1- Never buy from a fur ranch. The chins are housed in small, approximately 1'x1'x18" cages. Females wear metal collars which force them to stay in their tiny cages. Males run through narrow tunnels into each females cage to get them pregnant. Most of these ranches have 1,000 to 10,000 chinchillas. At about 8 months of age the chins are pelted or put in breeding. Some of these ranches will sell them at a young age to pet stores or individual owners. Some people feel if they buy a chin from such a sad situation, that they are rescuing it. But, the chinchilla ranch will benefit from the financial support of the person who rescued the chinchilla and they usually can charge a higher price for the pets than on pelts. The parents of any rescued chinchilla will continue to live under these same conditions as long as there are people out there to support these types of chinchilla farming practices.

2- Whenever you buy a chin from a breeder, ask what kind of a housing situation they have for them. Some pet breeders will breed in small cages with runs and collars. Most pet breeders are sensitive to the chins needs and you are most likely to find a good situation there. You can find a lot of loving chin breeders on the Internet and it isn't that hard to ship them.

3- If you see a bad situation in a pet store, talk with the owner. If you rescue a chin the store will most likely replace it with another chin and place them in the same situation.

4- When you buy from a pet store, ask where their chinchillas come from. If they are a pet store chain and buy from a broker, their chinchillas most likely come form a fur ranch.

5- Pass this information on. You are welcome to post it on your site.