Chinchilla Breeders in IN

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Spectre-921

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Hey all! This is my first post here on these forums, so thank you in advance for all the help I'm sure I'll receive over the next few months :)

I am going to be purchasing a chinchilla quite soon, and I was wondering what the general consensus was as to who to buy from; primarily, PetSmart or a breeder?

Also, are there any breeders in or near Bloomington, Indiana?

Thanks all!
 
Ah ok, any particular reason as to why?

Also, I would greatly appreciate any information on potential breeders around Bloomington, Indiana. I'd be willing to travel for my chin, but as always, the closer the better!

:)
 
I personally don't know of any in Indiana. Maybe others will chime in for that. I know of some in MI and WI.

A breeder will tell you more about the potential animal you are wanting to buy. The can tell you the history of the parents, whether or not they have malloclusion or other issues. They are also more socialized than a petstore animal. Buying one from a pet store you are taking a larger gamble with genetic issues.
 
I would say buy from a breeder. Even if you were to rescue a chin, I think that would be better than buying from Petsmart, because you just have no idea about so many thing, and you don't know how they were cared for at the store or what horrible treats and stuff they were given. And like Godins said, if you're getting a pedigreed chin, then you know the history of the parents which are hopefully free of genetic diseases.

I'm not sure about other people in Indiana (I did know of one, but I don't think she does it anymore, and anyway, she's four hours north of Indy), but we do breed. I'm pretty sure none of our females are pregnant at the moment (go figure, they're all holding out for marriage it seems), but we do have a rescue who came in with a male who is cleeeearly ready to pop, and so we'll have her babies up for adoption assuming they are born ok and make it and everything. Obviously no promises yet, as they're not born, but we do anticipate babies. And we should be acquiring part of someone's herd in a short bit of time if everything goes well, so if you were interested in a bit older chin (as in, not recently weaned), we'll have some of those for sale as well, coming up shortly. The herd is pedigreed, if you're interested in a pedigreed chin. I live in Indianapolis, and that's where the pregnant rescue as well as the new chins will be - I believe it's about an hour, maybe a little longer, to Bloomington.
 
I also live in Indianapolis, I know of some "breeders" but they aren't all that great and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone. There's a ranch up more north but they don't do the forums. Chinchillas By Design is also north of Indy as well..I'm not sure how far. All but one of my chins came from out of state breeders..heh.

If you wanted to wait to buy from a breeder, there is a chinchilla show in Auburn, IN around mid-March. It's an awesome show to go to- very educational and you will meet many other chin folk. Many reputable breeders from all over the country go to this show and you could probably get any color of chinchilla you wanted there, and know it was coming from a reputable source. One breeder that attends this show is Becky West (Becky on the forums). She lives in Michigan and has some awesome chins. You could also post a wanted ad and see if anyone is travelling or willing to do a railroad to get the chin to you.

There are also chins posted on Craigslist in the Indy area all the time, if you wanted to go that route. However when you get them off CL, most of the time they have not been cared for properly so it's a risk you'll have to take.

I also have 3 foster boys that I am going to be looking for a home for in a month or two if you're interested in them.
 
Thanks for all the replies folks! It's a lot to take in haha.

I know that any chin can win my heart haha, however I was looking forward to owning a young one that could "grow up" with me. I don't know if that could be considered selfish or what-not, but after some soul searching, I realize that this would be the direction I would want to take in purchasing a chin. I know that in my heart, rescuing one or getting an older one would be just as beneficial to me, however I am just subconsciously ignorant to that :(

The chin show does sound like a great event to attend! However, again haha my internal thoughts getting myself all revved up, I was hoping to get one in the very recent future (potentially within the next three weeks). Are pet stores a god-awful choice to turn to?

Haha I just keep laying it on thick for you all, don't I :) I don't mean to be a hand full!

By the way, I had no idea you could travel four hours north of Indianapolis, and stay in the state of Indiana haha. I wish there was a breeder somewhere down here in the southern part of the state :(
 
Hi there,

It's your decision to go with a petstore or a breeder - bottom line is you don't know anything about the background of chin from a petstore including how old they are. They will tell you the smaller they are the younger they are and that isn't always the case. They are also more expensive at a petstore (most standards at petsmart sell for $170 and I sell standards anywhere from $75 and up.

I am in Nashville TN but I am about 2 hours away from Evansville (if that's close to you) if you are interested in any of the chins I have for sale. I have met people for a small gas fee before :)
 
Young chins go through the "teenage" stage where they can become little monsters, a adult rescue has been around the block a few times and are really great pets.
 
I agree with Dawn. I usually recommend for first time owners to adopt an adult. They bond easier and you don't get them through the "terrible twos" stage where they will do anything and everything they shouldn't in order to test their boundaries.
 
While I definetly do understand the desire to get a baby, I typically do recommend the older-chin/rescue route if someone's not dead-set on on a baby... Babies are cute and all, but at least with an older chin, you have an idea of personality, how friendly and comfortable with people they are, and that kind of thing. And granted, that stuff can be worked on, but some chins are just never comfortable with people (as an example). We've had babies here that were like chins on speed as babies and have simmered down as they aged, other babies that were a little bit more chill which have seemed to gain momentum and energy as they age. Others started out on speed and are still on speed, and some started chill and are still chill. Can't really say if one makes a better pet than another, a lot of that depends on individual preference, but the point is, you really don't quite know what you're getting when you get a baby. Plus, there's always a million older chins that need homes, while there's usually more of a market for baby chins. But in the end, it all depends what you want-- you want to get what makes you happy.
 
Ahh I have never thought of the whole "teenage years" thing for young chinchillas, that is a very good point. So do pet stores not necessarily know the exact age of the chins that they sell? Haha I feel like that is information that they should be able to provide.

Oh and unfortunately, I am still 3 hours north of where Evansville is in Indiana :( Thank you for the offer though!

I really appreciate the help everyone has been able to offer. This forum's aid is greatly appreciated!
 
Pet stores have absolutely no clue how old they are. A chin that "looks" young may in fact be several years old. Pet stores get their chins from a wholesaler. The wholesaler doesn't even know how old they are.
 
Spectre-921 said:
Ahh I have never thought of the whole "teenage years" thing for young chinchillas, that is a very good point. So do pet stores not necessarily know the exact age of the chins that they sell? Haha I feel like that is information that they should be able to provide.

Oh and unfortunately, I am still 3 hours north of where Evansville is in Indiana :( Thank you for the offer though!

I really appreciate the help everyone has been able to offer. This forum's aid is greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...

No, pet stores do not know the ages. Basically a wholesaler picks whatever, ships them off to the pet store, and the pet store blindly puts them on display without knowing age, history, illness, etc. The chin could sit there for weeks, months, or years. They are also overpriced..you could get a nice animal for almost half of what pet stores charge from a breeder. They may tell you they are a baby, but that's just to get money in their pocket. They'll tell you they do handstands if that gets you to buy them.

Honestly 3 hours is not that bad; I would rather drive 3 hours knowing I'm getting a chin whose background and health is known and knowing they received proper care, than taking a shot in the dark. Chins in pet stores deserve homes too, but for first time owners, I think an experience with a breeder and someone that knows how to care for chins would be ideal. Pet stores will also feed you all kinds of crap about diet, and try to sell you products that are actually harmful to chins.
 
Ok thank you all for your replies. Pet stores just seem so naive in this whole picture. How could all this information be out here, in the public, and not be possessed by those in the pet store?

Alright, well, my question then comes to this...

Where should I now look for getting my chin? If any breeders are available in or around Indiana, I'd appreciate a post about where you might be located. I'd love to support one of you chin genius' from this site ;)
 
Ticklechin, thanks! Where did you find that? I really appreciate the link. I've been searching the web and I have had yet to see that site. Thanks a bunch :)
 
Gr, I just checked how far away that is from Bloomington, IN, and it's a four hour drive north to get there :(

Does anyone know of any breeders closer to the mid to southern part of the state of Indiana? Thanks again for all this help, I appreciate that you all are sticking with my thread :)
 
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