But although they can vary, chinchillas usually have one main upper body color.

Which is the most common upper body color?

The upper parts of the chinchilla are usually blueish or silvery-gray. These colors are most common on the standard grey chinchilla.

Tail Color

The main body of the chinchilla can come in a wide array of different colors but its tail is the exception. Most chinchillas have the same color tails.

What color is the chinchilla’s tail?

The tail has gray and black hairs that are coarser than the hair on the rest of the chinchilla’s body. The hairs on the tail are longest near the chinchilla’s body and on the tip of the tail.

The Original Wild Chinchilla Color

Before the exotic pet market began to boom and selective breeding started taking place, wild chinchillas were only found in one color variation.

What was the natural color of these wild chinchillas?

They were molted yellow-gray. In the wild, you will still find chinchillas of this color.

Chinchilla Fur Colors FAQs

Yes, you’ve got it right, chinchillas come in a wide variety of colors, not just your standard grey. And even within a color mutation, you’ll find some chinchillas with a more matte appearance, shaded appearance, and even those with different eye colors.

Do you have some questions about color genes or different shades of chinchilla fur?

Then take a look at the following FAQs section where we will be answering the most asked questions about these rodents.

What Is the Rarest Chinchilla Color?

Are you looking for a one-of-the-kind chinchilla color?

Then you will love the gold bar chinchilla. Gold bar chinchillas are the rarest color.

This type of chinchilla is hard to get hold of and is expensive to buy. These chinchillas were first bred in 1995.

They are white but have a gold hue running along the top of their fur.

What Are the Colors of Chinchillas?

Chinchillas come in far more colors than just your standard grey.

What colors do they come in?

Chinchillas are standard grey, beige, white, or ebony. You will also find mutations that are violet, sapphire, charcoal, and brown amongst many other colors.

Amongst these block colors, you will also find variations that steer slightly away from the main color by means of recessive genes. Some examples of these are white mosaic, white sapphire, and pink-white chinchillas.

How Much Is a Violet Chinchilla?

Do you want a violet chinchilla to be your next household pet?

Then you’re no doubt keen to know how much they cost. Chinchillas with violet fur cost about $500.

They are considerably more expensive than your average standard gray chinchillas which usually cost about $200.

The final price of the chinchilla will depend on the country you live in and how rare the chinchilla is in your area.

Do Chinchillas Change Color?

You’ve just brought a baby chinchilla and you love the color of its fur.

But will it still be that color when it grows up?

Most chinchillas change color slightly as they get older.

Some are light when they are born with dark ears and a tail that is a darker shade than the rest of their bodies. These chinchillas tend to darken to their tail color when they are older.

Other chinchillas are dark in body with lighter tails. These tend to get lighter and match their tail color when they get older.

Only a small percentage of chinchillas are born one color and stay that color for their entire lives. Before you purchase a rare mutation from a breeder, it is best you ask them what color you can expect the chinchilla to be when it is an adult.

How Many Colors of Chinchillas Are There?

Standard grey chinchillas are the most common color of these rodents. This is a dominant color.

How many colors are there in total?

There are over 30 different mutations and possible ways to breed chinchillas. Of the 30, the most common mutations are those derived from ebony, white, beige, and gray chinchillas.

What Color Eyes Do Chinchillas Have?

Are you looking for a chinchilla with black or ruby eyes? Is it possible for them to have pink eyes?

The eye colors of a chinchilla will vary depending on its genes. The most common colors are ruby, red, pink, brown, and black.

Rodents of this kind with light fur like a pink white, or an ebony white are likely to have red or pink eyes.

Chinchillas with darker fur such as the black velvet chinchilla are likely to have darker eyes.

Getting to Know All the Chinchilla Colors

Many people think the standard grey chinchilla is the only chinchilla coat color out there. But thanks to this article, we’ve seen that there are many different chinchilla coat colors.

The most common colors for these rodents are the standard gray, white, beige, and ebony. But if you want something different, search out reputable breeders that have violet, sapphire, brown velvet, and pastel chinchillas.

Did you find this article interesting?

At Oddly Cute Pets, we always strive to provide you with the best articles about chinchillas, hamsters, guinea pigs, and other small pets. For more information on what you must feed these pets and how you must look after them, check out our website.

Thanks for reading!