







|
 |
 |
Name: |
Chia
|
Age: |
Ten months old
|
Gender: |
Female
|
Kind: |
Chinchilla
|
Home: |
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
|
Chia
is a mosaic chinchilla. We first got her because we had the
opportunity and a cage from a baby squirrel I had rescued in the early
fall. When we gave the squirrel to a rehabber, I felt the need to have
something to care for. It had been years since I had a pet, and after some
research we decided on getting a chinchilla, mainly because they live so long!
We got Chia in September 2011 from a back yard breeder on Kijiji, so I do
consider her a rescue. Her living situation was not ideal before we took
her, and her previous owners were not knowledgable. In fact, Chia was a
Chester for the first couple of months living with us; we were told she
was a he. A reputable breeder came and gave her a look-over, and informed
us that our little boy was actually a little girl! After some thought, we
decided to change her name to Chia.
She's still a bit hesitant with us, and likes to have everything done on
her own terms. We can't pick her up, but she will sit our shoulders or
heads if she feels like it. She is much more affectionate with my
boyfriend than she is with me (just because she doesn't know buys all the
toys!) She's extremely hesitant around visitors still, but I always let
any new people offer her a treat, which seems to win her over slightly.
Once she's outside of the cage, she is very playful with anyone who's
around, and will use any person as a jungle gym.
Chia's favorite things are being out of her cage, chewing on pieces of
wood and dust baths! She'll do anything for a Shreddie or a piece of apple
wood, and sometimes gets upset when she's given any other treat. She is
quirky though: when we give her a treat, she doesn't just take it from us
and eat it. She usually runs somewhere and hides while eating it, as if
she's afraid we'll take it away from her!
We love her very much and look forward to spending many years with her!

View more images of Chia!



|
Talk about today's pet in Pet Talk!
|
|
 |
|