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.
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.