Chinchilla kits on the whole are very endearing - fluffy, precocious, and full of beans. Some are more “beanified” than others.

Leila’s kits are a hoot! Grenville and Griselda were cheeky from the moment they were born - the triplets are exactly the same. Within 24 hours they were climbing the bars and flinging themselves off backwards with gay abandon. Within 3 days they were mouthing pellets and Readigrass. Within a week they had begun dragging the toys about in the cage. Tonight they’ve been climbing up the humans and attempting to mountaineer up the sofa.

The third kit fostered with Bella is a mini version of her bigger siblings - she is a little quieter but that did not stop her from clambering all over Talie and attempting to disappear between the sofa cushions. She also spent a good few minutes “peeping” at Talie and then Bella’s little male (who was clambering gingerly over me at the time) joined in the communication noises. They sat and “peeped” at each other for ages, even when they were touching noses and then the female decided to use the poor male as a springboard.

What a difference in the kits! Bella’s charges are a good 20g smaller than the pair that Leila has - they are all doing very well though and I am sure the teenies will catch up in time.

Leila’s 3 are complete hooligans and make me laugh - I was watching the male kit wrestling with a huge (in comparions to him) piece of kindling yesterday - he was absolutely determined this piece of wood was going to be moved and he did manage it in the end. He looked very pleased with himself, popcorn hopped over it, landed in a heap and then whizzed off to Leila for a feed.

Bella’s kit is still causing me some concern however - he is just “not right”. He is stil a little unsteady on his feet and walks with an odd shuffling gait. Whilst all three of Leila’s kits are now pinging about like small furry jumping beans, Bella’s kit is hesitant and clumsy. His front feet turn in as well which makes him look more odd still. Head shape is also not normal - time will tell if he survives and I am deliberately not naming him so I do not get too attached (yes, yes, those of you who know me well will be rolling your eyes at that - he’s a “misfit” and it’s a foregone conclusion that I’m attached already!).

I’ll try and get some updated photos over the next few days …………….

The Southern Region Show was, I have to say, a disappointment. Not in terms of the usual friendliness and general atmosphere (that was excellent as always for southern region) but on the number of people who attended. I did get stuck in the kitchen all day but I had some excellent help on the day.

It’s a real pity - members wanted a southern venue but it seems that if we manage to find a venue (Markyate is hardly “south” anyway!) it’s not very well attanded - although the Southern Region is the biggest in terms of numbers there are only a few members who actually exhibit. Also the M25 is a pain in the posterior and causes problems which ever way you come round it (especially on a Sunday) but that aside, venues are expensive and we really need the numbers to make the shows viable. Sunday illustrated that Markyate is not viable and we will not holding any further shows there.

I’m disappointed and I’m knackered - can you tell?

All of the kits are gaining weight nicely and are pinging about like small, furry, “pop-up” toys. You know, the kind you had when you were a kid that had a plastic top and a spring - like the “monsters” on the credit card advert? You push the top down until it sticks to the base and then it jumps up after a few seconds ……….. Anyway, one minute the kits are quietly sleeping and the next they are popcorn hopping like crazy. Very sweet and hilarious to watch. Both Bella and Leila are beginning to look a little haggard - I will probably give them a bit of a break over the weekend - away from their little charges if only for a few moment’s peace.

It’s the first Southern Region NCS (National Chinchilla Society) show on Sunday at Markyate and although I don’t have any chins to show I have to attend - partly because I’m Vice Chairman and the venue is only 20 minutes from home but also because I have the show lights and printer which are needed to run the show. I also buy and prepare the provisions for the kitchen.

Consequently, Talie and I were mooching around Costco after work to get everything we need - baking potatoes, ketchup, bacon and rolls for the breakfast bacon butties (compulsory fodder when you’ve hauled yourself out of bed on a cold, grey Sunday morning in winter). The trolley was full - I just hope enough people pitch up or Talie and I will be eating bacon rolls and baked potatoes with spag bol for the next 6 months!

Someone in the chin room has the squeaks this evening - not sure who is alarm calling but they are going at it in a very serious way. Something has definitely upset the apple cart. If they don’t stop soon I’m going in there to have words - anyone who keeps chins will know the outcome of this: The culprit will instantly stop squeaking as soon as the light goes on and I enter the room and every single small, furry face will peer at me innocently. Once I leave the chin room the alarm calling will re-commence at a faster, higher pitch than before and I will be forced to go back in the room and stare at each chin in turn - I’m not sure why I think the Paddington Hard Stare technique will work on the chins - it’s doomed to failure. I’d be better off just admitting defeat and going to bed.

Oh and by the way, the chin room still has a minty fresh aroma to it

Bio-Air. Wonderful stuff, Bio-Air. It’s a very powerful and effective essential oil based air freshener. It contains eucalyptus, peppermint, camphor, and menthol. Used very sparingly after cleaning out the chin room it fills the room with a minty aroma for hours. It’s also good for putting under the cage of any chins with respiratory infections or colds (just a tiny drop on the newspaper but only if the chins cannot reach it) to aid with breathing and clear the nasal passages etc.

Sounds like a sales pitch doesn’t it? I don’t mean it to but this stuff is great - Debbie recommended it some time last year and now I use it at least once a week to make the chin room smell clean and fresh. It’s powerful and it lasts for ages - and the chins seem to like it.

So …….. on to the story. I keep the trigger spray down by the sink in the kitchen (it’s also good for eliminating cooking smells like bacon) but somehow the bottle was balanced on a bottle of fabric softener. When I came home on Monday I could smell the tell-tale peppermint aroma but could not initially work out where it was coming from. Talie and I were blaming each other for using it but neither of us did. Odd. Definitely odd - because we could both smell it. Panic! Had I left it in the chins’ room and it had been knocked over? Use too much of the stuff and it makes your eyes water for a while - I know this because I used it in the car once a little over-enthusiastically - and needed to drive around for 3 days with the windows down!

The smell seemed to be coming from the kitchen (we deduced this by sniffing loudly - very scientific) and I suddenly saw the bottom of the bottle - it was upside down. Now this stuff is not cheap and I was about to start bemoaning my financial loss (it’s expensive to buy but lasts for ages - unless you spill it!) when I realised that the contents of the bottle were now soaked into an old piece of towel which I used for the chins. Oh well, it must be useful as an air freshener in it’s own right now - a bit like the fabric wicks you find in those liquid air fresheners. I deposited the cloth in the chin room by the air purifier and immediately the room was filled with the scent of menthol, camphor, peppermint, and eucalyptus. It took me ages to wash the minty smell from my hands too.

Its now 2 days later and the chins still have a “hint of minty freshness”. It’s wonderful. I wonder how long it will last?

The kits are beginning to popcorn hop like little furry fleas. I love it when they do that. They are all gaining weight, even the smallest female, and Leila’s big kits are begining to mimic their mother by tasting pellets and hay. One of them was looking particulalry smug earlier with a tiny piece of shredded wheat in his/her mouth.

Apart from waking up and seeing the little kits in with Bella bickering, all is quiet. When I left for work this morning there were kits on each side of both mothers, contentedly suckling.

Fingers crossed it remains that way and they all start gaining weight.