Royal Persian Angora's (often abbreviated to RPA) are the long coated Chinchillas and still relatively rare in the UK although have been around since the 1960s elsewhere in the world. When breeding for the Angora coat, Carriers (often abbreviated to RPAc) are sometimes produced which can look like a normal short coat Chinchilla but they have the ability to produce the long coat when paired to the correct partner.
There are several aspects of the Chinchilla that can be affected by the Angora genes, it is not just the body fur that is longer. Some can have 'ear tufts' where the fur behind/around the ear is longer than the body, others have longer fur around the head/neck, making them look to have a lions mane, and others have longer tail fur, making their tails very bushy (these often have longer inner ear hair and whiskers too).
RPA's have been in the UK for quite a few years now however as it is a relatively recessive gene it is mainly RPAc that are seen available as there are only a few breeders in UK specialising on RPA so they often keep back babies to further their breeding.
Keeping an RPA Chinchilla is pretty much the same as keeping a regular coated Chinchilla. I personally have found that they do require a finer sand ( more dust like) alongside the Sepolita sand in order to keep their coats clean as Sepolita alone can leave it looking a bit greasy/damp. They also need checking for matting especially around their rear.
The cost of RPA and RPAc are often higher than regular Chinchillas so if your looking for a 'cheap' Chinchilla then your best just looking at regular coated Chinchillas. RPA's can cost £400-1000 each and the RPAc can cost £150-400 each
There are several aspects of the Chinchilla that can be affected by the Angora genes, it is not just the body fur that is longer. Some can have 'ear tufts' where the fur behind/around the ear is longer than the body, others have longer fur around the head/neck, making them look to have a lions mane, and others have longer tail fur, making their tails very bushy (these often have longer inner ear hair and whiskers too).
RPA's have been in the UK for quite a few years now however as it is a relatively recessive gene it is mainly RPAc that are seen available as there are only a few breeders in UK specialising on RPA so they often keep back babies to further their breeding.
Keeping an RPA Chinchilla is pretty much the same as keeping a regular coated Chinchilla. I personally have found that they do require a finer sand ( more dust like) alongside the Sepolita sand in order to keep their coats clean as Sepolita alone can leave it looking a bit greasy/damp. They also need checking for matting especially around their rear.
The cost of RPA and RPAc are often higher than regular Chinchillas so if your looking for a 'cheap' Chinchilla then your best just looking at regular coated Chinchillas. RPA's can cost £400-1000 each and the RPAc can cost £150-400 each