[CAChinsRescue] Newsletter - December 2007

[Lori Cope]

CALIFORNIA CHINS and ChinchillaRescue.Org
 
Newsletter
 
December 2007
 
 
 
EVENTS
======
 
- There is talk of a California Chins Holiday party on Saturday, December
15th, but I have no further details at this time.  We'll send the party
information in a separate email as soon as it becomes available.
 
- Our Chinchilla Health Day 2008 is moving from Presidents' Day in February
until Memorial Day. "Chin Doc" (Dr. Jane Johnson)
will be attending a conference in February so we needed to reschedule.  The
date will be Monday, May 26th (Memorial Day).
 
 
RESCUES
=======
 
We are continuing to receive more inquiries about surrendering chinchillas
than we are about adopting, although many of the potential surrenders have
not ended up coming to us.  In some cases people find an adopter themselves.
Some people never make contact with us again.  Other potential surrenders
are prevented by educating the owners about ways to minimize allergens or
helping them realize that they really are doing a good job of caring for
their chinchilla.
 
Our adoption rate this autumn is still lower than previous years.  We are
still hoping that will change as more of our foster chins are becoming
available for adoption.
 
New Rescues in November: 4
Chins Adopted last month: 7
Deceased Chins: 1
Chins Available for Adoption: about 18
Total # of Chins in Foster Care: 36
Number of Chins waiting to come to Foster Care: maybe 9
 
We have a number of rescues that are not yet available for adoption for one
or more of the following reasons:
 
- Need a check-up or recheck with our vet.
- Being treated for Giardia
- Need to gain weight
- Too young to be adopted (less than 4 months old)
- Being watched for possible dental problems.
- Recuperating from a broken leg
 
 
Available for Adoption
----------------------
 
Check our website to see the chinchillas that are currently available for
adoption. www.chinchillarescue.org/rescues.html
 
 
TIPS, INFORMATION, REMINDERS
============================
 
Ideas for Socializing Your Chinchilla
 
Chinchillas have many different personality types, so what may be needed or
work well for one chinchilla may not work for another.  The following is
just intended to give you ideas.  Your experience with your chinchilla may
vary. 
 
- Give a new chinchilla time to adjust to you and your household.  If your
chinchilla is looking for attention, give it to him. But if you have a shy
or timid chin, keep the interactions to a minimum until he is feeling more
comfortable. Consider putting the chinchilla¹s cage somewhere in the house
where they are not completely isolated, but where they can watch some of the
household activity so that they can get used to your routines.
 
For example, my chins know that they get a treat in the morning when I first
come downstairs. I¹m greeted each morning with all of the chins eagerly
awaiting their treat, with varying degrees of patience on their part. It
doesn¹t take long for a new rescued chin to watch and learn the routine so
that soon they are begging for their morning treat along with the rest of
the chins.  
 
- Move slowly and speak softly around your chinchilla.  Screaming children,
barking dogs, excessively loud music and other loud noises can be stressful
for a chinchilla until they become accustomed to the normal noises of your
household. 
 
- Make sure that your chinchilla gets some quiet time during the day since
that is their normal sleeping time.  With a new chinchilla, you may want to
consider limiting interaction to the evening as that is when chinchillas are
naturally more active and therefore more receptive to socializing.
 
To gain your chinchilla¹s trust:
 
    - Sit next to your chin¹s cage to acclimate it to your presence.
 
    - Offer chinchilla a treat when it approaches cage bars.  You want
       to encourage their confidence and curiosity.
 
    - Once taking treats from your hand through the bars of the cage, offer
       treat through open cage door.
 
    - Once taking treats this way, place treat on open hand to entice
       chinchilla to step up onto hand to retrieve treat.
 
    - The next step is to place a treat on your forearm and allow chinchilla
       to climb onto hand.
 
    - When your chinchilla is comfortable with your hand, lean in toward
       cage and allow chinchilla to climb onto arms while offering treats.
 
    - Once chinchilla is comfortable climbing on you, try gently petting
       your chin or giving him a scratch under the chin.
 
    - Avoid chasing or grabbing chinchilla to get it back into cage.  Allow
       it to hop back on its own if at all possible.
 
Chinchillas seem to have a long memory about events that frighten or hurt
them, so if your chin gets frightened you may have to start all over again
with regaining its trust.
 
Handle your chinchilla regularly to keep him or her well socialized.
Remember you are the ³boss².  Just like with children, giving into your
animal¹s fears or demands will only end up with an animal or child that is
difficult to live with and no one else wants to be around. J
 
Too many treats are not good for chinchillas, so try slicing your chin¹s
treats into smaller pieces or look for treats that are not sweet (dried
fruit) or fatty (nuts and seeds).  Some people have used plain, original,
Cheerios as an occasional training reward.
 
Chinchillas love dust baths so giving your chin access to their dust bath is
another effect reward. Give them a dust bath as a reward after they¹ve
gotten back in their cage after playtime, or have them climb into your hand
before they can have their dust.
 
 
If you have some tips or tricks that you would like to contribute to future
newsletters, please contact Lori.
 
 
CONTACT INFORMATION
===================
 
Lani Ritchey - calchins at aol.com
Lori Cope - lori at chinchillarescue.org