Adoption Info
Please note that the following applies to all chinchillas (and other small animals) adopted from NWI:
--All chinchillas come with 2 pounds of food (Mazuri Chinchilla Chow or Tradition Chinchilla Food, unless otherwise noted), a goodie bag, a care booklet, and a lifetime of support. Pairs will come with 4 pounds of food and 2 goodie bags.
--Regardless of past chinchilla experience, all potential homes will be asked to read our chinchilla care packet, fill out our adoption form, and provide proof of caging. If you are unwilling to do this, please do not waste our time or yours. No chinchilla will go to a new home without an adoption application being filled out and proof of cage - no exceptions.
--Unless it is specifically noted in their ad, none of our adoptable chinchillas come with a cage.
--All chinchillas are located in Hammond, Indiana, unless otherwise noted (rarely are they located elsewhere, other than when they are in foster homes).
--As rabbits are illegal to own in Hammond, Indiana, any rescue rabbits that we may have will be fostered (and located) elsewhere.
--We may be able to meet or deliver our chinchillas, or other animals, for a fee. Please inquire if interested.
--We CANNOT ship our chinchillas, or other animals. However, in case this might ever change, we will leave up our page on shipping animals -- Shipping Information. We are willing to work with transporters to get your new pet to you, so this may be another option for you!
Want a Discount? Volunteer!!
Volunteer 2 hours = 10% discount on a chinchilla
Volunteer 4 hours = 25% discount on a chinchilla
Maximum discount of $50
Please note, volunteer hours for discounts on chinchillas must be pre-arranged and pre-approved. Please be aware that not all days and times are available for volunteer time. Volunteer time must be done before adoption of the chinchilla (within 14 days of adoption) in order to qualify for the discount.
Volunteer activities may include things like cleaning cages, sanding toy parts / wood items, washing pet items, feeding / watering animals, carrying 25-50 pound items around, medicating animals, and more. Volunteers must be able to ascend and descend a flight of steps, potentially multiple times within their volunteer time. Volunteers must be open to whatever needs to be done. If you have physical limitations that may prohibit certain activities, please let us know ahead of time so we can determine if volunteer work is right for you.
This volunteering discount cannot be combined with any other discounts or sales.
Please contact if interested.
Unsure If a Chinchilla Is the Pet For You? Try It Out For A Week!
Want to see what it would be like to have a chinchilla as a pet? Unsure if you might be allergic? Try our "trial run" program. In this program, you get to take home a chinchilla, complete with cage and all needed supplies, for a week. To ensure that no one takes off with our chinchillas / cages / supplies, we ask that you put down a deposit equal to the cost of the chinchilla, cage, and supplies. We also require a signed form, detailing that you do not own, and that you will return, the chinchilla / cage / supplies, or will forfeit your deposit. To ensure everyone is being truthful, we make a copy of your driver's license at your appointment.
If you do not decide to adopt the chinchilla, your deposit is returned / refunded, when our chinchilla / cage / supplies are returned. There is NO actual fee to do this, just the deposit to ensure that we either get our stuff back, or are compensated for it. If you do decide to adopt, the deposit can be applied to the chinchilla adoption fee and anything else you may want to purchase. If your deposit is a larger amount than what you end up purchasing, we will refund you the difference. If you would like to participate in this program, please let us know.
Need a Cage or Supplies to Go With Your Chinchilla (Or Other Pet)?
We have both new and used cages for sale --> Used Cages for Sale
We also have used items and accessories in our webstore --> Gently Used Items
Explanation of Terms (on the Available Chinchillas pages)
Kit -- this is the term for a baby chinchilla. Same as how we call baby dogs, puppies.
Dob -- date of birth. When the chinchilla was born.
Culled breeder -- a chinchilla that was used as a breeder at a different location (usually a large chinchilla ranch) where, when culled (removed from breeding), chinchillas are put down.
Retired breeder -- a chinchilla used as a breeder here. Our retired breeders are not put down, but rather, all go to pet homes.