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The size of an average chinchilla is between a guinea pig and a rabbit. Adults chins weight 18-30 ounces and have a life expectancy of up to 20 years. These animals were found by the Europeans when the Spanish conquered the Inca Indians. Most chinchillas lived in the high rocky areas in small cracks and crevices and are indigenous to the high, cold, arid regions of the Andes Mountains in South America and were first introduced to the United States in 1923. Chins are members of the rodent family, with incisors that continually grow throughout their lives.

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