Well, Tonka is now just over 5 weeks old.

Thought you might like an update on his mischievous self.

“Mum won’t share her shredded wheat with me!”

“But I got my own anyway”

“Cheeky faced? Me? As if!”

“See? Butter would not melt………. ”

“Hello?”

Some chins have no manners “From A to B via any route possible - Including over Mum!”

Poor Bear - she will be glad when 7 weeks is up because I can see me needing to wean the little monster by then

The problem with knowing poeple who run a chinchilla rescue is, I come home with chins! I don’t mean to - it just happens. There’s a chin which comes in, is either a physical wreck or a sob story or needs nursing …….. or all 3 - Meet Gregg and his Mrs, Grace.

Gregg is a tiny little scrap of a chinchilla who has been living with Roman and Jane for a few weeks now. I met him when I first went to visit and was immediately smitten with his little face. Despite huge adversity, Gregg is a determined little fella and he gets around remarkably well considering he seems to have almost no control over his back legs. He munches away at his food, snuggles up to his girly, and generally seems pretty content. He also has nibbled ears which are permanently set back, making him look constantly pensive.

How Cute is This Face?

Gregg's Adapted Chinchilla Cage

I have adapted Chloe’s old cage for him so that he can get around - there’s a ramp with carpet (hessian backed pure wool) for grip so that he does not have to jump up or down onto the shelves - although, as he has proven on more than one occasion, he is perfectly capable of doing so!!  He also has Chloe’s original underfloor heated box for his comfort.

Gregg quite often stands on the ramp to eat his Readigrass or hay from the rack - Grace uses it as a springboard. She also spends a large portion of the evening/night rearranging all the cage furniture and seems to enjoy doing so as noisily as she possibly can!

Grace was a bit shy and retiring when she arrived - you can see her under the ramp in the first picture, not quite sure whether this bigger cage was acceptable or not ………..
In the last week she has come out of her shell completely!! Now when I open the door this is what I find:
“While she’s not looking I can make my escape ……… oh no! She’s seen me!! Nope, I’m not planning anything - honest”

Grace Ready to Escape

Gregg has settled in very well and seems to be enjoying his new accommodation - the heated box is proving highly addictive.
I have deliberately moved his food bowl as far away from where he sleeps as possible - Roman, Jane and I are hoping that the combination of stimulation, warmth, acupuncture, and a little exercise will help him. He is pottering about his cage with interest and likes to see what is going on when I am in the bedroom - watching TV or reading or on the laptop etc.

Interestingly, he has adapted to his disabilities and with his wobbly legs he leans against the mesh of the cage or a solid object to support himself - especially if he is washing or eating.

Gregg Leaning on the Cage Mesh

I have the feeling that nothing will stop this little chap from getting what he wants when he wants it - he’ll fit right in!

A memorial to a very dear rescue chinchilla - Chloe. ? - 05/10/07

Chloe arrived at The Manor following what can only be described as an awful life. She was apparently found abandoned with her partner (Sam) and a young kit in a cardboard box under a hedge in the snow. She had clearly been owned by people who had no idea about separating the male when a kit was born and she must have had several breedbacks.
When I saw Chloe for the first time she was deeply depressed, fur chewed, and had practically given up on life. Despite being in a good home with my friends, the original rescue had inadvertently mis-sexed the last kit and so poor Chloe gave birth yet again - to a stillborn kit. It was the last straw for her.
I had gone to visit my friends and they asked me to take a look at Chloe. What I saw broke my heart - a pathetically small and thin, 3-legged, fur chewed little chinny. She sat on my chest, completely unmoving for several hours and seemed to have no interest in anything at all. It was so unusual for a chinchilla and she touched something in me - I bought a small carrier for her and I brought her back to The Manor, dreading that she would not cope with the stress of the move and worried that she was too far gone to save.

Chloe arrived at Monty’s Manor on Sunday 19th September 2004. I quarantined her in my bedroom - both for quarantine purposes and also so that I could monitor her closely. This is her the day she arrived; snuggled up in my bed with her cozy towel and hot water bottle.

With a change of environment and no other chinchillas around her, Chloe’s spark began to reappear. Within a few weeks she was showing signs of interest in food, life, and exploring her new cage. She stopped fur chewing and slowly began to put on weight. I moved her cage into the lounge so that she could be around me during the evenings and this was where she started watching TV

Chloe continued to show distress when other chinchillas were around - I moved her cage (a Paul Spooner wooden framed cage!) back into my bedroom as a permanent arrangement and she seemed very happy. I customised her nest box so that it had underfloor heating (using a very small reptile heat mat) because she seemed to always like warmth.

Eventually I managed to introduce Chloe to Bummble and they became great pals - sometimes I would not see either of them if it was cold outside. They would be in the heated box snuggled up together.

One of Chloe’s favourite things was watching TV - she liked E.R, CSI, and anything with gore or gunshots. She would sit on her side shelf and position herself so she could see - if there was something which interested her she flicked her tail to the left to support her body (to compensate for her missing left back leg) and would sit up and watch intently.

Chloe was grumpy too - if she were human she’d be a female Victor Meldrew. She knew exactly what she did and did not want and she made those feelings known in no uncertain terms!
Raisins were to be given at 9pm on the dot! 9pm would arrive and so would Chloe - on her side shelf. If you didn’t give her a raisin she would stare at you in a most disconcerting manner until you relented and gave her one. You could feel her stare boring into your head at 100 paces I think
She is the only chin I have ever known who could grunt when she was displeased - she only did it at specific times or occasions and it was not a noise I have ever heard another chin make. It was a definite complaint - kids playing outside or workmen making noise would be rebuked with a grunt, as would the cold weather. She would sit in her cozy house and mutter audibly. She was a cantakerous chinny who made everyone who knew her laugh at her antics and fall in love with her character.
Some days she would want fresh banana, others not. Some days she wanted shredded wheat, others not. Some days Enervite was wonderful stuff, other days it was disgusting ……….. everything was on Chloe’s terms and that’s how she was happiest.

In the 3 years I shared my life with Chloe she had become more rounded (although she was never over 440g even at her heaviest - so should never have been bred from full stop!) and was thoroughly enjoying life. She was an eccentric larger-than-life character and had me totally wrapped around her paw.
Sadly however, Chloe was never destined to live to a ripe old age (having said that, no-one knows how old she really was) and she was always a frail little soul. Her body was abused and depleted of nutrients for so long - multiple breedbacks had taken their inevitable toll. To many babies and too little care.

Chloe began to lose weight and fur chew again a little while ago - her spirit was bright and active but her body was just too damaged to continue. Heartbroken, I said my last goodbye to her on Friday 5th October.

This is Chloe in her better times.

Chloe, The Manor and my bedroom are not the same without you. I miss you terribly.
There is no pain for you now, nor any distress. Sleep well baby