What are the Black Spots on Chinchilla Ears? Should I be worried?

Are you worried about the black spots that have appeared on your chinchilla’s ears? With over 20 years’ experience in chinchilla wrangling, I can hopefully give you some reassurance on this topic.

The black (sometimes brown on certain colors of chinchilla) spots have been called freckles… but could they be age-spots (sometimes called liver spots). Are they the same thing, why do chinchillas get them, and what exactly does that mean for the chinchillas?

Black spots on chinchilla ears are melanin pigmentation – in other words, freckles. They’re nothing to worry about, and are seen mainly in chinchillas with the beige gene.

So, just what are those black spots on chinchilla ears? In order to answer this fully, we need to look at what are liver-spots and freckles in humans, and how they relate to chinchillas.

What Is A Freckle?

The first thing you need to know about freckles is that they’re hereditary and that not everybody will get them. They’re more obvious in those with paler skin, and will typically fade away with age, and even over winter.

Freckles don’t, contrary to popular belief, indicate that your skin hasn’t been properly protected from the sun.

They are, however, the skin’s way of creating a barrier against the sun by producing an extra pigment called melanin, inside the skin cells.

So, while freckles themselves aren’t a sign of sun damage in humans, the presence of them does suggest a skin type that is more sensitive to ultra-violet light.

What Are Liver-Spots Or Age-Spots?

Liver-spots is a strange term as they have nothing to do with the liver – the term age-spots would be more accurate. They are flat, brown, grey, or black spots on the skin that are usually found in areas that have been regularly exposed to the sun, such as the back of the hand in humans.

They are basically areas of pigmentation that increase with exposure to ultraviolet light, and with age. The pigmentation is due to increased melanin in a localized area, plus an increase in the total number of the pigment-producing cells, called melanocytes.

What’s The Difference Between Freckles And Age-Spots?

The main way to tell the difference is that age-spots tend to be larger than a freckle (which are generally less than 5mm in diameter), and appear later in life.

Freckles also tend to fade as you get older, but age spots tend to be more persistent.

A general rule of thumb is if the brown spot is small, has been there since childhood, has started becoming more noticeable due to sun exposure, and is on a person predisposed to getting freckles, then is probably a freckle, not an age-spot. 

Do Chinchillas Have Freckles or Age-Spots?

Could The Black Spots On Chinchilla Ears Be Anything Other Than Freckles or Age-Spots?

Chinchillas, like us, are susceptible to malignant melanomas (skin cancer). Therefore, it’s really important to keep an eye out for any irregular pigmentation on their skin, which could potentially be something more sinister.

If there are rapid color or texture changes (days, rather than months), then a veterinary investigation should be sought as soon as possible.

Chinchillas can also get moles on their ears (on other parts of their bodies too, but these are more difficult to see through all the fur). Moles are a non-specific term for various bumps on the skin.

They are generally brown or black, and slightly raised. This elevation, and the fact that they are generally not smooth to the touch (unlike freckles), allows us to distinguish between them. They are again not problematic unless they change rapidly, or bleed – at which point a vet should be consulted.

Why Do Chinchillas Get Red Ears?

You might have noticed chinchillas with very red ears at times. Chinchillas use their large ears to keep cool – they are really thin, with an amazing blood supply, which helps to get rid of heat by radiating it into the environment.

If they’re not able to get rid of the heat quickly enough, then the ears turn red – just like when we run a race when we’re really unfit. Because of this, red ears are a sign that chinchillas are too hot, and are in danger of overheating; and potentially developing heat-stroke.

Because of their thick fur, chinchillas are unfortunately quite vulnerable to heatstroke. However, you can take steps to avoid it, by keeping your chinchilla in a cool location, so its temperature remains regular.

If your chinchilla does get heatstroke, however, you should act to lower its body temperature and then consult a vet as soon as possible. This article has an excellent description of heat-stroke, how to prevent it, and what to do if the worst happens.

What Types/Breeds of Chinchilla Will Get Freckles?

Chinchilla breeding is a very complicated topic, and one that has a lot of science behind it. Some breeding combinations will result in the death of all of the offspring, so each genetic pairing is carefully monitored by reputable breeders.

The original wild chinchilla was a standard grey, and all of the other colors that have appeared since are as a result of mutations, and selective breeding. We won’t trouble ourselves with that here, but if you’re interested in learning more about the weird and wonderful world of chinchilla genetics, there’s an upcoming article on just that – so check back here for that.

So, if we don’t know the genetics of a chinchilla, what else can we use to see whether they’re likely to get freckles? Well, in this case, we use what’s called the phenotype. Simply put, this is the physical representation of genetics (e.g. blue eyes in humans is the phenotype, with some complicated genetics behind it).

There are only a few different types of chinchilla that show freckles, and they mainly all have the beige gene

They can be homozygous for the beige gene, in which case they are a Beige phenotype (confusingly, these chinchillas are not always a ‘beige’ color – they can often look pale grey); or heterozygous for the beige gene, in which case they can be one of these phenotypes: Pink White, Tan (also called Pastel), Brown Velvet, or Pearls.

They can also be any other recessive heterozygous carriers (i.e. those that don’t visibly ‘show’ the gene); and this is probably why it’s thought to be mainly those with the beige gene that develop freckles, rather than only those with the beige gene present (i.e. some other types with freckles go unrecognized as having the beige gene present).

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