Open by
appointment
only.

We are located in the greater richmond area of Virginia And are available for appointments Mon-Friday between 10-4. We do not offer weekend or evening hours.

Our time is precious and our rescue is in our home. Please respect the fact that we are not an "open to the public" facility. Those who are "just curious" present a particular problem to our busy lives. If you are serious about adopting, you are welcome. If you simply want to look around, please let us know so that we can accommodate your visit accordingly. 

We do not ship chinchillas, but welcome those who are willing to personally transport their new babies home. Plan to spend at least an hour or two for basic chin care and handling instructions during the meet and greet session. Entire families are welcome! The new chin or chinnies cannot be surprise presents. The potential new owner must come to our facility for this process.

Adoption fees range from $75 for a single standard grey up to $300 for a fancy bonded group or one that has been spayed or neutered for pairbonding. As chinchillas are herd animals, most of our available chinchillas come already pairbonded. Our available singles have proven too aggressive towards their own kind to keep safely housed with another chinchilla.

Please review the adoption contract before scheduling a date to meet the chinchillas. This is a legally binding document which we will ask you to complete upon adoption.

Please read and follow the steps below to schedule an appointment to meet the chins. 

1. Make sure getting a new pet is OK with your landlord, significant other, mother/father, roommate or anyone else affected by the decision to bring home an animal. Be prepared to show your rental lease for proof. 

2. If you are seeking a cagemate for your current chinchilla, please review the information and process found on our Matchmaking page under Services.

3. Please review our adoption contract. The adoption contract is a legally binding document and you will be asked to sign it at the time of adoption. (You don't need to bring a prefilled adoption contract when you visit.)

4. If you already have a cage and equipment, THIS MUST BE APPROVED before any of our chins are adopted. We have complete setups available for purchase that are modified and chinchilla safe. Our preowned cages are less expensive (comparably) than anything you would find in a pet store. The start up-cost for owning an exotic pet is very expensive, often more so than the adoption fee. Our cages range in price from $150-$300

5. Have an exotics vet chosen and understand that a typical emergency vet visit for exotics range from $200 to over $1000. If you do not have the means to fund a vet visit, please reconsider owning a chinchilla.

6. If you are willing to agree to the adoption terms, contact us via email: maximilla02@msn.com  to schedule an appointment. Please indicate that:

A. You have read the adoption process and the contract.
B. You are ready to adopt or schedule a matchmaking session
C. Attach a picture of your cage and
D. Specify the dimensions or
E. Let us know that you would like to purchase one of our cages

7. Please bring a chin-proof carrier for transportation. Hard plastic cat carriers work well. Mesh, fabric and cardboard are not chin-proof. If you are getting a cage from Whimsy, keep in mind that a properly outfitted chinchilla cage is quite large. You'll need a truck, van, or SUV with removable or folding seats.