Starter Chinchillas!

[SarahKay]

I always thought chinchillas were fascinating and when my cousin Hannah said she had a chinchilla she wanted to give up (a white mosaic female) I jumped on it. We made plans for me to take that chinchilla home at the family reunion and I started doing my research. I was incredibly excited. A week or two later, she got a hold of me to let me know that that chinchilla had died. I was upset, but still determined to get a chin and hopped onto Ithaca craigslist, organizing a pickup for Zeb from a vet school student / breeder. The weekend of our reunion, I picked up a cage and supplies from Hannah and hopped on over to pick up my new chinchilla. I had had rabbits before but I got pretty bored of them pretty quickly. I fell instantly in love with Zeb and quickly realized I was a chinchilla person!

Here's Zeb lookin' all sly:

Some five months into my relationship with Zeb, I found CnH and realized I needed to make a lot of changes, but I think we've been doing really well together. Once I decided I was more than capable of being a good mother for Zebbers, I started thinking about another chinchilla. I had seen so many photos of them all adorable and cuddled up together and I wanted that for my boy. When I bought Zeb his new cage, which just so happened to be massive, I decided it was time to look into getting another. I found a 12 week old standard boy on CL and went that day to pick him up. I was naïve in thinking that the two would be best friends because it really did not work out. Roo turned out to be a bit aggressive even after a slow and cautious introduction. But I love both of my boys individually and could not be happier. Roo has blossomed into a beautiful boy with a perfect coat and he's quite the charmer. I still can't believe how much personality these little guys have! I'm currently working on trying to convince my boyfriend to buy me a third chinchilla as a birthday present.

And here is Roo about a week after coming home:

 

[Dewdrop]

Both are adorable, but I love the pic of roo!

 

[lishreese]

When I was in junior high and high school, I didn't have friends, and it was very hard. But I got a puppy when I was in 8th grade, and she really helped me a lot just because she loved me and needed me. Well I ended up in a similar bad situation in college and I thought that since my puppy had helped me get through it before, maybe getting a pet to have with me at college would help me get through that hard time too. I couldn't have a dog in the house I rented, and I don't like cats, so I was kinda thinking about different options I had and did some research on chinchillas. I didn't know anything about them because I only found out they existed like a year or 2 before that. After doing some research I decided it would be a good pet for me and I convinced my landlady, and now I have Bella. She really does make my life better and she helped me get through my tough time just by being my little baby. I love her so much

 

[SarahKay]

When I was in junior high and high school, I didn't have friends, and it was very hard. But I got a puppy when I was in 8th grade, and she really helped me a lot just because she loved me and needed me. Well I ended up in a similar bad situation in college and I thought that since my puppy had helped me get through it before, maybe getting a pet to have with me at college would help me get through that hard time too. I couldn't have a dog in the house I rented, and I don't like cats, so I was kinda thinking about different options I had and did some research on chinchillas. I didn't know anything about them because I only found out they existed like a year or 2 before that. After doing some research I decided it would be a good pet for me and I convinced my landlady, and now I have Bella. She really does make my life better and she helped me get through my tough time just by being my little baby. I love her so much

I had a really rough situation with my living situation this past year and I felt really alone because I did not get along at all with my housemates. When I was upset about that, I would have my chinchilla time and take my darling boys out and they always made me feel better. I'll just scoop them up and hold them until it's all better. They really are therapeutic like that.

Both are adorable, but I love the pic of roo!

Thank you! I'm abroad in Peru right now and I honestly can't wait to go home just to see my boys again.

 

[lishreese]

I had a really rough situation with my living situation this past year and I felt really alone because I did not get along at all with my housemates. When I was upset about that, I would have my chinchilla time and take my darling boys out and they always made me feel better. I'll just scoop them up and hold them until it's all better. They really are therapeutic like that.

OMG! That is EXACTLY the situation I was in this year too, talk about deja vu. It was the first group of friends I ever had in my whole life and all of a sudden one of them decides to turn the rest of them against me just to satisfy his giant insecurities and of course I'd already signed a lease to live with all of them for a year :banghead: I know that is the reason he did it because a mutual friend told me. oh well, thank god for Bella and thank god it's over! I hope you are out of that situation too

 

[Akunaferret]

@ SarahKay: I love the first picture! I've never seen a Chinchilla wink like that! hahah Zeb must like his dust!

 

[xxYukai]

This is a little long but I just really wanted to share!
I'm 15 right now and I got my baby in December. I first wanted a chinchilla as soon as I saw a picture. I honestly had no idea what they were but they were adorable! I saw the first picture from my science teacher. She has one named Bastian. C: I was instantly inspired and just had to research them. Normally I don't research anything, being a lazy teen. I had to talk my mom into getting one, for she thought they weren't going to be as lovable or as fun as they are.
I don't have many friends, my dog is just too old to play, and I wanted something to take care of, and someone to be my friend. I finally managed to talk my mom into at least looking at them. I visited my teacher's chinchilla, and I swear I was smiling the entire time!
I then tried looking for breeders around my area but there were none. I had to resort to a petstore, where I first found a female. The female didn't look very happy at all. She was awake and grumpy, even if it was evening. I realized that the ones in the petstore weren't happy at all, I felt bad. They weren't used to being poked at and pointed at and barked at all day! I didn't end up getting the female, she was being mistreated and I didn't want to bother her with my inexperience, either.
Then I met my baby. We had traveled all the way to another petstore, and they just had a chinchilla arrive that day. They had him in the back, and I was allowed to peep at him. I instantly fell in love. I was said to have tears in my eyes at the time.
I insantly knew that he was the one. They also said he was the sweetest and friendliest they've had! And it was true. I thought of the female then, and how unhappy she was. I didn't want him to go through all that petstore mishap.
He's as happy as can be right now, and he knows I'm typing about him since he's staring at me for a couple of seconds, then bouncing off. I know I'm very protective of my baby. I'm over anyone's shoulder who gets near him. He also loves to cuddle around me, and is always in my general area when he's out. He's always going to be my baby, even when I have real babies of my own.
C:
Thanks for reading!

 

[Akunaferret]

awwws! thats awesome! I'm so very happy you found your little one ^_^

 

[SarahKay]

OMG! That is EXACTLY the situation I was in this year too, talk about deja vu. It was the first group of friends I ever had in my whole life and all of a sudden one of them decides to turn the rest of them against me just to satisfy his giant insecurities and of course I'd already signed a lease to live with all of them for a year :banghead: I know that is the reason he did it because a mutual friend told me. oh well, thank god for Bella and thank god it's over! I hope you are out of that situation too

Haha, yep. Graduating early and out of it for good.

& @Akunaferret: I think I just got lucky with this shot!

 

[tunes]

I didn't end up getting the female, she was being mistreated and I didn't want to bother her with my inexperience, either.

What a shame for that female. Inexperienced or not, with a little time and patience she could have ended up just as loving as the boy you took home.

As for how I got into chins, I saw one many, many years ago in a pet store and was really intrigued by them. At the time, I was not in a position to get one as I was still at home with the rents, but I never forgot about chins. Fast forward to when I was married and had moved to South Dakota. My ex-moron was a farrier and worked for a guy in Nebraska. He had been going there regularly and one day, out of the blue, mentioned that this guy had "many" chinchillas, something he had never seen before. I asked if I could go along on his next shoeing job, and Dr. Butler was there. I asked about the chins and he offered to take me to his barn. My first real exposure to chins was walking into that barn and seeing a thousand or so of them and I just about lost my marbles. I came home with 2 that day, and it just went on from there.

I was very lucky. My mentor was a vet, a judge for Empress, and had been in the chin biz pretty much all of his life because his father, Doc Butler, had had them forever. It was a great way to get started.

 

[Mandy]

When we moved up to Kentucky (From louisiana) we were looking around pet stores..of course petsmart had to become our dog food/supplies shop.
I never went in petsmart in the 'season' they had chinchillas..but the day I did.. oh man. I was talking to a guy there about them and he let me hold one.(I held Misty. I also went back a whole lot to make sure they still had HER. haha) We'd never seen chinchillas in Louisiana.
Once I held her I told myself that was it. I went home,researched, also talked to the girl at the petstore (My mistake) and got Misty. Which was in Nov' 10. So not too too long ago.
About 2 months or so later I saw an ad on craigslist on a woman who had cancer and was ill and needed to re-home some of her chinchillas. (Get..it wasn't a sob story to dump her pets. I for-sure wanted to give Momma a good home after that.)
I had just purchased a FN 142 and thought I was ready for another. So, Misty was brought downstairs and asked my mom for a friend (lol)
So then I got Momma.. then Momma gave birth 90 something days later. The female died..but I still have her son. So all three furbutts shall remain a part of my furry family.<3

 

[damanta]

My Lucifer<3

My very first chinchilla experience was not positive. I was at a mom & pop store and there was an ornery chinchilla who bit through clothing and was generally a nasty little creature.
fast forward 10 years, and I was working at PetSmart. The first time we got a chin in, I was kind of grouchy and did NOT want to clean his cage. But obviously I had to, so I opened the door very tentatively, and he jumped right into my lap. Over the next few weeks I started reading about them & telling my parents all about the little fuzzbutt, and a few weeks before my birthday my coworker called and told me they were selling him, what should she recommend that they buy for him. I felt like my heart was breaking but I told her everything. That weekend when I got home from college, he was sitting in my living room in a 75 gallon tank. I saved up money for a few months and bought him the Ferret Nation cage, and a while after that bought a female from a breeder. Unfortunately, Lucifer died from heatstroke the second summer I had him, and Angel wouldn't eat so I got Demon from another breeder. I love my Angel and Demon, but Lucifer was my heart chin and will always hold a special place in my memory.

 

[chinlover89]

I had wanted a chin forever and while I was working at PETCO one of my co-workers kept talking about her two little girls she had and how she got them from a rescue. I started to read up on them and made sure I was able to get everything my little guy would need before I adopted him. Went through the application process and interview and before I knew it my little guy was four months old and ready to be picked up and taken to his forever home Its been a year and half and I couldnt be happier.

 

[Nickn3ro]

2 Years ago I used to have panic attacks and I used to goto the pet store and watched the chinchillas play around to relax (much cheaper and easier to work with then Xanax!) Then it hit me instead of visiting them why not have one live with me So I went and got her next thing you know she needed a friend so I got Evie and Shadow (Name pending)

 

[VolunteerChin22]

Samson was a total impulse buy from petsmart. I had seen chinchillas on tv with Jack Hanna and thought they were cute. One minute Im buying dogfood next minute im picking out a cage lol. Breeding I got into by purchasing a female that was pregnant. Did a lot of research and began showing. Learned a lot along the way and have built a small, but nice herd. I was so afraid he would bite me when i first got him though cause my previous hamster would bite me, but he's only bit me once when he was scared...He's a ham. And a total shreddie fiend. He will positively twist himself in two trying to beg for a shreddie. He's recently decided, after 5 years of living with me, that scritches are gooood.

 

[Anna]

my first chin is Furby, i got him at a pet store (before i knew any better) but i love him so much. he's tiny and perfect with his oversized ears, long nose and small tail.

 

[Ronda]

I fell in love with a beautiful homo beige female at a pet store. At that time $120 was way too much to spend on a pet. My brother worked with a lady who had 2 pairs and she was willing to sell me one when she had the next litter. Never seemed to happen then all of a sudden she told my brother that her daughter wasn't interested any more since she was at college so she gave him the gray pair and me the homo beige (Pumpkin) and Homo Ebony (Suzi) - cages and all. So Pumpkin and Suzi lived with me for quite a few years producing sweet babies. Suzi passed a few years ago at the age of 16. Before I knew it I had 800 chins...

Ronda

 

[Twilight Chinchillas]

Before I knew it I had 800 chins...

Ronda

Move over Chin woman, now it's the bird lady's turn! (lovely name Ronda gave me!)

I had bred birds for about 25 years (started off very young!)
We wanted something new. I had seen chinchillas at the pet store, and read a bit about them online, and knew the person to contact would be a breeder. I found a local breeder, who not only bred, but showed her animals. I asked a lot of questions, and made arrangements to bring our 2 boys home, Super Sonic, and Hyper Drive. I was hooked! They were QUIET! My husband was finally happy after years of complaint, about the loudness of birds, and being told to shut up! (By the birds not ME!!)
I was getting tired of the unethical things I seen in the bird community here, and burnt out. So after a year and a half of having the boys, and bring home a couple more chins, decided that maybe it was time for a change! The rest is history, and yes some of the mouthy birds are still here, and continue to harass my husband!!!

 

[Ronda]

Move over Chin woman, now it's the bird lady's turn! (lovely name Ronda gave me!)

LOL - you're very welcome Bird Lady... :hmm: Hum, I do hear YOU telling THEM to shut up when we talk....

Ronda

 

[Akunaferret]

Hahah that's amazing. I love the pictures Chin22. It's amazing how Chinchillas can help us get over certain problems: I'm less depressed since I've gotten chinchillas, and I've read that someone's blood pressure isn't as high since she got a Chin. It's amazing how something so small can impact our life so much!

Sooo many chinnies! I don't think I could ever own more then 4!