Is there still a market or does anyone raise Chinchilla for fur anymore? I was scrolling Facebook and saw a old Chinchilla coat which is what made me wonder.

There is still a chinchilla breeders association and I have seen hides on the list for some of the larger fur auctions that deal in the ranch goods.

I saw a bunch of chinchilla pelts at an FHA auction once when they used to hold them in Seattle. Probably been 12-15 years ago.

Our tanneries process some chinchilla, and there are some local chinchilla breeders, but most of our chinchilla is imported from Wanger Furs in Hungary, and it isn't a very popular fur overall. However, at least here, fur coats made out of orylag rabbit are more common, and they're difficult to tell apart visually from real chinchilla. Quite a few people breed these rabbits, I've seen literal truckloads or rabbit skins unloaded at a local tannery. When ladies want something more expensive, they just buy sable or good mink with sable trim, as it is more recognizable and more difficult to mimic with cheaper materials (as a luxury item).

Chinchilla is probably the least durable fur there is. However, it is unbelievably soft. If you close your eyes while at the same time lowering your hand down onto a Chinchilla pelt, you can't really sense when your hand touched the fur it is so soft.

Very interesting, thank you.

Northern flying squirrel is remenicent of chinchilla in character,but not colour.

Our flying squirrels have pretty blue-gray fur, very similar in color to chinchilla (so do our red squirrels in winter). Actually, I once had a couple of flying squirrels in a bundle of squirrles I took to the tannery. They came back with a tag saying "chinchilla"

Once saw a guy at a gas station in the Twin Cities whith chinchilla seat covers in a big Cadillac decked out with big rims and spinners and a fancy paint job. He also had a nice big brimmed hat and a flashy cane. Not sure his profession though

I saw the fur and just had to ask what it was.

I wish you'd have gotten a picture!

I don't think we can harvest flying squirrels here, they do look beautiful