An animal control office in Northern Virginia asked for our help. 25 chinchillas were surrendered by an individual this past weekend. We need to find permanent placement for bunches and bunches of new chins. Most of them are single males who were previously housed for breeding, so they do not combine well with other boys. We also have a pair and a trio of young boys (presumably littermates) whom we're hoping to place in a new home WITHOUT females, so they can continue to live together as a bonded group.

Each chin has their own unique personality, and we've got a few absolute dolls here!

*cough* we would heartily welcome extra cages and other item donations at this time. Our most pressing need is for larger, chinchilla type cages. We currently have the chins housed in smaller overflows, but would like to move them into our regular Ferret Nation/Critter Nation brand cages. If you have one or some of these you can donate, we and the chins would be forever grateful.

We need to move these chins! If you can adopt a single, a pair or a group, now is the time!

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*

Well, Happy (late) New Year everyone!  

I thought the ramped up holiday season activity would slow down after the New Year, but I was wrong. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. ;)

We've had a lot of folks make the most of our holiday package deals in the store. And return customers know the bargains they can get here as opposed to pet store prices. We've even gotten an inquiry from the UK from someone interested in our suspension bridge and ledge combo! (Does this mean we’re world famous?)

And, we're still continuing to receive calls and emails from individuals interested in learning about chin ownership and inquiring about adopting. So far this month, four (4) chins have been adopted, and six (6) more on hold!The overall numbers here have remained relatively consistent though. Just this weekend, six (6) chinnies were surrendered from two different homes.

Now, I would like to take this moment to dispel any preconceived ideas one may have about rescue work. Rarely have we ever encountered animals that truly need "rescuing". Most of the time, unforeseen life circumstances are the reason people end up rehoming their pets. We completely understand, and that's why we're here. We are the liaisons for pets and their owners looking for someone who can provide what is currently impossible. To me, Whimsy's Menagerie & Chinchilla Rescue runs more like an adoption center. Hmmm.....maybe we should change our name.....