How To Re-home Your CHINCHILLA

Domestic chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera x chinchilla brevicaudata)
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Re-homing your chinchilla is not necessarily a delight to accomplish.  However, if you are in a situation where you can no longer properly care for your chinchilla, the best thing to do is to seek out someone who can give it the love and care that they need.  It will break your heart to let your pet go, especially if you've become bonded to it.  It's also better if you let someone else handle it rather than let it suffer and die.  

You can start your search by placing classified advertisements in the section designated for exotic animals or chinchillas.  Make sure you let them know that there is an adoption fee attached.  You should set the fee at a starting price of $50.00.  It has been advised that you should set it higher than that.  This way, you will weed out the freebie seekers or cheapos.  These types of people are usually not interested in taking care of a chinchilla; they just want to purchase it for their own corrupt whims.

The purpose of the adoption fees is to see if the candidate can properly and is financially able to take care of an exotic pet such as a chinchilla.  Chinchillas need routine care not only from you, but also from a specialized veterinarian.  When you're dealing with specialties, that usually costs more than general things.  If the interested person has an adverse reaction to the fees, then that's a strike against him.  You'll know that they're not interested in the chinchilla's well being.  You want to make sure that the person getting your pet is the most qualified.

Find out how long this person has been taking care of chinchillas.  Did they keep them healthy and active?  Ask them what kind of food did they feed them.  Let them know what brand of pellets and hay you used, in the event, it's different from what they use for their pets.  If they already have a chinchilla, will they try to get them together as mates?

Find out more information about trying to have more than one chinchilla in the same household.  Find out about their veterinarian and how he or she takes care of their chinchilla(s).  Does he or she have the best interest of the pet in mind?  If the person were to go on vacation or had an emergency, is there someone available who is knowledgeable in taking care of chinchillas?

If they can answer your concerns and you feel comfortable with them, then your chinchilla may have a new owner and a new home.  Before the prospect signs on the dotted line, take your chinchilla over there to see if they will adapt to their new environment.

The place should be clean and free from a lot of noise.  Chinchillas aren't comfortable with excessive noise in their domain and it's easy for them to get infections.  See how your pet interacts with them.  If they do well and pass the test, then you probably have a winner.  If your pet clams up and doesn't get comfortable, then you may have to continue looking.

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