For the month of February, six (6) chinchillas were surrendered and nine (9) chinchillas were adopted.

We received word yesterday that Montgomery County Humane in Maryland got in a mixed group of over 26 chinchillas surrendered by one family! The wonderful folks at the humane society did an amazing job sexing and dividing the groups into male and female. Unfortunately, three of the chins had to be euthanized before we could help evaluate and assist. 

The group appears to be the result of a family left to breed without restraint. The size and condition of all 26 chinchillas is heartbreaking. Several have torn and chewed up ears. Most are fur chewed and all are grossly underweight. We are grateful that the family finally surrendered the group where they could receive the care they need.

At this time the chins are undergoing evaluation for health, behavior and possible pregnancies. 

While most of the time the surrenders we receive are from truly concerned folks who for whatever reason can't keep their pets, occasions such as this underscore the rescue aspect of Whimsy's Menagerie & Chinchilla Rescue. 

Your adoption fees and store purchases go to support such efforts as this. If you would like to contribute, or even better, make a store purchase, your donation or order would be humbly appreciated. 

As much as they may look like them, chinchillas are NOT bunnies. Although they are rodents, the natural arid habitat of the chinchilla calls for a diet that is totally different from your veggie-munching look-a-like. The chinchilla's diet should be very bland and very dry, high in fiber, low in protein, with virtually no fats or sugars.

Contrary to what many chinchilla books and even some ill-informed vets advise, their digestive systems cannot handle the moisture-rich content of fresh vegetables. And fresh fruits are a definite no-no. (Good Lord I have a lot of hyphenated words in this post)!  

We received an emergency phone call recently from someone whose chinchilla was lethargic and unresponsive. When the owner said her chin wouldn't even eat her carrots anymore, that set off the alarm! I asked her if her chinchilla's belly was especially swollen and she was surprised that I knew.  

Chinchillas can't pass gas, so if they eat fresh foods, the gas build-up can literally blow them up from the inside out. This condition is called bloat, and is life threatening. It can happen with the addition of the wrong foods, gorging on too many treats, or a sudden switch in diet. 

Please people, do the research before you adopt. 

For the month of January, ten (10) chinchillas were surrendered, and six (6) chinchillas were adopted. Four (4) chinchillas have come off of maternity watch without kits and are now available as a bonded group. At this time we have approximately twenty (20) chinchillas who are waiting for their new homes.  

One of our visitors commented that it must be difficult to re-home pairs and groups of chinchillas. On the contrary!  We have found those who research first the decision to adopt an exotic pet understand the unique needs of chinchillas and the fact that they desire the comfort of their own kind when we are not available to interact with them. That is, assuming the chin in question is not overly aggressive or neurotic. 

With caged pets, it's just as easy to care for multiples as it is to care for a single...within reason. But the largest consideration is the size and layout of their environment. A well provided home offers approximately 2x2x2 square feet of cage space per chinchilla. Overlap on space can occur withsmall groups, but in general these are the dimensions you'll want to shoot for. Having plenty of ledges, shelves, hiding places and other forms of environmental stimulation is absolutely necessary to keep your pets happy and mentally healthy. Too many times we've received (or seen) horrible cages that look more like jail cells than homes. Which is why we offer complete cage setups in our "pre-owned cages" page of our store. 

Folks often ask how much it costs to get/own/maintain a chinchilla. After the initial sticker shock of the pet, cage and accessories, regular monthly upkeep is minimal, depending on where you purchase your supplies. ;) *cough* If you haven't already, come check out our co-op style store. 

When surrender chins come to Whimsy's, they (and their cages) arrive in various states of condition.

This special case came in with chinchilla-size dreadlocks hanging from his back and sides. These knots can develop on chins with especially dense coats when new fur grows and tangles in the old fur during a priming (shedding) cycle. Rolling in clean dust serves the purpose of removing old, loose fur as well as oils and foreign particles in the new fur.

Without regular bathing, the knots can grow so large that they require a special grooming comb (typically used when preparing a chin for shows) to remove them. This is not a store-bought flea comb. It is specially made for thick chinchilla fur, with teeth needle-sharp to separate the super fine hairs. One such chinchilla stars in our latest video... it's a chinchilla makeover! Watch the transformation.

It'll take another couple of months for the resulting patches to grow back in completely. Check back later for before/after pictures.

MITCHELL: Okay, for starters, I think you need a strong opening sequence.
MARTIN: Are you serious? No one does that anymore. You just throw up the title and get on with it.
(Stargate SG-1, episode 200)

*cue theme song* Hair Rings 

So...our Facebook fans gave the thumbs up to post about this subject. Anyone offended can blame them. *kidding* :)

Owners of male chinchillas should be aware of the existence of what are called "hair rings". This happens when fur wraps around the shaft of the penis and becomes impossible for the chin to remove himself.  Some forums dictate that monthly hair ring checks should be performed.

I disagree. 

Subjecting your pet to intrusive monthly exams is not only unnecessary, but it's also traumatic. If a male chin is truly suffering from a hair ring, it is relatively easy to spot without having to manhandle his little manbits to see. 

Most of the time a chin can remove or clean his own. In rare cases, we must intervene. In our most recent instance, the chin in question had an unusual bulge in his sheath. To assist the little guy we used a sizable portion of 100% pure aloe vera gel (some use KY Jelly) to gently extract the....uh....length of the member. *cough* Here you can clearly see the ring on the extracted shaft where Whimsy has already started to loosen it.

This is a delicate procedure, which is why we do not recommend "monthly checks". Permanent damage can be done if you twist, bend, or fail to re-sheath. But I digress. Here tweezers are used to gently slide the ring down the shaft and tease it apart. 

Once the ring is removed, re-sheathing is very important. The lubricant helps glide everything back in place and allows for healing.

We hope this post has been helpful and not too intimidating. Hmm....perhaps we should make this procedure available on our "services" page.... whatcha think?