We often get inquiries about what sort of treats are safe to give pet chinchillas. Whimsy has been known to visibly cringe when told what some people give their critters. Snacks from pet stores are notoriously unhealthy, even though they contain "natural" foods such as sweetened dried fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and flowers. Just because a pet store item has a picture of a chinchilla on it, doesn't necessarily mean it's safe to give your pet chinchilla.

So if these foods are not safe, just what is? 

Well...think about a chinchilla's natural habitat. They originally come from the very cold, arid (dry desert-like) biosphere of the Andes Mountains in South America.

This habitat produces foods that are high in fiber, moderate in protein, very low in fat, with almost nonexistent sugars. A wild chinchilla's diet is very dry and bland. With that in mind, a health-conscious owner will try to mimic those conditions as closely as possible. The best chinchilla treats are those with little to no processing, added sugars, or fats.  

Plain Cheerios, unfrosted shredded wheat cereal, steamed crimped oats, rolled barley, old fashioned oats, dried rose hips,  select wood sticks and twigs and pumice stones are some widely accepted good choices for treats and snacks. 

And for those who have been asking, we finally have our supply of whole rose hips back in stock. Check out our new(er) store layout for those and other chin-safe treats and toys.

(5/20/11)

Lately, we've been trying a new layout for our store. We're doing our best to keep up with technology, learn some new things to help our ever expanding business, and make ordering easier. The proceeds from our store help keep our cause going strong. Check out our new "add to cart" feature! 

We've also been working on some new store items. We now have a wonderful pile of organic grapevine rings and sticks. The chins here are in heaven nibbling and carrying these new tote-able chew toys around. Some of our local friends have gotten a head start on trying these out with their own chinnies with rave reviews. 

With the sales of our cage accessories and other rodent supplies, we are able to maintain the work we do here to ensure the chinchillas in our care are very well provided for and receive any necessary medical intervention. Remember the sick chins who came in last week? One has made a full and quick recovery, the other still concerns us. It looks like we'll have to bring him back to the vet for x-rays to rule out malocclusion. The poor little one is eating like crazy, but still losing weight and drooling. At least his runny little nose has cleared up. 

Rehome, reuse, and recycle.

Whimsy’s Menagerie & Chinchilla Rescue supports going green. As a business run by a single mom, the idea of reusing and recycling items is a natural and fun challenge. One way we like to conserve is by using the chin’s old bedding in our organic garden. We’ve gotten lots of nice compliments on our “mulch” and have seen the lasting effects of its built-in fertilizer on our shrubbery and flowers. We have big plans this year to grow our own loofah for the chins along with our usual veggies.

Speaking of loofah, this weekend we’ve designed a new chinchilla chew toy! Many folks said to us that their chins especially love the softer, shred-like chews. So we’ve put together the topmost, highly consumable favorites (loofah, willow balls and fruit wood sticks) into a single fun treat. Check out our new SuperChew Softie!

Of course we let our own chins try out the new toys. Watching them devour the new chew toy was like watching a fluffy piranha attack!

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*

We spent a good part of the weekend making more toys and supplies for the chins. Whimsy's original idea of pumice stuffed willow balls is a success! Check out the newest in our line of toss toys!

We've also updated our adoptions page. Come check out who's waiting for a new home.

We're just about full to capacity and really need to get these chins placed into loving homes. We WILL hold for Christmas, with a deposit. Come choose your new friend today (no pressure)! :)