Shipping Information
Beginning 5/1/18, shipping is no longer available. Check back for updates!
As of 3/13/20, shipping is still unavailable. Sorry for the inconvenience!
Because we are so often asked about shipping chinchillas and other small animals, we felt that there was a need to add this informational page about shipping.
Let me start off by saying that while we do prefer to meet our adoptive homes face to face, that is not a requirement. Wee have shipped our animals before, and can ship them to you -- at your cost.
A Few Facts on Shipping That You Should Know...
Shipping is expensive. Many people seem to think that you can send a chinchilla overnight through the mail. However, the reality is that they can only be shipped as airline cargo on special flights.
Shipping a chinchilla (or any animal, for that matter), does not mean the animal will arrive on your doorstep. The animal is shipped from an airport near us (Chicago O'Hare) and will arrive at an airport near you. You will need to travel to that airport to pick up your chinchilla. Keep this in mind, as sometimes the drive to the closest major airport may be longer than the drive to our rescue.
The cost for shipping is based on the total weight of the chinchillas and their carrier. It costs $200 to ship 1-2 chinchillas, or $250 to ship 3-4 chinchillas. If you'd like to ship 5 or more chinchillas, let us know and we can get you a cost for that as well. The cost of shipping is in addition to the cost of the chinchilla. Therefore, if you are looking to adopt a $75 chinchilla, the total cost (chinchilla and shipping) would come out to $275. If you are looking at a $200 chinchilla, the total cost would come to $400.
The cost for shipping includes: the airline flight, the custom airline carrier, and all required paperwork. The cost you see above is very close to actual cost -- we might make a little in "gas money" to get to the airport, but most of the cost goes to the airline and the special carrier. There's unfortunately, no way to make shipping more affordable, other than having you come to the rescue and physically take your chinchilla home with you.
A Few More Facts... Shipping Safety
We want all of the shipped critters to arrive happy and healthy at their destination airport, and remain that way once they've made it to their new home. The airlines help ensure that these pets are well taken care of, as well.
The area where the pets travel (inside the plane) in is climate-controlled and pressurized, just as the cabin of the airplane is. If it is cold or hot outside, as long as the temperatures are within the appropriate guidelines (see below), the heat or cold outside really doesn't matter, as the pets are in a climate controlled area.
The area where the pets wait to be boarded onto the plane is also temperature controlled, so they don't get too hot or too cold.
Chinchillas can only be shipped when the outside temperatures are appropriate and are safe for shipping. The temperatures at both the departure and destination locations must be above 40 degrees F, but below 80 degrees F, or the animal cannot ship. This is for the safety of the animal. Sometimes if the temperatures are too hot during the day, animals can be shipped on night flights, if the outside temperatures have cooled down.
Also for the safety of the animals, we use custom-built airline carriers to ship the chinchillas. Some other people use cat carriers, which carry with them, the risk of the chinchilla chewing out. Our custom carriers were made with chinchillas in mind, have a wire grid frame, which ensures that your chinchilla will remain in their carrier until you decide to remove them.
Still Want Us To Ship You An Animal? Let Us Know!
Read all this and still thinking, "sounds good, let's get this rolling!" -- alrighty! Let us know, and we will work with you to get your animals shipped!
Please note that, for the most part, animals cannot be shipped year round, due to temperature requirements (it can't be too hot or too cold, in either the departure or arrival location). Please check with us and we will let you know if it is possible to ship your animals at the time that you are wanting.
Any shipping inquiries, just let us know! Give us a call or send an e-mail. Talk to you soon!