(4/24/16)

Happy April everyone!

For the month of March, three (3) chinchillas were surrendered and two (2) chinchillas were adopted. It's been a frustrating month where we've had many inquiries for adoption and then the prospective adopters have come unprepared. One person came in a tiny car expecting to squeeze in a full sized chinchilla cage. One person came having just moved in to an apartment (that doesn't allow pets) and another person came with the vehement promise to return for the chins(s) they placed on hold...then dropped off the face of the earth. And another person showed up and oh, just happened to have already picked up a chin from the pet store but wanted to check out our place anyway. Yup! This is the life of a rescue worker. It's no wonder so many start up rescues collapse within a few years. Dealing with people can be so frustrating sometimes!

On a more positive note, we also get the blessed relief of actually meeting some really cool people. Thank you to those of you who present that bright spot of sunshine in our day.

As mentioned previously, we are gearing up to make some (positive) changes. Please forgive Whimsy if replies to emails are especially slow. We're also dealing with tax season (extension filed) and a possible move. We are actively looking for a new, bigger place so that we can allow the chinnies to spread out into the proper sized cages instead of our holding cages. We also want to grow our own hay, plant orchards so we can grow and harvest our own fruit and nut woods and....well, let's just say the dreams and plans sometimes get a bit out of control.

We did get the chance to go visit Rock Spring Farm in person. The owners are wonderful people.Unfortunately, it looks as though the amount of work the place needs to get it move in ready to our specifications is overwhelming. Who would have guessed 35 acres would be too small???

Anyway, onward and upward! We're confident we can find just the right place, at just the right time, for just the right cost. Is "free" even possible? *cough* 

For the month of February, five (5) chinchillas were adopted and four (4) chinchillas were surrendered. 

Fairly often we get in cases of chinchillas who chew their own fur. Barbering, as it's called, is a stress reaction. RARELY is it actually a genetic cause although chins who are genetically inclined to chew their fur are more likely to do so when under stress than those who come from genetic lines that don't show this behavior. Let me clarify, the genetic component is a trigger, not a cause. Anyway, I want to share with you the causes and cures for fur chewing as we have come to understand it.

We actually love getting in fur chewed chins. They put the "rescue" in Chinchilla Rescue and make fantastic cover stories. ;) Here is one of our more notable before and after situations. 

This trio of girls came to us in this condition:

They were overcrowded in a cage too small for even a single chin, with all metal ledges, ramps and a wire cage bottom. They had no place to hide and the height of the cage was too low to allow them to survey their area. We upgraded their cage, gave them one more than twice the size (especially in height) included wooden ledges, lots of places to hide, and unlimited access to a wide variety of chew toys.

Fur chewing chins tend to be nervous pickers, so the best chew toys for them are the soft, shreddy type. Giving them all hard chew toys "that will last longer" actually makes the problem worse. Fur chewers are showing their need when they pluck and shred their fur and that of their cagemates. If you only listen, they will tell you what they desire!

With this particular group, we learned that they loved vine products and fibrous hays. Our Edible Cage Garlands, Hugs & Kisses Garlands, Herbal Bunnies, Spiders(!) Chinchworms and Pinata chew toys were very popular with them.

We also learned that they viewed their food bowl as half empty, not half full. A half empty bowl caused them to become nervous and start chewing again. Since their former home was inconsistent in their care, they never knew when their food supply would run out. Within a few weeks of steady, regular care, their fur began coming back in again. When chinchilla fur grows back, it comes in patchy and uneven, like this:

Some people advocate that daily, out of cage playtime as mandatory for chinchilla well being. I'd like to debunk that. Interaction with our pet chinchillas should be a pleasant one, not a daily chore! In actuality, chinchillas view their home as their safe haven. (Assuming their cage is large enough and properly equipped). Obviously a small cage does not afford them the necessary exercise or stimulation. OVERSTIMULATION can contribute to stress that leads to fur chewing. Some chinchillas thrive on out of cage playtime, others become nervous wrecks. Once again it's very important to know your pet and their individual preferences. In the case of the three girls, they had zero out of cage playtime while at our rescue. They did, however, have basic care with particular attention to their particular needs. After a few months, the girls fur was completely grown in and they were ready for adoption. How's this for a happy ending?

I know this is probably the latest post EVER. But I wanted to get in a quick update before the month changes. Thank you Leap Year!

Anyway, for the month of January, three (3) chinchillas were surrendered and two (2) chinchillas were adopted.Our numbers are under good control now but we're still keeping a strict limit on incoming surrenders. Taking care of 70 chinchillas is so much easier than 110! Although, the amount of care needed for a small herd is basically the same as for a single, especially if they're bonded and share a cage. Thing is, we're taking care of 46 cages full of chinchillas!

We've managed to combine some of our single chins and pairs into small herds of up to 6 chinchillas. Once again, Whimsy always advocates for keeping chins in pairs or groups to provide them with their natural need for snuggles and grooming only their own kind can provide. And once again we do have our own singles here who are not safe to keep with other chins. In a cage, a victim has no place to run and hide from an aggressor... at least not very far. But I digress.

We're working on some exciting changes here at the Menagerie. Our little operation has slowly grown to the point where we seriously have to consider how we're going to continue at the current rate of growth. Had we won the contest to win Rock Spring Farm, the issue would have been moot.

Currently we are working towards implementing some new bookkeeping programs, watch for some subtle changes over the next year. The new technology has been an eye opener. For example, we spent over $12,000 just on feed last year! When people ask us how much food a chinchilla eats in a month, the question stumps me. I do know that we easily go through about 20 or more pounds of pellets and about the same in hay each day.

So for all of you who have been long term supporters, and all of you who have stumbled upon our website, thank you for your help! Keep those orders coming. Our supply store sales keep the rescue work going. Collectively we help our little niche of unwanted, but favorite furry pets.

For the month of December, three (3) chinchillas were surrendered and three (3) chinchillas were adopted. For the entire year of 2015 that brings us to 32 chinchillas surrendered with 36 chinchillas adopted. We do have 4 chinchillas expected in this month, but we finally have carved out enough space for that elusive clothes washer and dryer.

After the holidays we've spent as much time as we can muster toward fixing up the secondary chin (laundry) room. We'll still have space in there for four triple stacked cages, but now we're going to take back one wall for combined use. ;) The primary chin room holds 12 triple stacked cages.

In our space saving venture, we've had some wonderful success with pairbonding and larger group bonding with our own chins as well as with those who seek to find a friend for their own fur baby. Which has really helped consolidate the little space we have. The latest success story came with a male who had spent his life with a female cagemate who accepted a male friend with no issues. *cue all kinds of social agenda jokes*

But the point is, just because a male and female chinchilla "love each other" is no reason to keep them in a situation that could lead to the procreation of more chinchillas... who will eventually need more homes.

We have paired mothers with daughters, fathers with sons in an effort to keep the snuggle factor, without the risk of pregnancy. Of course the bonding has everything to do with compatibility. We have also pairbonded chins who have never been in the company of another chin since weaning. We've pairbonded a 17 year old chin with a 10 year old, breeding chins with same gender chins, babies with unrelated adults, so there is really no "magic" age or indicator that a single chin will or will not accept a friend. (Although pairbonding weanlings is by far the easiest).

The degree of friendliness a chin has for humans or even the family dog or cat is NOT an indicator of whether or not a chin will pairbond. The only way to know for sure is how they react to other chinchillas. Keep in mind, chinchillas do like to choose their own friends, so just because a chinchilla hates another chin does not necessarily mean they will hate all chins.

We do, however, know how to recognize an alpha. Those are the ones who are simply too aggressive to pairbond and have proven aggressive towards their own kind as a general rule, not as a single episode. We have on occasion met with chins who were too aggressive to pairbond. Our own mascot, Titus, is one of those. So while we will always push for keeping chins in pairs or groups, realistically speaking, it's just not always possible.

We could only hope that if this is your situation, it's with the chins best interest in mind that he or she is single and not simply for convenience or cost.

For the month of November, two (2) chinchillas were surrendered and three (3) chinchillas were adopted. Christmas is just around the corner and we're eagerly anticipating the start of a new year. Thanksgiving came and the chinnies received an extra special gift that day from one of our chinnie friends. Thank you George and family for your continued support and generous surprises.

Now. We have some very, very important news to share. The people from the Rock Spring Farm contest that we entered to win the farm, contacted us the day before Thanksgiving to let us know that our essay was chosen as one of the finalists. In the next sentence, however, we read that the target number of entries did not come in, so the contest is canceled.

*cue panicked music*

Pan out on person, hanging off the edge of a cliff?

Zoom in on hands outstretched... reaching... reaching towards a saviors hand...fingertips barely touching?

...then plummeting off the edge.

Yup. That's how Whimsy feels right about now. It's been rather depressing to say the least. (Actually, there was a day or two of hysterical sobbing). It's one thing to learn the contest is over and we didn't win. It's quite another thing to learn we were one of the "chosen ones" and had a very VERY good chance at winning.

But the saga continues. The owners have extended an offer to purchase the property at a reduced price. So, if anyone happens to have a spare $615,000 that they don't need, just let us know.

The property has a rental cottage that would help apply towards the mortgage payment. We also learned that some of the contestants have expressed the willingness to donate their entry fee to help someone from the contest purchase the farm. If everyone from the contest donated their entry fee, it would make a HUGE down payment. We have been talking with a mortgage lender and are considering starting a Go Fund Me page to help with this dream--but Whimsy thinks that's kinda tacky. What do y'all think?