We're finally home!

These are the chins who've found their forever homes. The people who've adopted them are very special, caring people, and we're glad that our paths crossed.

Ella 

Ella joined us on January 7, 2009. Ella came to us because she bites, though she hasn't bitten since she's been here.

Ella is a very special chinchilla. She has a condition called microphthalmia. Basically, it means she has tiny eyes. One eye, her left one, is rudimentary; her right eye is approximately the size of a small raisin and is lacking a pupil. We've been doing various tests to determine the extent of her vision, and have determined that she cannot see anything beyond light/shadow. According to NetWellness (a collaboration of U of Cincinatti, U of Ohio and Case Western Reserve University), ". . .The small eye is usually totally blind because it did not develop a healthy cornea, lens, retina or optic nerve. There is no treatment for this condition."

Her head/face is also smaller than average, though we're unsure whether this is due to her microphthalmia, or if it's unrelated. Her ears are normal, and everything else about her appears normal, though she does not like to be touched on the back-half of her back. Because she bites when people touch her there, we figure it's a combination of a painful neurological issue and from people picking her up by the tail (a common method which we do not practice).

Ella is a very sweet chinchilla that just loves being carried around and pet. During playtimes, we put Ella on the floor, and she moves in expanding circles. If we move something, Ella will listen intently, go back to the place we originally set her down, and will move around in circles again until she figures out what was moved, and memorizes the new floor plan.

Ella was adopted into a spectacular home where she's very well loved and spoiled. Ella's learning the routine and comes up for treats, scritches and playtimes. Since going to her new home, Ella's blossomed into a friendly, playful, mischievous chin. It's incredibly rewarding to see her go to such a wonderful family.

November 2009: Ella's family contacted us to let us know that a recent vet visit uncovered a heart murmur. Ella is expected to live a long and full life. We're sad to learn this, but hopeful she'll continue to flourish with her family.

Janie and Justice the Cockatiels

Janie and Justice are a pair of cockatiels that came to us from a rescue that got a very high number of birds in a very short amount of time. They're 10 years old and lived their lives in a plexiglass aviary until they were surrendered. These girls didn't know what toys were, what a bath was, and they were terrified of hands. We've worked with them to play with toys and whistle tunes, though they're still afraid of hands and don't know understand the bath.

We've been looking for somewhere very special for Janie and Justice. We feel that after 10 years of living in an aviary, it would be in their best interest to live in a place where they can have a large cage and a minimal interaction with hands.

Janie and Justice were very fortunate to find just such a place, and they look forward to going to their new home shortly. They will have everything they could ever want.

Gus & Sage

Gus and Sage came to us on September 7, 2008. They're from a family that's involved in chinchilla rescue work. They were given to us because they deserve more interpersonal time than they were getting at the rescue. Gus is a neutered boy who was surrendered to the rescue this past March. Sage is a girl who was born in the home. Gus is very sweet and loves to snuggle. Sage is not so much a snuggler, but she loves to play and visit with us. They're now very happy, well-adjusted chinchillas.

Sage's mother has died from a heart condition, and it's possible she has a heart condition as well. It is not detectable until after death. She has lived the longest of her mother and siblings, so it could be that it's minor, or it could be that she doesn't have anything wrong with her heart at all. In the interest of finding the best home possible, we feel it's necessary to make her future parents aware of this possibility.

Gus was born in 2002, and Sage in 2000. We've chosen their birthdays as being September 7. Gus is hetero beige and has tan eyes; Sage is white.

Tucker

Tucker came to us because he is very shy. Because of his shyness, he is basically unsocialized. Once he gets to know people, Tucker is very friendly. Tucker loves to cuddle once he's been picked up, and he is willing to take treats and sticks from our hands. He's a happy chin who loves the comforts of fleece.

We feel Tucker will make a wonderful pet some day, and that he needs to get used to living in a family. Tucker is in a foster home where he can work on overcoming his shyness. We hope that he'll learn to trust the people that care for him, and that he'll be willing to come into their hands when it's time to be picked up. This foster home was selected specifically because of their past success in reaching overly-shy chins.

Tucker has met a friend at his foster home, and so he has been adopted! We wish Tucker the best with his new friend and family. We're very happy he's found such a wonderful and loving home. We're also very happy he's found a friend.

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