Greenwood Chinchillas -
Chingus Chinchillas
It was with sad regret that I read a message and for sale advertisement upon the Chinchillas Unlimited from Susan Daniels of Chingus Chinchillas during August 2003, she had decided to sell up her entire stock and cease her breeding program.
I messaged with my regrets as her web site had been the first for professional show quality chinchillas that I had ever found when I first started to look into pedigree chinchillas in the 97-98 period. Her chins had always impressed me with their quality and size, and when speaking to other professional breeders they also had respect for the quality and care of her stock.
Thankfully upon that occasion Sue decided after all the messages she had received with their regrets that she would try continue to keep the chins and work through the barriers she had encountered and continue once more. As saddened as I was to learn that the stock would no longer be available I was overjoyed to here she wished to continue.
During this period we exchanged a lot of messages and emails and became friends. This was to prove fortunate for myself, as a couple of months later Sues decide that she no longer could cope with the chinchillas even after trying again and it was necessary for her to release all of her stock. Again I tried to persuade her to change her mind, but this time she was adamant that it was not possible to continue and she sent me a list of the chinchillas and cages that she had available and the prices that she would like to obtain for each.
Looking through the list it was impossible to make any choices or selections - so upon discussion with Sue it was decided that I would buy her complete stock, cages, watering system and all other miscellaneous related items - with the understanding that I would then sell on the animals that I did not require. This made things easier for Sue in letting go of her complete herd in one go rather than piecemeal - and she was certain that she wanted them all to go as quickly as possibly once the first one was moved.
So with arrangement with a couple of friends we drove up to collect all of the animals from here, she was tearful at their leaving and I again offered to leave them all there for her - or if she changed her mind would return them all. But she still was sure she wished for them to leave -and was glad to know that they would mostly remain with myself together.
The more I have researched their pedigrees and awards, the harder it has been to choose who to let go - and to date none have been sold on. The quality of the animals far exceeds the level I previously had, and is well above the level of animals that up to that date I had been buying in as breeding stock.
I have been extremely grateful to Sue for all of her help and advice, and remain in touch with her still. She has an open offer to visit at any time and catch up with her chins once more - I still see them as hers - despite them being here with me. Many of them had been with her for a few years and the kits that are likely to be produced over the next coming 3 months will be her work and selection of animals.
I am extremely grateful for her faith in me in allowing me to take over the animals and hope to do as well in the future in keeping up the standards that she herself expressed in her work in this area.
I am still saddened that she no longer has chins of her own - but each day when I enter the chin room and see them all, it makes me smile that an established breeder such as herself, based on my discussions with her, trusted me enough to take on her animals to give them the same care and love that she herself expressed. It has been the best start that a breeder at my level could ever have expected.
In some circles I have received much abuse and gossip because I was lucky enough to have this opportunity and the animals came to me without being offered to others - to those people I feel sorrow that they have to have this attitude. Thankfully the majority of chinchilla breeders I have met have all the same caring, compassionate standards that Sue herself portrays, and I am to personify myself.
As of 21st September, my own chinchilla herd was swelled by the arrival of: Carla, Merlin, Anny, Layla, Fred, Pepper, Dolly, Tiggy, Dillon, Freda, Molly, Bart, Kimberley, Rosie, Holly