Sunshine Chinchillas
Subtitle
Surrendering a Chinchilla
- We do not have a business phone number for conducting calls.
- We do not purchase, buy, or pay for an animal to come into our rescue.
- We are a private home-based facility and do not allow "tours" of the chinchilla room.
- We are a NO KILL facility, every animal is found a home or stays with us indefinitely.
- Sunshine Chinchillas NEVER advertises on websites such as Craigslist, Hoobly, Facebook Marketplace or Instagram.
- Animals surrendered to us are NEVER used for breeding purposes, no exceptions.
- Sunshine Chinchillas will not travel to pick-up animals, it is the responsibility of the owner/inquirer to set an appointment and bring the animals to surrender.
- Chinchilla(s) needs to be surrendered with any cage and or supplies. This is to reduce stress on the chinchilla by keeping them in an environment they are used to.
- Once you have surrendered your chinchilla(s) to Sunshine Chinchillas they and their supplies become the belongings of Sunshine Chinchillas. More often than not the chinchilla will be adopted back out with their setup. If the cage is in poor condition or filthy (dirty enough that a power washer can't clean it) it will be disposed of and the chin will be adopted out with no cage or a different cage setup.
- AS OF 2018: Sunshine Chinchillas will require that all chinchillas coming in with a cage setup will need the cage/supplies to be washed with soap, water and bleached prior to the chinchilla being surrendered. I will not accept a cage that is unsafe or unsanitary. I reserve the right to refuse a cage upon inspection. It will be up to the owner surrendering the chinchilla to dispose of the cage if it is not up to cleanliness standards. This is to protect the health of any other rescues that may be in our care.
- All cages will need to be taken apart / broken down for transportation.
- We take our time in finding homes but will put the chin up on the appropriate websites the same week to ensure they get a high chance of adoption.
- I do not buy back chinchilla(s) that have been adopted from Sunshine Chinchillas. If you cannot keep the rescues that you adopted from Sunshine Chinchillas you may contact me to see if I have room to take them in.
Prior to surrendering, you are welcome to print out this surrender form, print, sign and then date it to bring to the appointment. If you are not able to, we will have a copy available for you to print, sign and date during the surrender process.
Mission Statement
Why Do We Have a Surrender Fee?
Unfortunately, with the high volume of surrender emails we get on a daily basis we do have to set a fee in place to help with the care of these animals.
At no point would we consider taking on an animal if we did not have the means to care for them. Thus, the surrender fee ensures their initial cost of care is covered. The fee guarantees that a spot will be opened up for them to arrive into our care so that we may start the process of finding them their forever home. This fee can help to cover food, water, supplies, and the cost of travel if we are meeting to pick up the animal. This also helps keep our rescue operating so that we can continue taking in any chins in need.
Another reason we do ask for a fee is to discourage those who may adopt a chinchilla on a whim and then decide to rehome them soon after. This fee helps any owner who is considering surrender as option to stop and consider if it is right for them before making this serious decision.
If you are considering surrender, take your time and weigh your options. If you feel you do need to find your chinchilla another home and would like to contact us, please feel free.
Meet Bunny!
Bunny was surrendered to us in late 2020 as her prior owners were moving and did not want to make her embark on the long journey. She is considered elderly as she is almost 19 years old!
Because of her age and special needs, Bunny is a permanent member here at Sunshine Chinchillas. She spends most of her days sitting on her favorite hidey hut and chewing all the apple wood sticks she wants.
Bunny is just one example of the care we try to provide to each and every one of our rescues. They all get treated like family and are spoiled until they find their furever homes.
Each animal that comes into our care stays with us indefinitely until the perfect family comes along. For Bunny, it seems she didn't have to look very far!
Want to Help?
Donations are always welcome as they help us to fund our rescue and continue taking in chinchillas in need of homes. We operate on a very small scale, thus any and all donations are greatly appreciated. Here are some things we use donations for:
- Chinchilla Food; chinchillas must only eat certain brands of food, thus we always are stocking up on chinchilla food.
- Timothy Hay and Alfalfa Cubes; chinchillas need the ruffage of hay in their diet, it helps with their digestion and to keep their teeth at a healthy length.
- Water; we only use reverse-osmosis bottled water for our chinchillas, this helps to prevent any water borne illnesses such as Giardiasis.
- KD Pine Wood Shavings; we purchase our shavings in bulk and always have some on hand as a chinchilla safe bedding in their enclosures.
- Anti-Pill Fleece; fleece items are the only safe fabric for chinchillas, we use this as a soft spot for them to sit as well as a material to make hammocks, hay holders, pillows, and tube covers.
- Dust; just like our food, hay, and bedding, we also like to buy our chinchilla dust in bulk for our furry friends to bathe in.
- Apple Wood; chinchillas absolutely love apple wood, this chin-safe wood is a favorite of our herd and rescues to chew on.
- KD Pine Wood; here at Sunshine Chinchillas, we purchase our own kiln-dried pine wood to make all of our own chin toys such as wood chews, hidey huts, shelves, ledges, tubes, and hanging toys.
- Cages; to provide proper living quarters for our chins, we do occasionally have to purchase new cages when surrenders come in without them.
- Water Bottles and Food Bowls; we only use glass bottles and ceramic dishes, sometimes if they break or we need more we do purchase these as well.
- Dust Houses; every chin loves to flip around in their dust in a dust house, we like to purchase metal ones that are chew-proof for our chinnies.
- A/C Maintenance; since chinchillas are from the Andes Mountains, they have a dense coat for the harsh cold temperatures. Thus it is imperative that we have a special A/C unit for them to keep them cool in the hot Florida summers, we are always making sure to clean and maintain their A/C unit.
- Travel; sometimes we do meet to take in surrenders, this does require gas and wear on our vehicle.
- Emergencies and Hurricanes; since we are in Florida, we do also use donations as a backup fund for emergencies such as Hurricanes. This helps us to stock up on supplies as well as provide funds in case of evacuations.
- Vet Bills; sometimes a vet visit is necessary, donations help us to provide this care to rescues who need it.
If you'd like to donate, check out our GoFundMe here:
Contact Us
(NOT APPLICABLE AS OF JAN 2021) Surrender Fee of $30 per Chinchilla: Due to the large influx of people contacting us to take in their chinchilla(s), we now ask for a surrender fee of $30 per chinchilla. This helps us to take care of each and every surrender we take in, while also allowing us to continue running our rescue.
If you would like to surrender your chinchilla(s) please contact me with a brief history of the chin (age, color, breeder/petstore, health issues if any) and when you are looking to surrender.