Zoe and Ohno are a very bonded male (neutered) and female pair.  This wonderful pair came to us on September 27, 2009.  Zoe is a special needs chinchilla because she was born without eyeballs at a ranch and was rescued.  Ohno was an "accidental" birth at another rescue, which is how he got his name.  He was an "oh no"!  Zoe is absolutely remarkable in her abilities to get around and know where she is.  Having never had sight before, she has developed her own way of exploring her surroundings.  She will spiral outward to find where her boundaries are.  Once she knows where everything is, she can actually hop around and have a playtime just like any other chinchilla.  Ohno is very loving to Zoe, often coming back to check on her while they're out at playtime.  Zoe's only real needs are a little understanding as far as how she needs to have things done (offering treats and picking her up), and having her eye sockets gently cleaned once a week and an anti-bacterial eye drop placed in each one.  The process only takes a couple minutes and she is extremely good about having it done.  It is best done by two people however, one to hold her and one to clean.  It's not a gross thing to do either, her eye slits are very small and it's just a matter of cleaning any conjunctival secretions (eye boogers).  The first time we did it, it went very easily and quickly.  Now that we've done it a few times, it's even easier and quicker.  Ohno was born in March, 2006 and Zoe was born in April, 2001.  Ohno is quite the character, having escaped three times now from our blocked off play area to zoom around the house!   Gotta keep an eye on that one!  Zoe is probably one of the sweetest female chinchillas we've ever had the pleasure of having here with us.  Zoe and Ohno went to their new family on January 30, 2010.  We were able to meet at our vet's office (thank you CCAH!) so we could show their new mom how to clean Zoe's eye sockets.  We are so happy that these two have such an adoring new family, and so is their former mom.

Lilo

Lilo came to Second Chance Chins on September 25, 2008.  He is a very cute violet male, born January 9, 2002.  Lilo enjoys running on his flying saucer wheel and has found he also enjoys sitting in his hammock.  Lilo has a curious and sweet personality.   Right now, Lilo is recovering from some dental issues, so he's going to remain here until we're sure he's fully recovered.  UPDATE 12/11/08:  Lilo is still battling what we believe to be an infection, likely an abcess.  We're doing everything that we can for this sweet little guy.  UPDATE 1/21/09:  We're still working with Lilo, and we are cautiously optimistic that we may be in the final stages of treatment.  He is maintaining his weight (and even gaining a little) on his own and isn't drooling anymore.  He'll still be on antibiotics for a couple more weeks.  The test will come when we take him off the medication.  UPDATE 2/27/09:  Lilo is doing very well!  After being on antibiotics for weeks, it appears that we've finally beaten whatever it was that was plaguing him.  We still don't have a definitive answer about what exactly was the problem, but as long as he's healthy now, that's the important thing!   He's been off the medication since February 18, and we're in a holding pattern just watching and waiting to see what happens.  Lilo's weight when he came in was 480 grams, which is very low.  He now weighs in the 590's, which is a remarkable weight gain.  This weight gain was all on his own, just feeding him regular food and hay.   We even see a change in Lilo's demeanor.  He's much more outgoing and friendly now and just wants to know everything that is going on around him.  He uses his flying saucer again (with a vengeance!).  Our vet gives us the ok to find him a new home if he's ok after about a month, so we're crossing our fingers for little Lilo!   We'll certainly be sad to see this sweetie go when the time comes. UPDATE 3/26/09: We've been given the word by our vet to offer Lilo for adoption. He's maintaining his weight nicely and has become more outgoing and VERY active. He is a very sweet little guy that will make someone a wonderful companion. To this day, we do not know what was causing his problems, but we're confident that he is now healthy. He may need some occasional dental care in the future for spurs on his teeth, but the roots of his teeth couldn't look more perfect.  Lilo was adopted by his new mom on February 13, 2010.  His mom adopted "Cole" from us last year and has wanted Lilo ever since.  Her dream of having Lilo for her very own came true, as he was her Valentine's Day present from her boyfriend.  We are so pleased that Lilo has a fantastic new home and will have future vet treatment from the vet that quite literally saved his life.

Chika

Chika is a very pretty standard gray female born November, 1999.  She came to us to find a new home on September 27, 2009.  Although Chika is a bit older, she is still a very active girl and is very sweet.  It took a little time for her to come out of her shell and settle in to our routines here, but now that she has, she's showing what a wonderful pet she will be for someone.  Chika enjoys running on her 15" Chin Spin and sleeping in her roomy hidey-house.  Chika was transferred to another rescue, out of state to find her new forever home on April 18, 2010

Total number of chins placed in new homes during 2010:
3
(to date)

(this does not include those that were transferred to other rescues or passed away while with us)