As the different colored chinchillas are becoming more common, they are becoming less expensive although some, like the black-velvet, still tend to be a little higher in price. Some colors are more common than others so the price of them will vary. Today, prices for chinchillas range from about $100.00 to $300.00 for the original greys and the more common colors, to $1500.00 to $3000.00 for unusual colored and/or show quality ones.
If you decide to obtain a chinchilla that is of a color other than the original grey, or even more so, if you wish to start breeding mutants yourself, although there are many things you should research, one situation you’ll want to be sure to know of is the occurrence of a “lethal factor” when breeding them.
For instance, the Wilson White and Black Velvet chinchillas carry a genetic lethal factor, thus breeding two whites together will result in 25% fewer kits, and breeding a Black Velvet or any TOV (touch of velvet) color to any other Black Velvet or TOV color will also result in 25 percent fewer kits.
And, if White + White or Velvet + Velvet results from a breeding, the embryo will never develop but be reabsorbed by the mother. It is also believed that this may result in a blocked uterine horn (chinchillas have two horns to their uterus that branch out from the cervix) which could render the mother sterile.
Often, names are made up to describe patterns that show up on a mutant animal. It is important to note that patterns are not colors. For example, mosaics are not mutated colors; the word mosaic only describes the pattern on an animal’s fur.
A mosaic chinchilla is a WHITE chinchilla, and they can have completely different patterns from animal to animal. If you would like to own a “one of a kind” pet, choosing a mosaic chinchilla will provide for more uniqueness than even one of the more unusual colors.
Much more information on common colors and mutated colors can be found in libraries or on the internet if you are looking to learn how to breed and maintain a specific chinchilla color