Last weekend Whimsy went to a chinchilla show in Pennsylvania.  We brought some of our own chins and were very eager to see how they would be graded. Imagine our shock when three of our standard chinchillas won color phase champion, reserve color phase champion andfirst place ribbons! These were from a Shoots extra dark standard male and a sapphire female from Mish Irish's lines.

It just so happens these three were the very same kits whose mother had the uterine prolapse when they were just 6 weeks old. Unfortunately, their mother died post surgery from the complications. The kits were taken in by a surrogate mommy chin whose own kits were nearly the same age. Although she didn't nurse them, she did snuggle and groom them. 

We are all very happy to see how Zaporah, ZaraLinda and Zaine have grown!  Their mother did leave a legacy after all.

Our two invalid chins who have been recovering from two different surgeries are now almost completely healed up. Kismet, the black velvet girl who needed the hind leg amputation is bumping along just fine now. She's learned how to adjust her remaining rear leg to compensate for the loss of the other. She rides low to the ground, but can still manage to hop and jump to the same high ledges as before her accident. Her stump is almost completely covered over by new fur and it's actually quite difficult to notice the loss.

Xanadu, the chin with the uterine prolapse, has been returned to her previous mate. Now that she cannot have any more kits, she can live happily ever after without concern for unplanned pregnancies. Shiloh is thrilled too. ;)

We're nearly caught up on paying off the vet fees. But we thought we'd run an upcoming holiday special to help work those costs off more quickly. If you're looking to treat your pet to some awesome new toys, or if you are looking for a creative gift idea for the chin lover you know, check out our store page.  We are working on gift "packages"....so check back often to see what we come up with. :)

Take a look at how much Xanadu has improved even since our last update! She's drinking water and nibbling hay on her own, and her bowel functions are steadily returning to normal. ;)

Running a chinchilla-specific rescue, (and having so many of them as our own pets) has allowed us to have a greater than usual amount of experience with every imaginable potential issue. We have learned from a wide range of...opportunities. I suppose this is why folks often call or email for advice. :)

Most recently though we've had the unfortunate affrontation with a prolapsed uterus. (click for picture - WARNING, graphic image!)

This is the second prolapse we've had to deal with, and both times it has occurred with the sapphire mutation. Our little mommy chin was rushed to the vet where she had to undergo emergency surgery and spay. Fortunately her kits were already 6 weeks old when it happened, so they were able to wean early without too much stress, but I sure hated to have to force them through this so young.

Xanadu has not been recovering well and needs some prayerful support. Surprisingly, she's still fighting the effects of her ordeal, and has started drinking on her own! We still have to syringe feed her, but she appears to be more receptive to it. She is very weak, but at least she's started pooing again.

It was nice of Xanadu to hold off on this emergency until we could finish paying off Kismet's amputation costs. :) Now we have a new goal to work toward.