Sunshine Chinchillas

On occaision, we do take in surrenders on a case by case basis. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you would like to surrender your chinchilla(s):

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• We DO NOT purchase or pay for an animal to come into our rescue.

• We ONLY take surrenders in on Sundays, between 12pm-4pm. On rare occasions we are able to make exceptions, but this is not common. We do have jobs outside of chinchillas that only allow for a small window of availability in our schedules.

• We DO NOT buy back chinchilla(s) that have been adopted from Sunshine Chinchillas. If you cannot keep the chin(s) that you adopted from Sunshine Chinchillas you may contact us to see if we have room to take them in.

• Animals surrendered to us are NEVER used for breeding purposes, no exceptions.

• Bonded same-sex pairs/groups are typically adopted out together unless they exhibit signs of fighting or illness in our care. 

• Bonded opposite-sex animals are NEVER adopted out together. All animals are sexed, then males and females are always separated to prevent breeding. Females exposed to a male are then placed on maternity watch for upwards of 111 days in case of pregnancy.

• Sunshine Chinchillas NEVER advertises on websites such as Craigslist, Hoobly, Classifieds, or Facebook Marketplace.

• We MAY share photos of our rescues on our official Facebook and Instagram page to bring attention to our website.

• We MAY list rescue animals on Adopt A Pet to up their chances of finding a home. 

• We WILL assign a name to every rescue, this is their name used on the website and in our records attached to their information. This speeds up the process of locating their history in our records in the future if necessary. This may not always be the same name they were surrendered with.

• We DO add photos of newly surrendered chinchillas to our website fairly quickly, sometimes the same day as their surrender. This DOES NOT mean they have been adopted or are being adopted that same day; we simply do it to up their chances of finding their perfect person. 

• We do not give out potential adopter information to families looking to surrender or rescues looking for adopters. The animal(s) must be surrendered to Sunshine Chinchillas and will be adopted out through our adoption process only. This protects adopter's privacy, the family surrendering's privacy, and the safety of the chinchilla(s) involved. We vet ALL adopters to ensure animals go to the best home possible. 

• We are a NO KILL facility, every animal is found a home or stays with us indefinitely until their perfect home is found. That being said, if an animal has a terminal illness or injury, they will be humanely euthanized to end suffering. 

• We are a private home-based facility and DO NOT allow "tours" of the chinchilla room.

• Once surrendered the animal becomes the property of Sunshine Chinchillas and we DO NOT adopt back out to the individual(s) who surrendered said animal(s). This is for the health and safety of the animal, which is our main focus. 

• 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 at our public meet-up location. 

• Surrendered Chinchillas MUST be brought in a secure travel carrier or closable box with proper airflow; bringing loose animals puts them at risk of escaping inside or outside of your vehicle. 

• Sunshine Chinchillas will accept any animal adopted or purchased from us in the past if we have space, no surrender fee required and no judgement.

• Sunshine Chinchillas will only schedule surrenders and adoptions at the public meetup location on our website. This ensures our safety, the safety of others, and the prevention of COVID-19. 

• Non-refundable surrender fee must be paid prior to scheduling an appointment to surrender. We do not have space to take in every animal, this fee ensures a spot will be open for an animal needing to be surrendered. If the invoice is not paid within 24hrs, we will move on to the next person.

Animals with illness:

• We DO NOT accept animals with obvious malocclusion or a malocclusion diagnosis. Malocclusion is not curable and there are no treatments, it is the responsibility of the owner to provide veterinary care to their pet if malocclusion is suspected. Malocclusion involves the overgrowth of the teeth/roots, leading to rupturing the nasal cavities, eyes, and/or brain, causing immense pain and eventual starvation. Teeth trimming or removal will not cure the affliction nor provide pain relief. Humane euthanasia is the kindest method of ending their suffering. If an animal is surrendered to us and is later found to have malocclusion, Sunshine Chinchillas will have the animal humanely euthanized. 

• We DO NOT accept animals with abscesses, infections, or respiratory illness. We have the right to refuse an animal upon visual inspection and determination of illness upon surrender appointment; if the surrendering party does not indicate the animal has illness (including malocclusion) prior to meeting at the surrender appointment, we will NOT provide a refund for the surrender fee. It is the responsibility of the owner to provide vet care for their pets, we will not endanger our chinchillas and rescues by taking in animals with highly contagious ailments.

• Aggressive animals are subject to a $200 surrender fee per animal. These animals are not adoptable and need extensive rehabilitation. 

• For animals with general health problems not requiring immediate veterinary care, please specify these in detail and provide vet records if possible. The more information we have, the better so that we can provide the best care. 

Supplies/Cages:

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• We do not accept unsafe items like: plastic (houses, bowls, toys, running balls, wheels, litter pans), non-fleece fabric (towels, blankets, hammocks, stuffed animals, pillows), treats (yogurt drops, salt licks, biscuits, fruits, nuts), wire hay racks, broken or filthy cages, tiles, laminate, rocks, pee pads, wire wheels, baking sheets/dishes, cardboard toys/tubes, leashes, costumes, chew logs.

• We will ask you to keep/recycle/donate any of the above unsafe items. If we deem any of the items brought during the surrender appointment to be unsafe, we will ask you to keep it and recycle/dispose/donate them at your discretion.

• Supplies, travel carriers, toys, ect. are greatly appreciated. We try to setup each rescue in a similar environment that they are used to. This is to help reduce stress and provide comfort. However, it is not required for you to surrender any supplies with the animal(s). 

• 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 supplies. If these are in poor condition or filthy, they will be disposed of and the chin(s) without said items. 

• At this time, we no longer accept cages; anything that cannot fit inside of a small car while assembled, we cannot accept. Small travel cages that are easy to transport are still accepted.

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For chinchillas with malocclusion, elongated roots, or those that need routine teeth filings, the kindest thing you can do is humane euthanasia. Malocclusion is the excessive overgrowth of the teeth and/or their roots into the eye sockets, nasal cavity, and jaw; this is an excruciating affliction that has NO CURE. Chinchillas are a prey animal, they hide pain well to avoid drawing attention from predators. Most often, chinchillas only start to show pain from malocclusion when they are nearing the advanced stage of overgrowth; this can mean rupturing the eye ball or nasal cavity, starvation, or GI stasis from complications of not eating due to pain. 

TEETH TRIMMING IS NOT A CURE, this only prolongs their suffering; you cannot file the root of the teeth or remove teeth, this has been done before and does not work for chinchillas. It is the responsibility of the owner to humanely euthanize an animal with malocclusion. 

For more information on malocclusion, review our illnesses page here.

  *AS OF 2025- due to the rising cost of gas / food / hay / shavings / treats etc. we have had to raise our surrender fee.  We are a privately run facility and all costs are funded by Sunshine Chinchillas. This surrender fee ensures that we can provide basic needs for all rescues that come into the facility. 

Surrender Fees

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One Chinchilla

$40

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Two Chinchillas

$80

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Three Chinchillas

$120

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Four Chinchillas

$160

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Five or More Chinchillas

Please contact us with how many and we can calculate the surrender fee

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