Rest in Peace

It is a sad fact of life that everything that lives eventually dies. Chinchillas are no exception to this. Below are chins that we have loved dearly--some we've never met in person, but loved deeply nonetheless. They were greatly loved in life, and they are greatly loved in death. These chins will be sorely missed.

Chrystal
July 21, 2005 - March 21, 2010

Chrystal came to us with Mitzy, Trinket and Belle. She came because she recently lost a mate and had become severely depressed. She was living with the 3 other girls, but she didn't seem to fit in with them. Since Anika died, Lexi had become severely depressed and lost her appetite (though she wasn't sick). We decided to do intros with the two girls (and with their dad's permission). They went very well, and the two girls moved in together.

Chrystal's outlook did approve, her appetite picked up and she became more outgoing and social. She and Lexi loved each other, that was clear. Chrystal loved to eat hay and run on their wheel.

She was always a rather subdued and reserved chin, and that part of her didn't change after moving in with Lexi. On the evening of the 21st I just happened to look over to discover that Chrystal was lying on a pile of hay, dead. It was an extreme shock, as she was fine mere hours earlier. I was talking to the girls while we watched tv, and Chrystal was watching tv while eating hay.

We took her for a necropsy first thing in the morning, and waited a week to hear back. During that week we medicated everyone, just in case it was contagious. We then got the results back and found out that Chrystal had pyometra, her entire gastrointestinal tract was infected, and she had cancer. None of those things by itself is the cause of her death, but together, they were too much for her body to take.

As unbelievable as it is, all four chinchilla's deaths were completely unrelated. We've been incredibly lucky up until this year, having no deaths at all from the start, especially considering the number of chins we've taken in who have health issues.

Chrystal was a wonderful girl, shy and reserved, but friendly once she got to know us. She liked to be pet on her head only, and she lived to eat hay and run on her wheel. We miss Chrystal greatly, but know she is happy now that she has been reunited with her mate Chico.

Anika
August 26, 2006 - February 26, 2010

Anika's death was a huge shock to us. She was one of the 6 chins saved from Kansas. Anika and Lexi were best friends who found each other here, and they loved each other deeply. They spent almost all their time together, even chewing on the same toy together. They have been bording here until their dad can adopt them.

One night I noticed Anika was sitting on a piece of wood sleeping, which was odd behavior for her. We took her out and knew something was wrong. When she wouldn't take a dust bath, our fears were confirmed and we rushed her in to the vet first thing in the morning.

The vet said Anika had aspirated on something and had some involvement in her lungs. He gave her a shot of Baytril and vitamin B, and said there should be no reason Anika couldn't recover, but that she wasn't out of the woods yet. I kept Anika on my skin under my shirt the entire ride home. We set Anika up with the heating pad to keep her body temp up, and took Lexi out to see her. We knew when Lexi didn't want anything to do with Anika that things were going to end badly.

Anika died not long afterwards, snuggled up on my chest under my shirt. She was a wonderful chin, sassy and independent. She loved to run on her wheel and eat hay. Anika spent her waking hours either running on her wheel or chewing on thick chunks of wood. She loved to snuggle with Lexi in their hammock and in their extra-long fleece tunnel.

We are going to miss Anika greatly. She was a wonderful chin, very entertaining and independent. It was so wonderful to see her blossom after she met Lexi, it was like her anxiety left completely. Anika, like the others, died far too young.

Belle
March 16, 2007 - February 3, 2010

Belle came to us with Mitzy, Trinket and Chrystal. She was the sweetest, friendliest chin we've ever known. Belle loved to come for scritches and to be pet for hours. She liked chewing on the 1" willow balls and bagel bites.

At some point, Belle broke her tooth, we are unsure whether she came to us with the broken tooth. She didn't eat for a day before we realized it, and we started handfeedings until we could take her in to the vet. (It was the weekend, and there are no emergency vets int eh area that will treat chinchillas). Unfortunately, we weren't aware that Belle had genetic fatty liver: her mother, grandmother and sisters all died of it. By the time we brought Belle in, it was too late. The fatty liver took over and ketones were flooding her system. She got her tooth clipped and got a Vitamin B shot, and we brought Belle home to do our best. She died shortly after we arrived home, after she said goodbye to her cagemates. She snuggled up on my chest, under my shirt, and died hearing how much we loved her and how sorry we were.

We will always miss and love Belle. She was such a special girl, so friendly and loving. Belle died far-too-young.

Earnest Anselm
April 4, 2006 - January 5, 2010

Earnest Anselm was our second chinchilla, whom we adopted in August 2006. He was a dwarf chinchilla, though we did not know it when we got him. 

When we bought Earnest Anselm from a hobby breeder, he was the size of a large gerbil. He weighed about 120 grams, and he was four months old. He was a third of the weight he should have been. The breeder told us he was a runt. We took Earnest Anselm home, where we realized he couldn't jump. Over time, we came to determine, with vet assistance, that he had neurological issues. We worked intensively with him every day during play time to teach him to jump, to balance, to run. He could jump higher than our other chinchillas, reaching a height of 3 feet from a standstill.

Earnest Anselm had neurological issues due to being a dwarf chinchilla, and those issues were amplified by inadequate care as an infant and young chinchilla.

Earnest Anselm, Tremendous Mr. Fancy Tail. The noble, the brave, the amazing, the fighter. He died, under my shirt, in my hands. After I promised we will take good care of Johan. 

He died from a prolapsed rectum, he was freezing cold. He was fine earlier in the day. We just had playtime two nights previously. Kjell was feeding everyone when Johan let him know something was horribly wrong. 

Earnest Anselm is the reason we take in chins with health issues. Earnie Anselm was a dwarf. He had neurological issues. When he came to us he couldn't jump. He had a screw tail. Earnest Anselm had the best attitude I've ever seen. He was so outgoing and friendly. He was fearless. We will always miss him.

Ryu
died April 25, 2009

Ryu had a very difficult life. He was flown from Japan to Hawaii, then passed from home to home. For years, Ryu got horrible care until he was adopted by Daisha and her family. There, he got nothing but the best of everything. They even paid to have a Quality Cage shipped to them from the mainland.

Ryu was given a name that they hoped would reflect his energetic spirit. They loved him tremendously.

When his family moved to the mainland, our rescue, Nick's Animal Place and Wunderchins Forum sponsored a raffle to raise the cost of his ticket. It was through the kindness and generosity of a countless many that he got to come here and stay with his family.

A few months after settling in, the economy took a turn for the worse, and his family has been unable to secure work. It was an excruciating decision that Ryu and his new friend Remy be returned to the rescue that had hosted Ryu when he first arrived here. Ryu's health had taken a turn for the worse, and his family couldn't afford to take him to the vet.

Sadly, before the rescue could secure Ryu an appointment, he died. We all cried for days afterwards, we loved Ryu so much. We did everything we could for him, and still it wasn't enough. Poor Ryu had died from liver failure.

With Daisha, he had a wonderful life. It was the best time he'd seen. Though we didn't know his age, the good times were not nearly long enough. Rest in Peace, Ryu. We miss you.

Bella
died March 5, 2008

Bella was a young chin when she died. She was not yet 2 years old. She died only one month after being rescued, and her death was entirely preventable (though not by the time she was rescued). Bella died from bordetella bronchiseptica.

The woman we rescued Bella from let her cats have at her chins. Her cats were carrying bordetella. We do not know how often she let her cats near her chins, though we know from the woman herself that there were quite a few near-misses. Cheeko was nearly eaten by one; Bella was scratched up by another. We have photos she took of one of her cats in Bella's cage, while Bella was playing on the floor right in front of the cat.

Eva, another of the chins there, needed her eye socket flushed out. This did not happen. By September 2007, the socket got infected, and Eva got pneumonia. She recovered after many nights in an oxygen tent and a course of Baytril. Shortly thereafter, we paid a rescue to drive out to pick up all 5 chins. They were picked up in February 2008, after the owner threatened to turn them loose outside.

Not even a month after that, there was a bordetella outbreak at the rescue. Three chins died in the four days it took to get the necropsy results. The rescue started medicating everyone accordingly, but for Bella it was too late. She showed symptoms the day the medicine started, and Bella died in her rescuer's hands the next evening. We alerted her last owner of Bella's death, and she didn't care. 

Though Bella did not mean anything to her last owner, Bella was greatly loved by us. She was very friendly and outgoing. She loved being doted on and getting scritches. Bella gained the love of anyone that met her while she was at the rescue, even people who swore to never like chins. She was incredibly special and loving, quirky and sweet. We still cry about her death, it was so cruel. We will miss her greatly, and hope that she has found the peace and happiness she deserved.