Chinchillas are squirrel-like rodents native to the Andes in South America. There are two species of chinchillas: the short-tailed chinchilla (Chinchilla chinchilla) and long-tailed chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera). The short-tailed species has a stouter, thicker body and a short tail. The long-tailed species, on the other hand, has bigger ears and a long tail. When we talk of chinchillas as pets or the ones that are farm raised for their fur, we refer to the domestic breeds that come from the long-tailed chinchilla. Both the wild species of this rodent are on the verge of extinction, and are enlisted as 'Critically Endangered' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Colors of Chinchilla The original chinchillas are gray in color. But with years of breeding, breeders have been able to produce this rodent in different colors, including beige, tan, and gold. Standard: The normal color of this rodent is standard gray that is similar to the wild chinchillas. These cute little pets have gray fur on the back and sides, and white fur on their stomach. Beige: In this case, the color range varies from light to dark shades with a white underbelly. They have red eyes and pink ears that may be freckled. White: Rodents in this color are available in different shade variation. The most popular variety is pure white with red eyes and pink ears. Mosaic: These are a mix between the white and standard chinchillas. The mosaic colors look like patches of gray all over the fur, and dark ears and eyes. The reverse mosaic are those with white patches on gray fur. Black Velvet: These rodents have black fur on the top and light-colored fur around the sides. They have a white belly with a blue hue in the fur. Ebony: Colors can range from gray to solid black. They usually have a gray belly, but some may even have a black belly matching their fur color. Tan: They look very similar to the beige variety and have the ebony gene, which is why they don't have a white tummy like the beige rodents. Instead, they are solid brown all over their body. Goldbar: This is one of the rarest colors in which chinchillas are found. They have golden fur on the top, white around the sides, and have dark red eyes and white stomach. Color Mutation Percentage

Color	Percentage
Standard to Standard	100% Standard
Standard to White	50% Standard 50% White
Standard to Beige (heterozygous)	50% Standard 50% Beige
Standard to Beige (homozygous)	100% Heterozygous Beige
Standard to Black Velvet	50% Standard 50% Black Velvet
White to Beige (heterozygous)	25% Standard 25% White 25% Beige 25% Pink White (White and Beige)
White to Beige (homozygous)	50% Pink White 50% Heterozygous Beige
White to Black Velvet	25% Standard 25% White 25% Black Velvet 25% White and Black Velvet Mosaic
White to White	25% Standard 50% White 25% Lethal factor (no offspring)
Beige (heterozygous) to Black Velvet	25% Standard 25% Beige 25% Black Velvet 25% TOV Beige
Beige (homozygous) to Black Velvet	50% TOV Beige 50% Heterozygous Beige
Beige (heterozygous) to Beige (heterozygous)	25% Standard 50% Heterozygous Beige 25% Homozygous Beige
Beige (heterozygous) to Beige (homozygous)	50% Heterozygous Beige 50% Homozygous Beige
Beige (homozygous) to Beige (homozygous)	100% Homozygous Beige
Black Velvet to Black Velvet	25% Standard 50% Black Velvet 25% Lethal factor (no offspring)
Standard to Ebony, Sapphire or Violet	100% Standard (Ebony, Sapphire or Violet carrier)
White, Beige, or Black Velvet to Ebony, Sapphire, or Violet	50% Standard (Ebony, Sapphire, or Violet carrier) 50% White, Beige, or Black Velvet (Ebony, Sapphire or Violet carrier)
Ebony to Ebony	100% Ebony
Sapphire to Sapphire	100% Sapphire
Violet to Violet	100% Violet
Ebony to Sapphire	100% Standard (Ebony and Sapphire carrier)
Ebony to Violet	100% Standard (Ebony and Violet carrier)
Sapphire to Violet	100% Standard (Sapphire and Violet carrier)
TOV Violet (Sapphire, Ebony) to Violet (Sapphire, Ebony)	50% Violet (Sapphire, Ebony) 50% TOV Violet (TOV Sapphire, TOV Ebony)
TOV Violet (TOV Sapphire, TOV Ebony) to TOV Violet (TOV Sapphire, TOV Ebony)	25% Violet (Sapphire, Ebony) 50% TOV Violet (TOV Sapphire, TOV Ebony) 25% Lethal factor (no offspring)