We had a creative weekend here at the Menagerie. Pairing chinchillas is like an art form. Sort of like finding the right color combination for a newly remodeled bedroom, matching chin personalities is just as intriguing. This weekend we had very nice success in pairing two different chins with two different singles who came with their owners looking for a same gender cagemate. After a couple of carefully considered tries, the chins themselves really make the final choice. Check out the adoptions page to see who went home to their new families!

We also have a brand new chew toy available in our store. It's called "Bones 'n' Stones." Well....it's not really made of bones. It's natural pumice with deer antler tips! 

In the wild, when deer shed their antlers little rodents and other mammals go to work to gnaw and devour the fallen racks. For rodents, this helps keep their teeth nice and trim, plus it adds highly digestible and natural calcium and trace minerals. If your chin constantly goes after your fingernails, he or she may be trying to tell you they would benefit from our new toy. *wink, hint*

Well, Happy (late) New Year everyone!  

I thought the ramped up holiday season activity would slow down after the New Year, but I was wrong. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. ;)

We've had a lot of folks make the most of our holiday package deals in the store. And return customers know the bargains they can get here as opposed to pet store prices. We've even gotten an inquiry from the UK from someone interested in our suspension bridge and ledge combo! (Does this mean we’re world famous?)

And, we're still continuing to receive calls and emails from individuals interested in learning about chin ownership and inquiring about adopting. So far this month, four (4) chins have been adopted, and six (6) more on hold!The overall numbers here have remained relatively consistent though. Just this weekend, six (6) chinnies were surrendered from two different homes.

Now, I would like to take this moment to dispel any preconceived ideas one may have about rescue work. Rarely have we ever encountered animals that truly need "rescuing". Most of the time, unforeseen life circumstances are the reason people end up rehoming their pets. We completely understand, and that's why we're here. We are the liaisons for pets and their owners looking for someone who can provide what is currently impossible. To me, Whimsy's Menagerie & Chinchilla Rescue runs more like an adoption center. Hmmm.....maybe we should change our name.....

It feels so empty in here!

We had a record adoption month for December. Fifteen (15) chinchillas went to new homes! My own small herd appreciates being able to spread out a bit now that we have so much extra cage space. We've even been able to open ramps to allow some of the bonded rescue pairs spread out as well. Which reminds me....

We were pleasantly surprised that only two critters came to us this month. Chi-Chi, a single male is under evaluation. So far we're rather pleased that he's so friendly! He's also showing some nice interest in his neighbors. We have hope that he can be bonded to another gentle male.

We also received a call from someone who said they found a "baby chinchilla" on their porch....Let's just say....it wasn't a baby chin.

Just this weekend alone, seven (7) chinchillas found new homes just in time for the holidays and several more are on hold for the big Christmas event. Each chin and chin parent pairing is unique. Sometimes the chins amaze us by who they select to go home with. Trust me in this, the people rarely choose the chin. It works the other way around.

We even had lots of folks come to purchase items from our store to spoil their chinnies with. We actually ran out of some things! Don't worry though, the kids and I have been working hard to resupply the store with lots of fun things for your fuzzbutts.

Thank you everyone who has contacted us to order supplies and toys. Your support helps us do what we do here.

On that note... there's still time to take advantage of our holiday package deals. *wink wink*

Done! Donedonedoneydone! Final exams are over!

Back to playing with cute little chinchillas!

Thank you all for your patience with us as we've navigated through this intense past couple of weeks. We're now officially open for "meet the chin" times.

Before I forget, thank you to our Secret Santa somewhere in Lynchburg who sent the very thoughtful gift. Big smiles and hugs to you...whoever you are.                             

Also, we've done a few updates to the website to reflect the learning curve we've had to experience with operating a rescue group and the associated store and website. Our phone number is now listed at the top, but Whimsy really prefers communicating via email.

We've also made the adoption contract and history forms viewable before downloading. Please be sure you are familiar with those documents before considering adopting or surrendering a chin. It serves as a prescreening device as well as a legal contract.

And finally, we've updated the adoptions page with pictures of available chins and those who have already found homes.

At last count we were at 11 chins claimed for the month of December, but have at least a dozen still waiting to be chosen.