Where the money goes

Whisper (aka Grass Hopper)

Whisper came into us along with her cage mate Timmy (castrated male). We do not know how old Whisper is, but do know she has been blind since birth.

We found that both of Whispers eyes were discharging, so we took her to visit our vet who prescribed bathing and drops. We treated her as directed but her eyes didn’t improve, so it was decided to remover her ‘rosebud’ eyes.

The operation was very complicated and it was discovered that the reason for the discharge was abscesses in her eye sockets which would have given her considerable pain. Both eyes were removed along with her tear ducts and her eyelids are now sealed.

Thankfully, Whisper came round from the operation very well and was put on a course of Baytril to fight off any infection.

After a few days recuperating, she was allowed back with Timmy as they were missing each other.

Whisper and Timmy will be staying here at the rescue where they will be given everything they need.

Sadly, many of the chinchillas coming into our rescue are suffering from malocclusion.

We try to make their lives as comfortable as possible with the help of our vet,

but when their quality of life is affected, then we have to say goodbye and they go over the rainbow bridge to a better place free from pain.

Here are just a few of the rescue chinchillas that have gone to a better place.

We do not have photos for all the chins we rescue—sometimes taking a photo is not appropriate.

Text Box: STUMPY Stumpy came into us as part of a group of 14 chins that had been kept together in one cage. The chinchillas included males, females and kits, some the result of interbreeding. They were all in a bad way, small and underweight which was mainly due to them being fed an incorrect diet of rabbit food. The males were separated from the females and kits as we did not want any more breeding. We were told that Stumpy had lost part of his tail, but were not expecting it to be as bad as it was. Every time another chinchilla went near him, he cried out because of the pain. Unfortunately, the previous owners had not sort veterinary treatment and the bone was visible. Stumpy also had an infection in his tail which could have travelled up into his spin which would have eventually killed him. Stumpy was taken to our vets the very next day and given painkillers and Baytril, and the remaining part of his tail was amputated two days later. Stumpy went on to make a full recovery and turned into quite a character, he was well known for crying for attention every time he saw one of us.. He went on to live in a new home, sharing a cage with some females (after being castrated) and being completely spoilt. Sadly, Stumpy was diagnosed with malocclusion this year and was put to sleep.

Cloud

Cloud is a hetero ebony male. When he came into our rescue, he was extremely nervous and didn’t like to be handled. After a while, we noticed a problem with his tail—he had started chewing it and it had become infected. So, with some difficulty, we took him to see our vet who prescribed a daily injection of baytril along with cream to help clear up the problem.

Getting Cloud to the vets every day and applying cream twice a day was very traumatic for him and he became very stressed. Thankfully, the condition cleared up fairly quickly and we allowed Cloud to recover.

We continued to give Cloud plenty of attention, talking to him and allowing him to come to us—it has taken time but he is now beginning to trust us and will run to the front of the cage to greet us.

Update: Although we had intended to keep Cloud as a permanent rescue, he has now gone to a very good home where he will receive the love, care and attention he deserves. Be good Cloud!

Rambo

Ok, so Rambo isn’t a chinchilla, but he is one of our rescues.

When Rambo came into us, he needed to have his teeth clipped every 2 weeks. The tongue would get caught behind the teeth and he wouldn’t be able to eat. Without vet treatment, he would have starved.

With our vets knowledge we managed to increase the times between clipping to 3 weeks and then 4. We are now at the stage where Rambo’s teeth are fine—he doesn’t keep having to go to see Martin to have the work carried out, although we will continue to monitor his progress.

Rambo will be spending the rest of his days here with us.

Suelin

Suelin is 15 years old and has only recently come into the rescue and had to be rushed to our vets because of a respiratory infection and other problems. When Martin checked her over, he discovered she also had a foot condition, arthritis in her back legs, cataracts and she also has slight spurs which will be dealt with in due course.

We also discovered that Suelin has cancer—it isn’t causing her a problem at the moment but she will be making regular visits to see Martin and we will monitor her weight and quality of life.

Sadly, despite our constant care and attention, Suelin began to deteriorate and the decision was made to let her go over the rainbow bridge.

Sasha, Sadie, Sandy & Sabba

These four girls came into us along with four males. There were all in a terrible condition, as were their cages.

As soon as we settled them into their new cages they were allowed a bath, which they so desperately needed. We then spent many evenings removing knots and lumps of fur. We gradually introduced them to a well balanced diet and they began to gain weight.

After some considerable time, we started to see an improvement and these four ‘rascals’ turned into lovely young ladies.

All four girls are still together and are now very settled in their new ‘forever’ home.

15 Haddon Close, Rushden,

Northants.NN10 9HZ

Tel: 01933 387131

Mobile: Jane 07954 138576

Roman 07954 138596

E-mail: chinchilla-rescue@hotmail.co.uk

Text Box: These are just a few of the chinchillas that have passed through our doors. There are many more with stories to tell, but sadly too many to mention and upsetting to see. We will update from time to time. We currently have over 50 rescues that are not ready for re-homing. Many are being monitored on a daily bases, some will be staying here but we hope others will soon be available for re-homing. Others are currently in quarantine and will be available shortly. It is growing increasingly difficult for us to raise enough funds to pay for the vets fees as well as providing their food and toys. Not only do we pay any outstanding invoices when funds are low ourselves, but we give all of our free time into running our rescue, day and night, including many sleepless nights. Your donations are needed to help us give these lovely chinchillas the life they deserve. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our vet, Martin who has supported us in every way possible.

Maggie May (Named by our Vet)

Maggie May was sharing a cage with 3 males. Consequently, she had damage to her tail, possibly caused by the males fighting over her. We do not know her age, so she will be monitored closely.

All are very underweight, dirty and in need of sand baths.

We are taking things very slowly with these poor mites, but hopefully, with lots of tlc, they should soon be in good condition.

Update: Maggie May has now gone to her new home, where she is being utterly spoilt.

The 1st photo was taken when Maggie May came into us, the 2nd was taken just before she was re-homed.

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