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?

We've been brainstorming like crazy and have come up with a bunch of awesome and adorable new seasonal chew toys!

In celebration of the season, we are offering a limited-time package deal. For a flat rate of $100, you receive the following with shipping included:

Christmas Care Package Deluxe (a $122.00 value!)

☆Shipping: 15.50

☆2 Cage Garlands (1 original, 1 Icicle twist): 15.00  

☆Chinchilada: 6.00                             

☆(2) Wreaths: 20.00

☆Snowman: 7.50

☆Christmas Arbor-eat’em: 15.00                 

☆Candy Cane Twist: 5.00

☆Candy Cane Toss: 2.50

☆(3) Rose hips stuffed willow ball “ornaments”: 7.50

☆(2) Apple powdered grapevine wreaths: 8.00

☆Confetti Cuisine sampler: 5.00

☆5 oz Probiotic cookies: 5.00

☆And with the first 19 mail orders…Jamie Glaser’s Christmas CD: 10.00

Of course, the items are all available individually if you would like to order more or less. See the Store for details and ordering information:

Is anyone else as frustrated as I am with their grocery shopping experiences lately?

While prices continue to climb, the quality and quantities we expect have plummeted sickeningly.  Boxes of cereal, bags of chips, even cans of vegetables contain less product, but with a higher price. And don't get me started on the packaging and price of coffee!

Can you feel my pain? Can I get an Amen??

Whimsy is determined to rebel, at least in her own way.  While others may scrimp and cut corners, under weigh and trim, we seek to make a BIGGER, BETTER product. Our good reputation comes from the fact that we're not only looking out for the well-being of chinchillas everywhere, but also their owners and the environment. In an effort to make effective use of all supplies and materials, we're constantly looking for ways to improve our store items and creatively use "scrap" bits and pieces that would normally go to waste. Which reminds me... Have you seen our new Carousel Hay Holder? 

In an ongoing effort to improve our products, some of the changes we've made, without fanfare, have been; 

• LARGER vine balls with our stuffed toss toys 
• THICKER slices of loofah and hay cubes
• BIGGER pumice stones and antlers
• FULLER portions
• CHUNKIER toy parts
• DENSER wood cage accessories
• And not to mention....MORE STUFF!

We love to hear the positive regard of our customers. And many times new store items and ideas come from our Facebook fans. We welcome input and collaborative efforts. So tell us: How may we serve you?