For the month of May we had an eerily quiet month for both surrenders and adoptions. One (1) chinchilla was surrendered and two (2) chinchillas were adopted. May tends to roll like that, although we have had to convince some potential surrenders that turning their chin(s) in to us will in no way guarantee that they will get the "time and attention they deserve." To be brutally honest, some chins are with us for years before they finally go to an adoptive home. 

And speaking of adoptive homes....

Questions regarding food have come up quite a bit recently. Pet chinchillas with access to an adequately sized cage rarely need limits placed on the amount of food they consume. Growing chins are especially prone to low blood sugar, and chins in general are at risk of gastric stasis if they do not have food available at all times. Therefore, chinchillas need unlimited access to high quality pellets and hay.

A school of thought exists that advocates chins be given a measured amount of pellets. This is a dangerous practice and is generally used with ranch chins that are in very tiny breeding runs with little to no exercise.

A chinchilla should be naturally "blocky," not thin. If your vet tells you that your chinchilla is overweight, consider the foods you provide. Are you plying your animal with high calorie foods they should not eat in the first place? Raisins, nuts, colorful pet store mixed treats and other processed foods are perfect examples of how to "kill your pet with kindness." 

Instead, consider the natural habitat of the chinchilla. Chinchillas come from a place where the vegetation is high in fiber, low in protein with no fats and very little natural sugars. Think about it. Do coconuts and bananas grow naturally in the Andes Mountains high desert biome? Of course not! Then why do people believe these foods are ok to feed chinchillas? Be smart, people.

Still not sure what foods are safe? Check out our store for more information about different treats, chews, supplements and food staples.

This is Whimsy and I approve this message.

We know all types of pet owners;  

• Those who purchase a baby animal and get rid of it after the maternal glow is gone.
• Those who painstakingly research before they add a non-human family member to the home.
• Those who inherit a pet from another family member or friend.
• Hardcore pet owner turned animal activist.
• The infamous collector who dives into snatching up several of the pet Du jour. (We call these the 0-60 in 30 crowd).
• The "pet is part of the family" group.
• The “I'm closer to my pet than my human family” group.
• Quiet and reserved who care for their pets but don’t necessarily shove animal love in your face bunch.

The biggest question of all is: do you consider the needs of the pet before those of your own? Humans are totally autonomous, but the animals depend on us. We give them food, water, shelter, companionship and a clean, stimulating environment… or do we? How much consideration do you give your pet in those areas? We hope that when people seek to adopt a rescue chinchilla, they endeavor to give it the best possible home. Do your motives measure up?

For the month of April, eight (8) chinchillas were surrendered, and six (6) chinchillas were adopted. One chinchilla kit was born of a surrendered female and six females just completed their pregnancy watch without babies. Whoo hoo!

We are still dealing with overflow surrenders here where our current chin count has exploded back up to triple digits. We have exactly 100 chinchillas currently, with about half of those available for adoption right now.

Rescue work is an interesting lifestyle. Sometimes people jump into the decision to "do what we do" without much forethought, but with tons of heart and spirit.  To choose this route one must have unlimited patience, time, space and *cough* access to funds. Our store items-- cage accessories, chew toys, food and other chinnie products-- ensure we can continue providing for the fuzzbutts. We supply our store with handmade, hand selected and often hand harvested materials.

As much as we appreciate the support of store orders, there are some ways to maximize the mutual benefit. Whimsy made the following post on our Facebook page recently that summarizes this point exactly:

"Hey everyone, we've had a bunch of requests for teeny tiny orders lately. This is heartbreaking, let me explain why. The postal service charges a base price on deliveries, then the price goes up according to weight, size and distance. It's the base price that's a killer. So if someone wants to order a single chew toy it's going to cost more than the item is worth just in shipping! As a single mother of four, I've had to live on a very tight budget and recognize the power of combined shipping and stocking up. For roughly the same cost, you can fill a box with multiple items and pay very little more in additional shipping cost. Just FYI"

As a reminder, we are now offering a free chew toy with orders of $50 or more. Is that incentive enough? Hmmmm....perhaps a ticker tape announcement on the store page would help....

When people come to adopt, Whimsy has an entire spiel on chin care and handling she gives regardless if they are newbies or long time chin owners. We have found that often, there is at least one or two misconceptions that people carry regarding the fussy needs of chinchillas. 

One of the most important chin care items is chew toys. No, they are not cute little decorations for them to bat around like a kitten would. Chew toys are meant to satisfy their chewing needs. Some people complain that their chins just destroy any toy placed in front of them. Um...that's the point. Chins are SUPPOSED to destroy chew toys. Think about it, they're called chew toys for a reason. If your chinnie simply nibbles on a toy and largely ignores it, this is not the right toy for him or her. Or, the placement is wrong. 

Just like puppies need toys to ease them through the teething stage, chinchillas have a continuous need to work those pearly oranges. Because chinnie teeth are constantly growing, the need for attractive chew toys is a must if you want to avoid malocclusion.

Over the years we have carefully designed each of our chew toys with several things in mind. Some nervous chins prefer the softer, shreddable type of toy. Others have super hardcore chewing needs and greatly appreciate lots of pumice stone and harder woods. 

Chins' teeth and preferences do, however, go through stages. So what turns a chin on one week, may elicit a snub the next. Our best suggestion is to have a wide variety of chew toys ever available for your chinchilla so that they may nibble and gnaw at will.

Because chew toys are so important, Whimsy's is now offering a free chew toy, of our choice, with any order of $50 or more (price before shipping). 

For the month of March,  ten (10) chinchillas were surrendered and nine (9) chinchillas were adopted. We have an unusual number of single chins who do not get along with others. So if you or someone you know is looking to spoil just one, then we have plenty to choose from.

We've found that most of the time when people first learn about what wonderful pets chins are, they tend to want MORE. This is great, from a herd perspective, but precautions must be in order to prevent unwanted, unethical, or unnecessary breeding. 

Another option would be to keep singles who don't like to share space, single. The Ferret Nation and Critter nation brand cages are our favorite choice. If you have space limitations, these dividable cages can stack three high!

Some people feel that more than one pet can be overwhelming in the amount of care needed. In actuality if you have a group of compatible animals sharing a cage, the amount of "work" is still basically the same as a single. You clean one cage, fill the food bowl, refresh the water, play, etc with a group as you would one. It's really kind of neat to see how they interact and the amount of extra time spent on multiples is negligible.  

Have I convinced you yet? We have lots of pairs and mini-herds that are waiting for their new families too.  *wink, hint*