CONGRADULATIONS!

The puzzle was solved by CincysMom a few mintues ago. You all did a great job considering it was a long puzzle this time. I promise to make it short and sweet if Iever have another go.

If you want to pass let us all know so the next person could go.
You guessed it fast though, good job!

Here is the completed puzzle as correctly guessed by CincysMom!

Resembling a small squirrel with large ears and a tufted tail, these rodents are sometimes referred to as the poor mans chinchilla. It is the most
common mammal in Chile, numbering more than 100 per acre. They have large,
bright, dark eyes and long whiskers. The fur is soft to the touch and brown to gray brown in color with a paler shade of yellow brown found above and below the eyes. The belly hair is creamy yellow. The tail is fragile and
can easily seperate from the body. The grinding surface of the
cheek teeth resembles a figure eight shape, giving the family it's scientific name,
Octodontidae, meaning "eight teeth. " They enjoy taking dust baths. They are
quickly becoming a favorite companion among animal lovers, however they are illegal in some states.

Here is a hint: I own four of them.
Mystery animal is?

Degu