We've got a couple things to work on before we're ready to go home. Chins on this page are available for fostering. If you would like to be a foster home for us, please email us.
Tim the Enchanter and Chin Chin Chinnie Chin Chin
pictures and story coming soon
Muffin
March 7, 2002
"Little Miss" Muffin came to us from a loving home in Cincinnati in 2009. Muffin is about 8 years old, with a birthday estimated to be in March of 2002. She is a very sweet, darling, independent girl. Muffin loves scritches and getting new chunks of wood to chew. She loves her playtimes, and bathes at every chance she gets.
Muffin came in with a ton of treats and had very sweet breath. She was quite shocked to find herself in our rescue, and stopped eating and drinking for 5 days. Marne had to sit by her cage in quarantine and pipe tiny amounts of water to her, and hand feed her. We both promised Muffin that if she would just trust us, it'd be worth it to try to do her best. We showered her with love and encouragement, and finally, after 5 days, she started to eat her Critical Care on her own. After quarantine we moved Muffin to a quiet-yet-active part of our home so we could keep a close eye on her. The first day, she fell off her shelf due to seizures she experienced during her sleep. They were short seizures, indicative of poor nutrition (related to all her sugary and fatty treats!). Over time, with good nutrition and only rosehips for treats, Muffin's seizures have subsided.
Muffin has come out of her shell since being here, and we think she would make an excellent single-chin with a doting parent (or two). She is currently in our "working" wing, because her placement process will differ from most chins'. Due to the shock she went through when she arrived here, we feel she must be a foster chin first (with her adoptive home), and if she does well, she can be adopted. Her situation will have to be monitored closely to ensure her future parents and Muffin all get the proper support to see Muffin through any potential issues.
Gwyn (June 1, 2007)
Adara (January 19, 2008)
Princess (May 12, 2008)
Gwyn (left, on house), Princess (in house) and Adara chewing on apple sticks.
Gwynevere and her two daughters Adara and Princess, were owner surrenders (with Zaki). They came to us on March 17, 2010. The place where the girls and Zaki & Snape were being boarded was starving them to death. Unfortunately, Snape died. Gwyn nearly died, she was having seizures and was kept in the animal hospital for 3 days while she stabilized and recovered. The girls were underweight when they came, all under 500 grams, but they are now gaining weight nicely. All three girls have excellent appetites. Adara and Princess do show signs of food aggression, but they have separate, large bowls to treat this behavior. Over time (with regular feeding), this behavior will diminish and eventually disappear.
Gwyn and at least one of the girls, we think Princess, were still having occasional seizures when they first arrived. They were due to malnourishment and poor nutrition. We have not observed any for the last week and a half, and it's likely they will not have any in the long term. We do want to observe them for one more month just to be sure.
Gwyn is a little shy, but she loves to get pet on her head. Gwyn loves their hammock. Princess LOVES attention and willingly comes up just to chat, though scritches are something she loves as well. She seems to prefer to sleep on the shelf. Adara is a little more skittish, but she is starting to let us pet her hands. Adara loves to snuggle up with Gwyn in the hammock. All three girls are hearty chewers, they demolish every toy we give them, be it willow, wood, shredder or cardboard. They eat very well.
Gwyn, Adara and Princess are currently working on their trust issues with people. It seems to be the case that when a chin is deprived of food for extended periods of time, the trust it has in humans is broken (which does make sense). We are working intensively with the girls to see if it will be possible to re-establish bonds with them.
PookiebearJune 1, 2004
Pookiebear is a friendly chin who was an owner surrender. When he was surrendered, we were told they weren't sure what gender he was but called him he. We did a basic check when we got home and he appeared to be a girl, but upon later inspection (a few months later! lol) we determined he's definitely a boy. Pookiebear's like a reluctant boy, he hides the evidence VERY well! (That's just a little joke, lol.)
Pookiebear is shy and reserved, but once he knows he can trust you, he is very outgoing and friendly. He loves to get scritches and takes treats willingly, though he is picky about the treats he'll eat. We've found he likes crumbled rosehips and dried cranberries. We've discovered he is the one chinchilla we have ever met that hates raisins! (We hand out raisins once a month at Hair Ring Check time).
Pookiebear is a very good eater, he likes hay and pellets. He can drink from an Edstrom. Pookiebear was litter trained when he came to us, and he is very loyal to his litter pans. Pookiebear does need at least 2 litter pans, because he is a very clean boy. He loves his fleece house and hammock, and does prefer to have a sheet on the top of his cage for extra security. Pookiebear did come with a too-small wheel when he arrived, so he hasn't had a wheel yet (we are saving up for our Wheel Fund), but he is the type of chin that loves to run.
Pookiebear has a screw tail, which means is tail is tightly curled against his back, and he cannot straighten it out. This only gives him a little trouble when he's trying to jump down from shelves. He's got great balance. Pookiebear is very sweet and likes to chew almost every toy we give him. He is getting used to the tv, and much prefers to be in the living room than the bedroom. Pookiebear likes to be in on the action.
You may notice, in the pictures, that the chinchillas here have fleece sets in their cages. When a new chinchilla arrives here, we buy fleece and then sew him/her a hammock, pillow, house, fleece tunnel and two liners for his/her cage. We believe that the softness of fleece is reassuring to the chins, and that having such things helps smooth the transition to the new surroundings encountered here. Our belief has been furthered by the fact that each chinchilla that's come here has taken to its tunnel immediately, and for the first few weeks, will rarely leave it. These fleece sets belong to the chinchillas, and each pattern/color combination is unique to each chin.