Soviet Chinchilla

The coat is silver-grey “chinchilla” colour: each hair is dark slate at the base, pale in the middle and black at the tip. The rabbits are large and sturdy; adults weigh 4.5–6 kg. Young stock weighs about 2.5–2.8 kg at 3 months and around 3.5 kg at 4 months, with a dressing percentage of about 56–60%. Does usually have 6–10 kits.

Unlike commercial hybrids, it is not demanding about feed and grows well on an ordinary farm ration of grain, alfalfa and hay. The temperament is calm.

Uzbekistan climate. It handles winter frost very well. Heat is the main risk: the large body and dense coat make it vulnerable at 35–40 °C. There is almost no research on how this breed performs in hot climates. Plan for a cool, shaded shed and good ventilation; clipping the bucks in late spring also helps.

Buying locally. In Telegram ads, “shinshila” usually describes a colour, not this breed: a “chinchilla Flemish” or a “chinchilla dwarf lop” is a different breed. Look for purebred Soviet Chinchillas at specialised farms and check the weight of the adult parents: a small grey rabbit of about 3 kg is not this breed.