Chinchillas at the garden center

[mk94]

I was buying food for the rabbit today at the local garden center and I noticed they had a bunch of chins there. They had a mosaic male, two medium ebony females, and a violet female. They were all priced at $150. I was a bit shocked to see so many chins at the garden center, of all places. Usually they just have mice and hamsters. And they had a violet? I had never seen one in real life before, but I compared her to some pictures on the internet and she looked exactly like them. Solid bluish-gray fur all the way through, a bright white belly, and dark eyes. Where the heck did they get those chins from??? Sorry, this is just perplexing to me. Why would a breeder sell these chins to a garden center of all places?

 

[Riven]

I'm not sure what you mean by garden center, but if it's a "garden center" only it wouldn't be carrying mice or hamsters either...
Around here we have Earl May, they have garden stuff and pet stuff. On occasion they have chins, I don't know where they get them from but they look pretty ratty...

 

[mk94]

They sell plants and garden decor mostly, but they also have pet foods and some small animals. It was just surprising to see chinchillas, especially ones that weren't standard. I mean, all I have ever seen at other places (like Petco) were standards. They didn't look too ratty, but it didn't look like they had been there for very long either.

 

[CJR]

The garden center sounds like an Agway... we have those here. They sell garden supplies, some small farm equipment, and some different animals like small rodents and birds. It's really weird that they have those chin colors there though, at least I think so.

 

[mishellyshel]

Maybe the owner of the garden store has a friend that is a breeder and they are just trying a new venue to sell chins.

I saw a violet at the petsmart on friday..........

 

[Leowyldemi]

kishi is a beige, and i actually got her as a pet smart "rescue", someone couldn't take care of the chins so gave them to petsmart, she was so sweet and looked like she had a rough time, i just couldn't leave without her
the other one was an ebony(all black, i think that's an ebony) and i've also seen white with black feet and a little black on the tail, i have no clue what kind that was, so i've seen more than just the standard there
it's unusual, but it does happen.

 

[Sugarised]

Round my end Chins are everywhere, and i have no idea why! There are a fair few for rescue (Starrkey is a rescue in the sense of bought off an owner who needed rid), but i think thats common as too many folk can't anticipate situations and time- seems to be ''we had kids'' and then they get rid...but they are in all pet shops, and at our big local garden centre. Its massive- even has its own mini zoo thing on the opposite car park (fish, reptiles etc- but not for sale) so when i was looking for rats i went there, and the same thing happened when i wanted rats there were gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, bunnies, annnnd chinnies! No rats.... although in our petsmart I've never seen chins in the rescue bit, but in the normal for sale bit they do tend to be standards, but theres only ever two, and they're so expensive i doubt they have many in! They're £100 here!