Alison's Chinchillas

Me, Alison

I got my first chinchilla in 1997 and they've been a big part of my life ever since. I currently have around 20 chinchillas, some breeding chins, some strictly pets. I spend a good portion of my time helping others learn about proper chinchilla care, coming up with new toys to entertain my chins, and going to chinchilla shows.

When I'm not doing things chinchilla related, I enjoy spending time with my dogs, traveling with my best friend, hiking, swimming, playing in the snow, reading, surfing the web, researching various topics, watching weird movies, fixing computers, and going for walks. To support all my habits, I work in a hospital dietary department.

My Herd

My first chinchilla was given to me in mid 1997 and I've been hooked ever since.

My breeding chins come from various lines and were purchased from other breeders in the Northwest and at shows. In breeding, my goals are to produce healthy, blocky, good sized chins with clear, dense fur that would do well as both pets and breeding chins. My main focus is to produce show quality white blends (TOV Tan White, Tan White, Pink White, White Ebony, etc.) by breeding back to quality standards. Due to the nature of genetics, not all of the chins born here are breeding quality, but I do my best to pair up chins in a way that will produce the traits I want.

All kits that are born here are handled from day one. I feel that handling kits gets the babies used to people and also allows mom to have a break from her little ones.

My Cages

For my main cages, I have three towers each measuring six-and-a-half-feet tall. Each tower can be divided into four small cages, two small and one large cage, or just two large cages. They helps maximize space usage, while still allowing the chins to have room in their cages for hammocks, toys, houses, etc.

I put a lot of time and effort into designing and constructing my towers. These cages are very heavy and not easy to build (due to their immense size), but they are easy to clean and the chins feel comfortable in them.

	My Other Pets In addition to the chinchillas, I have a number of other furry family members.
	Bear Bear was born on October 3, 2000. His mom was a Rottweiler/German Shepherd mix and his dad was a Black Lab/Rhodesian Ridgeback/Golden Retriever/who-knows-what-else mix. Bear (80 lbs) prefers to stay close to home. He likes to 'play' Sit-Stay, hold 'hands', go swimming, and sleep in. He does not like to be left alone and has to have Meg or one his people with him at all time. When in the house, he always has one of his toys in his mouth or at least near by. Bear loves attention, walking, and FOOD!
	Meg Meg was born sometime around June 2008. Her first year of life is a mystery. In the summer of 2009 she ended up at Canyon County Shelter in Caldwell, ID. After 3 weeks of being locked up, she was pulled by the Pacific Northwest Border Collie Rescue and sent to a foster home in Kennewick, WA. From there she went to a home in Bellingham, WA where they hoped to put her to work herding livestock. After 5 months, they decided it wasn't working out so she went back to the rescue, this time to Ravensgate Border Collie Rescue on Camano Island, WA. I adopted her from Ravensgate in April 2010 and brought her home to Deer Park, WA. She is here to stay! Meg is a high energy dog that loves to play and learn. She loves Frisbee and loves to run. She is currently in training for agility. We hope to compete in agility trials some day.
	Ginger and Marianne THE DEGUS! These girls are sisters that have been here since October 2002. They love to talk and argue with each other, run on their wheel, and sound the alarm when the dogs, cat, or visitors enter 'their' room.
	Anni Anni was born in the fall of 2006. We adopted her from SCRAPS in November of '06 and she's been causing trouble ever since. She swats, bites, cuddles, and purrs all at the same time. She's an indoor cat who loves to watch her many "TVs" (a.k.a. chinchillas, degus, the birds outside, and the actual televisions in the house). She also enjoys torturing the humans and dogs in the household. She thinks anything and everything is put here just for her. She's spoiled and wouldn't have it any other way.
	Matty Matty was born on October 3, 2000. She was Bear's littermate. She was my 70lb athlete and loved Frisbee, weight pulling, hiking, and playing in the water. Matty loved going places and making new friends, be they humans or other dogs. Unfortunately, in early 2010 bone cancer won and I lost my Matty. She is greatly missed and will forever be remembered.
	Lucy We got Lucy when I was 10 years old. We were looking for a dog to join and protect the family. My parents went to an animal hospital that takes in rescues to look at a German Shepherd. When they arrived, the staff insisted that they see Lucy first. She was scrawny and her legs looked a little crooked, but she was very sweet. The first thing she did upon seeing my family was roll over and ask for a belly rub. (They never did see the German Shepherd.) Lucy passed away in October 2008 at age 15 (or 16). She had many years of playing dress-up, going to lakes, swimming in the creek, and just being a couch potato.