PICS of before and after skinny chins to happy chins

[caiti]

Wow, that is incredible. I am SO VERY happy someone like you now cares for them. I wonder how long they would have lasted with that other woman you got them from? I'm betting their life span would have definitely been shorter if you hadn't gotten them.

 

[Claire D]

I was looking on your website & I noticed that Smoky is listed for sale. Is that correct?

I have to agree with the others - it is amazing the change a good diet, baths, & some TLC can bring about (they both look tons better even after this short space of time) but I also echo the concerns that these chins should be separated before they breed. The female should be rested for at least 6 months or more in order for her body to recover from poor nutrition - her body will have been depleted enough without stressing it more with pregnancy.

 

[ETC]

HI there...yes I was going to rehome Smoky (he is 2 and a half) ONLY if I found him the perfect pet home. Sonata is going in with a female baby chin. But, with Smoky, I will be very particular about where he goes. Otherwise he is staying here. Sonata is 7 years old and is staying with me.
They have been together for two years, and no babies, so it was "assumed" that he was a non producer since Sonata has had many litters in the past...but it is true, it could have been due to her being so thin lately that she was not getting pregnant so I am taking everyone's advice and separating them just in case, now that she is so much healthier. I was thinking the same thing, and thus had Smoky up for adoption.
I had every intention of rehoming them both after they recovered, but to be honest, they are growing on me, and I just might keep them both! Smoky will be rehomed only if it is to someone who really impresses me about the kind of care that they will give to animals. Sonata is staying here for sure.
I am so happy about the condition that they are in right now...and they have come so far, that these sweeties just might have a forever home with ME.

 

[Claire D]

LOL you sound a bit like me - I take in rescue or rehomes occasionally with the intent to find them a good home & they usually end up staying!


As for not producing kits ....... My friend has a black velvet female who has not produced a kit in over 5 years. She is in with a 20+ male & guess what she found beneath the female a few days ago? Yup, a little brown velvet kit :hilarious:
Chins like to keep us on our toes

 

[6Dusters]

When I saw the first picture I said out loud, "LORD HAVE MERCY." Just shocking.
They look wonderful in the second picture. Great job.

 

[saphire]

HI, they had been through so much that I kept them together as they have been together for years (with no litter).
I have the pedigrees for both, and the lineage is great, BUT if she happens to finally get pregnant I hope it is not until much later. But they are both thriving.

I am happy you separated them (or are they yet, I'm not sure if I read you actually did). Anyway, even if they have great lineage, it would not make it right for her to get pregnant now in the state that they are in. For one month is definitely not enough for a full recovery from the extent these chins have been neglected.

I don't know if you where told it was okay by this person to breed them, but they wouldn't be a reference looking at the condition they where handed to you.

 

[ETC]

Yes, they are separated. Sonata is staying here so if she happens to be pregnant I will be the one looking out for her and the baby and will provide her with the proper care and vet care if needed.
Smoky is being rehomed only if the right home comes up.
Yes the person that I got them from actually was hoping to breed them in that condition. When I said they had great lineage, I know that is not good enough to breed them in that condition, but at least they are not pet store chins with a bad background. That was the ONLY plus in this terrible situation. Thanks for everyone's concern. They are thriving and I could not BELIEVE their appetite when I got them. (when she said they did not eat much, hmmmmm????) and they hung to the water bottle for about an hour straight when I got them. They even fought over it, so I had to put up two bottles. And for chins who hate dust baths, the did somersaults in it!!!!! They loved it!!!!
I am falling more and more in love with them daily. I have a colony of females here (four females together in a really large cage) that I might try putting Sonata with (right now she is alone, was going to put her with a female baby later) but Sonata is a dominant female so it might not work out.
Smoky is the social one, who loves everyone, so I was hoping to get him a good pet home. Sonata is staying here for sure....1. in case she is pregnant 2. I don't want her changing homes again, and she is 7 years old who has had multiple owners. 3. I am falling in love with her "persnickity" personality.

 

[saphire]

Yes the person that I got them from actually was hoping to breed them in that condition. When I said they had great lineage, I know that is not good enough to breed them in that condition, but at least they are not pet store chins with a bad background. That was the ONLY plus in this terrible situation. Thanks for everyone's concern. They are thriving and I could not BELIEVE their appetite when I got them. (when she said they did not eat much, hmmmmm????) and they hung to the water bottle for about an hour straight when I got them. They even fought over it, so I had to put up two bottles. And for chins who hate dust baths, the did somersaults in it!!!!! They loved it!!!!

You've got to be kidding me, I certainly can't believe that person would breed them like that, actually I can!
It's just :crazy:

 

[Tagna]

I was just looking up something and saw that you were selling both these chins almost a month ago. Or was that a mistake. I just see the pics of how they looked and I'm sure you weren't planning on selling them then. I know your aren't selling the female now.

http://chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15205

 

[ruoc]

I'm confused. Did the chins come to you in that condition, or did they leave you in that condition? I remember seeing them on another site for sale some time ago. Anyway they look much better now that they've had some tlc. I just re-read the first post, I see that you got the chins in bad condition and nursed them back to health. Glad they have good care and lots of love now

 

[Carol~Anne]

Sonata
4080 Showable White Mosaic Female
2nd - 3rd place show equivalent.
Produce nice quality whites and white hybrids.
Nice markings on head... could possibly produce nicely marked TOV whites.
DOB 2-20-03
Weight:720 grams on 4-08-04

Sonata white mosaic female (bred by Ritterspach .com) and Smoky standard ebony and violet carrier male (exquisite ebonies and ritterspach lines) sold as a pair for 300.00
----------

I understand that you're probably going to keep them both or at least the female but I do find it rather disturbing that you took these two starving chins in and immediately put them up for sale... to breed yet! To each their own I guess but after all they've been through I'd be inclined to retire them both to a nice pet home. JMO.

 

[ETC]

No I am not selling them together, nor to breed, and there was a misunderstanding on the friend's website who listed them for sale. She just quoted the Ritterspach advertisement when Sonata was originally purchased that is all. She is number 4080 on .com And I had told her I wanted 300.00 for both, she assumed I meant TOGETHER. I did not list that ad for sale.
ANYWAY, I had told my friend that I was nursing them back to health and then selling them hoping to get 300.00 for both eventually. But Smoky is up for adoption for 50.00 to THE RIGHT HOME and Sonata is staying with me.
Although I have an inkling that Smoky is staying here too........

Also, yes, they were in poor condition WHEN I GOT THEM, not here. I have nursed them back to health with love, attention, lots of food, hay, water and MANY dust baths.

If anyone is interested in adopting Smoky, he is 50.00. Sonata is staying here in case she is pregnant, I decided that I am going to keep her, don't want to sell a possibly pregnant chin to someone who doesn't know what they are doing, especially after what she has been through.

 

[Tagna]

I just confused why they weren't separated. Are they separated now? That pic from your first post is very recent.

I still don't get why they would have been put up for sale at all or why Kathiva is selling your chins. It just seems odd.

 

[kathiva]

Hi

I was just trying to help out for the sale of the chins, that's all, that's why I put them together on my site and in my thread, so if someone asked for them, I would let Kiki know and she would decide from there, I am not selling them myself, the chins are in Kiki's care now and not that other lady anymore.

 

[Tagna]

Hi

I was just trying to help out for the sale of the chins, that's all, that's why I put them together on my site and in my thread, so if someone asked for them, I would let Kiki know and she would decide from there, I am not selling them myself, the chins are in Kiki's care now and not that other lady anymore.

We understand that. It's the fact that they even were up for sale, separate or together. Or why you post her chins for sale. Shouldn't she have her own thread?

 

[ETC]

Kathiva did not know that I was a member on this site. She asked me if I wanted her to post my chins on her website when she posted hers. We are friends in the same town.
Then our "wires got crossed" on information about Sonata and Smoky. THEY ARE NOT to be bred, or at least not in the near future. They are recovering from a terrible condition. YES she quoted the original .com Ritterspach ad, I am sure she just copied and pasted. I had told her that I had taken in two rescues to nurse back to health and then rehome to THE RIGHT HOME. I guess she felt that by putting them on chins n hedgies they would go to experienced people. I did not know that she put that ad on here, only knew about her website.

Yes they are separated. As I mentioned in the earlier post I had kept them together because they had been together for over two years with no babies so it was "assumed" that he was sterile. I realize in hindsight that, since Sonata is proven, she might have been with Smoky and not producing for the person I bought her from, because of her terrible condition.

What I did was see these chins, could not believe their condition, PURCHASED THEM, they are not a rescue, I paid good money for them, just with the intent of saving their lives. I kept them together because they were traumatized and I did not want to separate them on top of their terrible condition....and I had thought that Smoky was a non producer.......
I have since separated them just in CASE, she gets pregnant now that she is getting healthier.

YES, I had purchased them with the intention of saving their lives and rehoming them eventually. I WAS PROUD of my results with them. They are loved, spoiled and getting fat too.

 

[AZChins]

Not meaning to be rude, but just because you paid money doesn't mean that they are not rescues. I've had to shell out money for numerous chins because that was the only way to get them out of a bad place. Not to mention that there have been several times that I've spent more money on buying a rescue that I ever would buying a good quality breeder.

When chinchillas go to that extreme state of malnutrition they may never be able to recover. Sometimes even getting them back to a normal weight isn't the end of the road for chins like this. Getting to be so underweight can mean damage to the internal organs - mainly the liver and kidneys since they take up the slack when the animal isn't getting the proper nutrition it needs.

When you take in very underweight animals and rehabilitate them I would definitely suggest keeping them for at least three months to evaluate their health. I've had chins that recover, gain weight and are doing well only to just die a couple months after they get here of the damage the previously poor diet and conditions did to them. Please be careful when placing these animals because you don't want to completely break someone else's heart when they adopt them.

 

[ETC]

Not meaning to be rude, but just because you paid money doesn't mean that they are not rescues. I've had to shell out money for numerous chins because that was the only way to get them out of a bad place. Not to mention that there have been several times that I've spent more money on buying a rescue that I ever would buying a good quality breeder.

When chinchillas go to that extreme state of malnutrition they may never be able to recover. Sometimes even getting them back to a normal weight isn't the end of the road for chins like this. Getting to be so underweight can mean damage to the internal organs - mainly the liver and kidneys since they take up the slack when the animal isn't getting the proper nutrition it needs.

When you take in very underweight animals and rehabilitate them I would definitely suggest keeping them for at least three months to evaluate their health. I've had chins that recover, gain weight and are doing well only to just die a couple months after they get here of the damage the previously poor diet and conditions did to them. Please be careful when placing these animals because you don't want to completely break someone else's heart when they adopt them.

Hi Susan.....
I know what you mean, and you are NOT rude, I truly appreciate your advice. Three months does sound good. When I had told my friend that they would be up for sale eventually, she listed them on here quickly without me knowing......she just asked what chins I was selling and she listed a few of mine....., but believe me, these two are not going anywhere until they have a clean bill of health. Or should I say SMOKY because Sonata is staying.....I used the wrong terminology, I meant they are not "surrenders" where the person gave me the chin to rehome. They were purchased...and I would do it again to save a chin's life.

Thanks!

 

[AZChins]

I see.

 

[Tagna]

I find it odd that on YOUR site, not kathivas' you had this:


WELCOME to
Kiki's CHINS


Currently we have 10 beautiful chinchillas of many different colours that currently live with us. TWO are a bonded pair that are up for adoption (Sonata and Smoky from Ritterspach) We will be getting 11 more in September from chechinchillas...THANKS CHERYL, we are so excited! We have three girls who live together, a pair of boys that live together and a trio of a boy with two girls. Then we have our bonded breeding pair that we are trying to rehome to the perfect home. We are lovers of our "furbabies" and very occasionally breed. We also rescue PET chins when someone can no longer care for them, and we find them forever homes! We are very careful about who is allowed to adopt our chinchildren. We are located in Northern Ontario, Canada!

You have since changed that but you have them in your herd pics. And it looks like you say you've bred Smoky.