For the month of January, nineteen (19) chinchillas were surrendered, five (5) were born of rescues, and twelve (12) chinchillas were adopted. It's been a remarkably sad month with the unusually high number of surrenders coming in. Two of those were in hopeless condition and passed away soon after their arrival.

We've seen over and over simple chin care facts gone ignored or unknown. Chinchillas are easy to care for, but have some very specific requirements. We've had chinchillas surrendered with bags of high fat, high sugar treats, paper based bedding, plastic exercise balls and even seeded hamster food!

It is for this reason that we've come up with a handy dandy top 10 list of chinchilla care no-no's. Click the preview below to see a PDF of the whole, printable sheet.

Happy New Year everyone!

For the month of December, four (4) chinchillas were surrendered and eleven (11) chinchillas were adopted. For the year 2012 a total of 107 chinchillas were surrendered and 100 chinchillas were adopted.  Since our first adoption back in the beginning of 2009, we have found homes for nearly 300 chinchillas!

Month to month our numbers are generally pretty stable with the surrendered and adopted chinnies roughly equal. However, the mass surrender that we took in back in March, plus the babies born of pregnant surrenders still leaves us with more than 40 chinchillas that are still waiting for new homes.

Since our inception at the end of 2008, the Menagerie has experienced growing pains and stretched to accommodate. Where the chinchillas once shared the office with Whimsy, they now have not one, but two rooms to themselves. 

The Montgomery County mass surrender in March was one of the year’s highlights. Some other notable ones include the article on chinchillas in Critters USA magazine where Whimsy was quoted *cough* rather extensively.

Jamie Glaser singer/songwriter/musician/chinchilla web forum overseer extraordinaire surprised us with his goodwill and commitment to extending monetary support through a percentage of his CD sales and many, many people have extended support in a variety of other ways whether it be in time, donations or spreading the word.

We at the Menagerie look forward to another amazing year serving the chinchillas and their owners.

For the month of November, three (3) chinchillas were surrendered and four (4) chinchillas were adopted. It's the calm before the storm again. There have been many, many inquiries about Christmas chinchillas, which is rather exciting!

Pets as a gift is a highly debatable thing. In our way of thinking, whatever it takes to open your home, whether it be to save up for a special occasion, event or move, the addition of a new furry family member has many benefits. 

When you adopt a rescue, there is usually a process to help deflect any impulse purchase. With the caging requirements, contract, and interview, rescues generally produce better results when it comes to attracting those who seek to provide a "furever" home. 

Another benefit of adopting a rescue pet is the ongoing support andexpert advice provided by those of us who sincerely want to help. Unlike adopting from a pet store or stranger on Craigslist, we won't leave you flapping in the wind if an emergency happens, if you need boarding, supplies, or even medical and training advice. Plus, if the unfortunate decision to give up your chinchilla does occur, we are ready and able to welcome back any chinnie adopted from us.

The benefits to owning a pet are not one-sided. Studies have shown that pet ownership contributes to a person's sense of responsibility, provides unconditional love, and even boosts intelligence!

With that being said, we do have a handful of lucky chinnies who are going home for Christmas. So who would also like to open their hearts and homes this holiday season?

For the month of October, ten (10) chinchillas were surrendered and eleven (11) chinchillas were adopted. It was a giddy month when, until the last week, we had only taken in 3 fur babies. With all the empty cages, we actually got to allow the chins here to spread out as we opened up the jump holes on the triple stacks. 

Like busy little ants, we've had quite a time prepping for the winter. With hurricane Sandy and winter cold setting in, we've had our hands, stove top and oven constantly running with the fragrant varieties of woods we prepare for the chinchillas' gnawing pleasure. 

Our store selection has grown immensely over the past couple of months. If you've been following us on Facebook, you may have seen the teases and jibes Whimsy sends to alert our fans that another "something new" is coming. Lately the focus has been on chinchilla nutrition. Because the digestive system--from mouth to, *cough* tail--is the bane of the domestic chinchilla, foraging products are a necessity. Feed pellets are nutritionally complete, but are considered a "soft" food. In the wild, chinchillas will scavenge for grasses, leaves, bark, roots, herbs, flowers and other high fiber foods. This not only gives their teeth the workout it needs to ward off malocclusion, but keeps their tummies and intestines moving, which prevents stasis. 

Our little cloud bunnies have a natural tendency to seek out a wide range of food items. Have you ever noticed that they will eat ANYTHING? Furniture, electrical wires, shoes and homework papers are all at risk for an exploratory nibble. So, we've come up with some exciting new food items that are intended to stimulate and meet that natural foraging penchant. Check out some of our latest creations, available in the Store, just in time for Christmas!

The "Chinchilada" is a man-sized whole loofah overstuffed with the same herbal hay mixture that's in our Piñata toys. We've taken the stuffing to a more economical level with this creative combo, bound with seagrass. Every bit of this delicious food/toy is edible and makes an interesting weekly addition. 

We finally have our organic grapevine rings back in stock...with a twist.  This year's wreaths are much, MUCH larger than last year's. And as an added bonus, we've sprinkled them with a generous portion of apple fiber (think: powdered sugar donuts) to help absorb moisture and to encourage your chins to eat every twiggy curl.

Finally, we have come up with a foraging mix that you can offer in a separate food dish by the handful. "Confetti Cuisine" is a high fiber, apple-infused potpourri of loofah bites, chopped hay, rose buds and petals, calming chamomile flowers, peppermint, dehydrated carrot and the ever-popular crispy, dried leaves. Until this new release, I've had to beat people back with my imaginary e-stick to keep hold of enough leaves for this new product. (Thanks, Matty and Matt. :S ) But like Cinderella, the plain leaves have been transformed into a luscious new dish that looks and smells absolutely amazing!

Why yes, yes I do decorate my house with chinchilla supplies. :)

Please keep in mind, all of our products are natural with no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives or other funky adulterating ingredients. (*cough* Beware those who color/flavor their chew toys with powdered drink mix or gelatine. Seriously????) We only offer what we are confident is good and safe for our fur babies, and share the new creations with you.

Enjoy! 

For the month of September two (2) chinchillas were surrendered and six (6) chinchillas were adopted. For the first time EVER, we've had to delay inquiries for surrender due to space issues. We simply do not have extra room to fit the numbers of chinchillas needing care and a permanent home. As it is, our current chin count is 102 with 3 boarding and 58 for adoption.

Pet stores and backyard breeders continue to be our biggest nemesis in our effort to reduce the huge numbers of unwanted animals.  Nonetheless, we have a gigantic support network of people who want to help. Girl Scout troops, high-schoolers who need volunteer hours for an honor society, middle-schoolers who need volunteer time as part of their required curriculum, and the high-schoolers with special needs who desperately desire vocational training that doesn't involve the usual, paper folding, envelope stuffing, or paper shredding tasks. Making our colorful, texture-rich chew toys is something they heartily look forward to. 

When you purchase from our store, not only are you supporting our rescue work, you are also providing work opportunities for the students. :D