What Is the Difference in Chinchilla Colors?

Chinchillas are furry rodents that are commonly kept and raised as family pets. If you are looking into buying or breeding chinchillas, you might be wondering about the variety of chinchilla colors. Their color combinations range from black to white, with many colors in between, giving you a wide selection to choose from.

  1. Standard Color

    • Although chinchillas come in different colors, the standard color for the chinchilla is that of a blue-hued velvety top with a crisp white bottom. Anything outside of the standard color is considered a mutation. Chinchillas with this standard color, however, are classified as light, medium, dark or extra-dark, but the hues and color combinations remain the same.

    Ebony

    • Ebony chinchillas are solid gray or black and do not have a white stripe on the belly, making them a mutation. It is only necessary for one parent to be carrying the ebony gene in order for this color to be present in the offspring. One of the characteristics of ebony-colored chinchillas is that they have a glossy coat.

    Charcoal

    • Charcoal chinchillas are a solid dark gray color with a matte coat. With a charcoal chinchilla, both parents must have the charcoal gene in order for the offspring to have the charcoal color.

    Black Velvet

    • Black velvet chinchillas have a touch of black velvet coloring on the top of the coat, with the blueish hue towards the middle and a white patch on the belly. Due to this distinct coloring, black velvet chinchillas are often referred to as Touch of Velvet or TOV chinchillas.

    Beige

    • Many types of beige chinchillas exist, ranging from dark to light colors. A white underbelly is characteristic of beige chinchillas. Depending on the breeding patterns, a beige chinchilla can be categorized as a brown velvet color -- when beige and black velvet chinchillas are bred -- or as a pearl beige, which occurs when a beige and a violet chinchilla are bred. Tan and pastel chinchillas are chinchillas that carry the ebony gene, so they have a solid brown color with tan ears.

    White

    • White chinchillas come in different varieties. Pink whites, as they are called, have white coats with red eyes and pink ears. Mosaic white chinchillas are whites bred with standard chinchillas, giving them a white coat with silvery patches on the tails and face. The breeding of violet and white chinchillas produce white violet chinchillas, which have white and violet speckled coats.

    Violet and Sapphire

    • The violet chinchilla carries the truest blue hue with a white belly. No black tipping is present on a pure violet chinchilla. Sapphire chinchillas are not a perfected mutation, but this coloring is identified by having a purplish hue.