Where to buy or adopt a chinchilla
Rescue or Re-home
|
A great place to get a chinchilla is to look for a rescue. There are so many chinchillas looking for a good new home through no fault of their own and the advantage of adopting an adult chinchilla is their personalities are already developed and apparent, which isn't always the case with younger chinchillas. If you are unable to find a rescue near you, there are also plenty of chinchillas up for re-home on websites such as Pets4Homes, Craigslist, Gumtree, Preloved and Chinchilla Facebook Groups.
Don't pay for mistreated animalsHowever if the advert shows the chinchilla being kept in bad conditions and the owner is asking a substantial fee, we would urge you not to buy the chinchilla but instead try and reason with the owner, or failing that if neglect is involved, contact the local authorities. Unfortunately there have been a rise in people posting adverts of neglected pets in filthy conditions and then asking a price similar to what breeders or pet shops charge. This pries on the heart of caring people who want to rescue the animal, but instead end up paying the person who has mistreated the chinchilla, therefore encouraging them to do it again.
|
|
If you are paying for an animal, you are supporting the business of the person who neglected them in the first place. The same goes for pet shops who stock unhealthy chinchillas in unsuitable housing.
Instead, you can help mistreated chinchillas by encouraging the current owner to surrender the animal and also reporting them to the animal protection organisation in your county to take action if neglect or abuse is involved. It may seem harsh, but whilst people inadvertently encourage those who mistreat chinchillas by buying the animals, the cycle of abuse will continue and more animals will be bred to suffer.
Instead, you can help mistreated chinchillas by encouraging the current owner to surrender the animal and also reporting them to the animal protection organisation in your county to take action if neglect or abuse is involved. It may seem harsh, but whilst people inadvertently encourage those who mistreat chinchillas by buying the animals, the cycle of abuse will continue and more animals will be bred to suffer.
Responsible Breeder
Alternatively a reputable breeder is another option if you're unable to re-home. Please avoid back yard breeders and pet shops, often these chinchillas will develop health issues later in life due to breeding chinchillas that are not pedigreed, and buying from here further fuels irresponsible breeding.
How to tell a responsible chinchilla breeder from a back yard breeder
A responsible breeder will:
- Be able to provide a pedigree certificate for the chinchilla you're buying, or at the very minimum, pedigree certificates for both parents. Anyone unable to do this is a back yard breeder, deliberately breeding chinchillas they don't know the history of which can result in the chinchilla developing fatal conditions such as malocclusion.
- Refer to chinchillas by their correct mutations such as standard grey, pink white and so on, and does not make up fancy names that don't exist such as cream, silver etc.
- Be registered as part of the chinchilla society in your country. In the UK that's the National Chinchilla Society and in the US it's the Mutation Chinchillas Breeders Association or Empress Chinchilla Breeders Cooperative. You can check the registered Breeders section on these sites, or contact the organisation directly to see the person you're thinking of getting a chinchilla from is registered on there.
- Exhibit their chinchillas at Official Chinchilla Shows to have the quality of the chinchillas they're breeding judged and receive feedback
- Keep their chinchillas in clean, adequate sized cages. Breeder cages will always be smaller than pet cages and will be single level to prevent kits falling, or the mum going to a section where the kits can't reach her. However they should always be kept in well sanitised conditions with sufficient room.