Established in 1961
American Chinchilla Rabbit Breeders Association
History
​The origins of the American Chinchilla start just after the turn of the 20th century with a small, chinchilla-colored rabbit that we now call the Standard Chinchilla.
Historians agree that the standard chinchilla originally came from France, and most credit M. J. Dybowski with creating it by crossing a blue doe with an agouti buck, possibly a wild rabbit (Domestic rabbits are the wild rabbits of Europe and not closely related to the wild rabbits of the Americas.)
Those standard chinchillas came to America in 1919. Edward Stahl, of Pearl River, New York, bought many of those new arrivals and set about creating a larger rabbit to satisfy demands of the fur and rabbit meat industry of the day. Stahl and other breeders created the American Heavyweight Chinchilla from a cross of those standard chinchillas with larger breeds including New Zealands, Flemish Giants and Beverens. The American Heavyweight Chinchilla would become the American Chinchilla, with a standard first introduced at the Colorado Convention in 1925. Stahl also created the Giant Chinchilla.
Strong promotion quickly put the American Chinchilla at the top of rabbit breeds in this country. From November 1928 to November 1929 more than 17,000 American Chinchillas were registered, a record that still stands today. In 1930 the Chinchilla club had more than 1,500 members!
The American Chinchilla was one of the most common breeds in the country until well after World War II. It was used to create other breeds including the silver marten and the American sable.
But at the same time the fur industry started to decline after the war, rabbit meat producers turned their attention to New Zealands and Californians for their meat qualities (and white pelts). By the 1970s and 80s, as many fanciers turned to newly-created smaller breeds, the American Chinchilla became rare in production barns and on the show table. In the 90s and early 2000s,
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Senior bucks are 9 to 11 pounds & senior does are 10 to 12 pounds.
Chinchilla Fur
Gorgeous Fur
Lovely Length and Dense Rollback​
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Length and Density
Describing the Am Chin Fur Length and Density
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Guard Hairs
Describing the unique Am Chin guard hairs that create the surface pattern.
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Color and Rings
Check out this report from Dr. Steve Roush on the wideband gene for the American Chinchilla.
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Ring Color, Definition, and Density
On the wideband gene in American Chinchilla Rabbits
By Dr. Steve Roush
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Let me start with an observation most judges (well- the better ones) know but that often breeders may not. Is it “wideband” as made by the “ww” or just a “wider band?” Simply blow in the belly fur. Does it have undercolor? If no, then the chin is genetically a wideband. If it has blue undercolor, then it is not wideband. Note that the standard allows for “either white or blue belly undercolor.” Thus you can show either!
Breeding wideband to wideband yields 100 percent wideband. As for the non-extension gene, it should never be in an American Chin program. It eventually creates what the Europeans call Sallander, lf self. It’s like a gorgeous Tort but no brown coloration.
Some of you who may have the ww and ee genes in other breeds will get Ermines, a very light, almost white, looking rabbit with black tipping at the ends of the hair shaft. Does it clarify ring definition or crisp up the light pearl bands? IMO that varies with your strain characteristics, some gene modifiers and your preference. Won’t we all agree that “light pearl band” is really interpreted by us and the judges as “whiter is better”?
Clearly density is a huge factor in ring definition. Obviously, those rabbits starting or in a molt have poor ring definition due to the many different stages of hair growth that muddies the appearance when we blow into the coat. If you haven’t done it, go look at Rex or Mini Rex Chin coats. Their density varies significantly and correlated with that is the ring definition.
In showing your chins, be sure to listen to judges’ comments. If they don’t mention ring color, ring definition, ring undercolor, density and length, you are getting shortchanged. Also, to truly see ring definition, I condense the fur and then blow into it. Helps to reaffirm the definition, collects all the guard hairs to the surface and thus shows a solid black surface. It’s a good practice when evaluating your stock.
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NOTE: Dr. Roush originally shared this information on a Facebook post and offered it to us to use it in our newsletter. Also note that Dr. Roush will be judging American Chinchillas at the 100th ARBA anniversary convention in Louisville Kentucky in 2023! Looking forward to it!
--Walt
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Surface Color
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Commecial Type
Commercial Type
Describing the Commercial Type
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Balance
Describing the balance of width, depth, length for show.