About Us

When you compare the time it takes someone to walk into a petstore and buying any pet versus going through a rescue's adoption process it may seem like more of a bother.  The reason being is that, the pet store is there to make money.  They want you to buy the pet and everything they sell for that pet.  The quicker the better, for them.

At this rescue and all other rescues, our top priority is the animal itself.  We want all our chinchillas to be in a safe and happy home.  Sometimes we have received these chins in poor condition.  We've worked hard to get them in good health and socialize them.  They deserve to get the same care at their new home and we want to make sure of that.

During the adoption process we also will help educate you not only about chinchillas in general but about the chinchilla you are interested in. 

In today's society everyone is in such a rush to get things but shouldn't you want to take your time with a pet that will part of your life for up to 20 years?  

If people stopped buying in pet stores and contacted their local officials about stopping the sale of animals in stores it would slow down the number of unwanted pets.  There will always be pets in need but shouldn't we do our best to stop a HUGE part of the problem? 

Pet stores do not educate people on all of the ins and outs of a certain pet.  Most sales people don't know a lot about the variety of pets.  Bad information is common in pet stores and soon people have a pet that doesn't work for their lifestyle. 

THINK before you buy!  There are better options. 

There are good breeders and there are backyard breeders.  Backyard breeders are there to make money. They want to "create" as much profit in the least amount of time.  Some of these people will go through online ads and get all the free chinchillas they can find and then breed them over and over.  They are disgusting people and NO ONE should ever support a backyard breeder.

Good breeders, are breeding to ensure there are no health issues in future lines.  They want the best and healthiest animals.  We do need good breeders to ensure that future chinchillas have less chance of getting malo and other genetic related issues.  Good breeders will NEVER breed chinchillas that have any hint of malo in their background.  They are breeders to make the species better and healthier.  If you don't want a rescue, find a good breeder with a GOOD reputation. 

A lot of people don't want a rescue as most are adults because they feel if they get a baby chin they can make the chin be more cuddly.  Chinchillas ARE NOT a cuddly pet. They don't like to be overly handled regardless if you have handled them from 8 weeks or 8 years. 

They all are very different and have their own personalities.  Some chinchillas do like to be held but it has nothing to do with having them from the time there were a baby.

Babies all have to go through puberty and can change their personality.  Some get cranky and moody.  With an adult chinchilla, you can see their personality.  

Some chinchillas aren't the friendliest but it's not because they are rescues. While some do need more socialization due to the life they had before they ended up in the rescue, they are all very different. 

One pair of chins that I had were the friendliest chins I've ever seen.  Both were very affectionate and loved people.  Some rescues though, do need more time to adapt to new settings.  

Nothing is wrong with breeding IF YOU are doing the proper way.  This means breeding QUALITY, PEDIGREED chinchillas.  There is a HUGE difference between the chinchilla you pick up at a byb or pet store.  Pedigreed chinchillas have their "lines" or family history known.  This is really important so you don't pass on genetic issues such as malo, seizures and heart murmurs. 

Even though some people think their chinchilla is a beautiful animal, if it's not of breeding quality and you don't know the lines then don't breed it!!  There are countless unwanted chinchillas out there and this rescue is proof of that. I have to turn away people just due to the sheer number of chins needing help. 

 Enjoy just having a pet and don't create chinchillas just because you can. 

No matter what you hear from other sites, vets or other owners the simple thing is that chinchillas should NEVER have fruits (dried, fresh, dehydrated or any other type), veggies, seeds or nuts.  If you are giving a pellet or treat with any of those items, its not a good diet for your chinchilla.  Chinchillas should not have sugars and by giving them items with sugar you are risking their health.  I stress this so much to people.  In fact someone adopted a chinchilla and ignored this and woke to a dead chin after giving them fruit.  Most likely the chin developed bloat.  Why risk your chins life? 

While some chinchillas make very few vocal sounds they are indeed a noisy pet.  They can get going around their cage making all sorts of noise from their antics.  Some chins bark and others scream.  It just depends on the chin but for the most part if you are a light sleeper I wouldn't sleep next to a chinchilla. 

There are many opinions on what sex is the better bet and the short answer is neither.  Both males and females make great pets.  BOTH act chinchilla like so chances are they won't be a super snuggly pet. The main argument for not wanting a female is that they can spray.  Females can spray urine with deadly accuracy however,  my own personal chins are all girls and none spray.  EVER.  It all depends on the chinchilla.  Some will spray all the time, others only when they are irritated and some when you are bugging them.

For males the biggest issue that is raised is the dreaded hair ring check.  It really is not so bad and unless your male is prone to them, they aren't something you are going to have to deal with often.  Most times a male will let you know he has a problem and once you have done one a hair ring check it's easy each time after.  For anyone not familiar with a hair ring check, it's when hair gets wrapped around the penis and needs to be removed by an owner.