Looks like Haley may indeed have a Standard Chin (The smallest Chinchilla breed). The breed has had a recent surge in her state of Ohio, making it very likely that some ended up in pet stores. Here is more info in the reply to her email and photo that she sent me:
Note to Hayley: My email to you was bounced, so you didn't receive my reply.
Without papers, there's no way to know if she's actually a purebred, but she appears to meet the standard for the breed.
Her weight is within the proper range. (senior does 5 1/2 - 7 1/2 lbs.), and she appears to have the proper compact body type.
The ears should be no more than 5 inches long. They are measured by holding them in an upright position and placing a ruler between them.
The Standard Chins have more points on the coat than on body type, and I'd actually need to feel the coat and blow into it to evaluate the banding color. She does appear to have the proper rollback coat, but it looks a little harsh with a slight wave to it. (I had to reduce the size of the photo that Hayley sent me, so you won't see that detail in the photo that I posted here). When you run your hand over it the wrong way (starting from the rump), does it luxuriously roll back downinto position (desired) or does it remain upright?
If you blow into the coat, the base should appear dark, and the middle band should appear white. Her surface color appears a little light - but it may just be the flash.
Solid white spots, lack of the white intermediate band in the coat or extreme brown tinge in the intermediate band are all disqualifications.
She appears to have the correct length of fur. 1 1/4 inches long.
She looks very healthy and well cared for!
Here are some links to webpages with more info and website links on Standard Chins.
[url]http://www.rabbitandcavydirectory.com/Breed_Gallery/Standard_Chinchilla.htm[/url]
http://www.angelfire.com/alt2/dixonsrabbitry/
Pam
http://www.geocities.com/pamnock/
None of the chin breeds are very common. Where did you get yours from?
