* Churro found his forever home with a wonderful person! Woo hoo! *

Twelve year old Churro was surrendered to a shelter in Quebec by his owners because of allergies. A noisy shelter is definitely no place for a sensitive chinchilla, let alone a senior.
When the amazing folks at One Last Chance Rescue reached out to us for help, we were happy to welcome this sweet guy in, and the equally amazing organizers and drivers at Freedom Drivers Animal Rescue Transport got Churro to us safely. Big thank you to the volunteers from both organizations!

Churro is a friendly guy. He likes scritches behind his ears and on his chin.  Other than being a bit on the thin side (likely age related) Churro was given a clean bill of heath at his vet visit. Now he’s ready to find his forever home!

Here’s a note from Churro’s foster home:
“Churro is a nice chichi. He loves his timothy hay and daily treats. Cheerios are his favourite. We haven’t noticed him use his wheel all that much, but he does enjoy time out of his cage to run. It’s a bit of a challenge trying to catch him when playtime is done, but using his wooden house usually does the trick, as he’ll run into it to try to hide. Dust bath time is also a favourite. He will roll and scratch in the dust for quite a while. So fun to watch!
Because of Churro’s age, we don’t think he’d be the best choice for an environment with small children. An experienced chinchilla home would be best for him.”

A few things to know about Chinchillas:

– They are nocturnal
– Their average lifespan is 10+ years
– They need a diet of Chinchilla specific pellets and a constant supply of timothy hay. Our chinchillas are fed Oxbow brand of both of these.
– Their teeth never stop growing (much like a rabbit) so they require lots of things to chew. Check out Tiny Paws Emporium and Zoey and Lilo’s Toy Box to see all kinds of fun chew toys
– Chinchillas need to take dry dust baths two to three times a week with a store bought chinchilla sand. They should not be bathed with water.
– A very large cage is required to keep your chinchilla happy. We recommend Critter Nation cages, or a large cage similar in size. The bigger the better!
– Chinchillas need a large wheel for running. The Flying Saucer is one of the best available. Inappropriately sized enclosed wheels can often cause a chinchilla to unnaturally bend their backs which can cause injury
– Plastic exercise balls are not safe for chinchillas
_ “Floor time” or time spent outside of their cage for supervised exercise is required daily. The area where a chinchilla will be spending this time must be “chinchilla proofed” to prevent accidents such as injury or death from chewing electrical wiring, or getting their limbs caught up in something that might cause a break.
– Chinchillas do not make great pets for small children
– Most veterinarians do not treat chinchillas. Finding a vet close to you who is experienced with chinchillas should be done before bringing a chinchilla home.

Click here for the basics of chinchilla care.