The study was aimed to establish whether the chinchillas are susceptible to excessive dentition mineralisation and whether this may underlie reduced teeth wear. The analysis involved 14 chinchilla sculls, six showing excessive teeth growth and eight young and healthy animals. The sculls were visually examined and photographed; mandibles and teeth were subjected to mineral assay for the content of calcium, magnesium, and phosphates. The concentrations of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus were lower in sick animals; the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, on the other hand, was higher in sick chinchillas, and differed significantly from that in healthy animals. The level of phosphorus in the mandible was more than twice as high as that in other species of mammals. According to many authors, the excessive growth of teeth affecting farm chinchillas is probably due to a change in the diet in favour of low-protein feeds, which reduces the need to chew.
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