Chinchilla Nation » About Us

About Us

15th January 2010

Growing up, I’ve always had animals: dogs, rabbits, & turtles to name a few. I shamefully admit that I was only a kid who didn’t truly understand how to really care for another living thing. I wasn’t the one feeding them, cleaning after them, or playing with them; I don’t think I bonded with the animals at all! It was until I was older (& hopefully wiser) that Tubby came into my life, & despite the responsibilities that came with him, I learned to know what it means to have not just a furry animal, but to have a pet as a member of the family. It all started with Tubby that I have come to a realization that having a pet you truly care for is very rewarding. I’m still new at this & I’m lucky to have such forgiving pets. Along the way, I’ve learned to expect the occasional poop in my bag, everything is chewable & destroyable, & treats are always a good substitute for real food. What I didn’t expect was the heartbreak that comes along with losing a member of the family; I don’t think I will ever overcome that.

Without further ado, here are the members of my furry family:

Tubby-about2
Tubby Wubby

Tubby is a standard grey chinchilla who was brought home from a chain pet store in October 2007. The name Tubby was chosen because the sales assistant said the chinchilla was a girl and she had a cute pudgy belly. Tubby was in the care of a couple of friends while I was away on holiday and they asked if I was sure about Tubby’s gender. Of course I wouldn’t doubt what the knowledgeable sales assistant had told me .. until he started mounting my hand! So, Tubby is a boy! That seems more like it, because of his mischievous behaviors, there is no way a proper girl can be as sly as Tubby! Tubby loves his morning scratches and wheaties. There is no record of his birthdate.

Winnie-about us

Silly Winnie

Winnie is a white male (and a violet carrier) who was brought home from local breeder on 5th of March of 2008 to be Tubby’s companion. His original name was Squirt because he had to be handfed with a syringe, as his mom’s milk gland was infected, hence the name Squirt. He was born on the 14^th of October 2007; for his 6^th month birthday, his birthday gift was his first treat! Because his personality is the complete opposite of Tubby’s, I’ve given up hope that Winnie and Tubby will ever get along.

Syrians-about us

Daddy Hamster & Baby Hamster, each in their observation deck

Daddy Hamster and Baby Hamster (yes, I’m very creative when it comes to names) are father and son Syrian long-haired hamsters who came from a boy who previously took care of them. He grew out of them and decided to give them up & I was willing to provide them with a good home. I picked them up in April 2008, about a month after I brought Winnie home, as an addition to my furry family. They were originally housed together in homemade wood shaving bedding. Because Syrian hamsters are naturally territorial, Daddy Hamster bullied Baby Hamster before they came to my care; as a result, Baby Hamster was covered in bruises & scars. I also think that the homemade wood shaving bedding must have not been treated properly (it had some natural oil that came from the wood) and caused some balding & thinning in the hamsters’ fur. Although they’re father & son, they have different personalities that are both so lovable; Daddy Hamster is the fat sleepyhead & Baby Hamster is the smaller curious one. They live in separate cages now, love running on their wheels, and love fresh vegetables.

Sadly, Baby Hamster passed away peacefully in his sleep. This makes me think that Baby Hamster could have been the dad.

Robo Kit

RIP Kit (this picture was taken a day before she was put to sleep)

Kit & Kat are 2 Roborovski hamsters brought home from a local chain pet store about a couple of weeks after Daddy hamster & Baby hamsters were brought home. They are super cute but too bad they are very shy for me to even pet them. Kat has a permanent bruise on the right side of her nose & that distinguishes her. I was out of town for 1 night & when I came home, I couldn’t find Kit in the cage! She managed to escape, but she couldn’t make her way back to the cage as it was placed on a table too high for her to climb. She was stressed out & developed what seemed to be wet tail. When I brought her to the vet, it was too late to save her & the only thing I could do was to end her misery. I was really sad about Kit & so was Kat who was probably feeling lonely (there’s a good chance that the 2 girls were sisters). So, I brought home another 2 Robo girls from the same store the following week (could it be that they are all from the same litter?). Now I really can’t tell the 2 new girls apart from each other! But if I could, I’d name one Almond & the other Joy. They all love birdseeds, small treats like yogurt dips & dried papayas, & bundling together to sleep. Did I mention that they all run gazillion miles per hour on the wheel?

Kat passed away in her sleep after a long battle with cancer.

robos wheel squeeze2

All the girlies: Kat, Almond, & Joy

Dee Dee was adopted from a girl who could no longer keep her; she wasn’t getting along with her previous cagemate (who is apparently 4 years of age & blind!). She was born with a birth mouth defect (but hasn’t hindered her from eating like a normal hammie) & she has a (battle?) scar right under eye. She doesn’t bite me, but she’s nervous when handled. Despite her birth defect and scar, I think she has the most beautiful eyes that look like a pair of black marbles. Dee Dee passed away peacefully on 7th of June 2009.

Dee Dee having bird seeds

After I brought Dee Dee home, I decided to get 2 more Russian Campbells thinking that dwarfs do better in pairs or trios. Too bad I learned that they didn’t get along at all. I guess because they’re not from the same litter, it’s very hard to make them befriend each other. The beige one is Pinky and the grey one is Brain. Brain is the naughty one, she always steals Pinky’s food and always tries to be the boss. Sometimes I feel bad for Pinky, she’s a lot smaller than Brain & I don’t know if it’s because Brain constantly steals her food or she’s just meant to be small. When they’re not fighting over food, they like to snuggle together & even sleep on top of each other