February 9, 2011

Chinchillas


Earlier this week, one of my daughters' classmates brought her pet chinchilla to school for show-and-tell.

Since then, everything out of my daughter's mouth has had the word "chinchilla" in it.

"I want one really bad," she told me at dinner the other night.

I am an expert on lots of things (namely marine otters and, now, since it's Black History Month, Oprah Winfrey and Harriet Tubman) but my knowledge of crepuscular rodents is embarrassingly limited.

"It's a cross between a mouse, a rat, and a rabbit," my daughter informed me gleefully.

"My three favorite things," I replied.

Last night, my husband handed her a mouse trap. "If you can catch one," he told her. "You can keep it."

Right now, the trap is set on our back porch. I told her she might have better luck if she stuck it in our attic.

37 comments

Kimmber said...

Haha, be careful, you never know what she might catch and be able to keep. There is only one kind of good rodent, IMO... wouldn't make for a great show and tell pet after that.

Sims Family said...

Ha! Sadly this reminds me of my family! One time my mom caught a large rat in her condo air vents. She swore it was a chinchilla and kept it in a cage for like 2 weeks as a pet. She's nuts.
They keep weird pets in Florida. We had a neighbor that had to drive to where we live in AZ. They wouldn't let her fly because of her flying squirrel.

Anonymous said...

Hysterical! I love this blog, I really do.

Amanda said...

My brother had a chinchilla when we were kids. I yelled/screamed/bellowed at my mom one day, and the chinchilla had a heart attack from the shock. My brother never forgave me. You can tell her that Chinchillas foster fraternal enmity and abhor parental abuse.

Cailey & Brady said...

I read your blog every day, you are my absolute favorite!! Too bad your daughter wasn't in bountiful Utah at my house ohhh three months ago. Believe it or not we had a chinchilla in our walls making as much rukkus as five elephants. All her dreams would have come true! Apparently we have wild chinchillas in bountiful Utah:) I wish her well on her trapping adventure... its not IMPOSSIBLE.

Unknown said...

I think chinchillas are cute...in someone else's house! Cute post!

Unknown said...

Oh, Jana, we are BOTH chuckling! I'd have the same feelings ... it is a rodent for sure.

Happy Valentine's ~
TTFN ~
Marydon

GIVEAWAY ends 2/11

Christine said...

Ha ha my son has 2 chinchillas. He's even bred them so now my sister has one too. They are cute but a long term commitment...like up to a 14 year commitment!

Diane said...

Guinea pigs are cute too but they are also NASTY! We have a pair that I so ignorantly agreed to get my boys for their birthdays the year before last. Never.Again!

Charlie Pulsipher said...

You are so going to end up with a pet skunk!
Funny Stuff I Write

mpierce said...

I had a pet chinchilla a number of years ago. We got it for my daughter. It was the cutest, softest animal, but a lot of work to maintain. They keep clean by taking a dust bath and that stuff (along with their bathroom habits) were just too much for me.
It was sad to see her go thought. She was a cute little thing.

Love your blog!
I'm a new reader and I just can't tear myself from the computer because I love to read your posts.
Thanks for giving me some great laughs!!

Jen said...

LOL thank you for ALWAYS being dependable for a good laugh :)

www.monogrammedeverything.com

Q said...

I thought a chinchilla was a type of mexican dish. Maybe I should google the correct spelling.

Amy said...

My first boyfriend had a few chinchillas, along with some hedgehogs and hampsters. He was obsessed. I personally think they are too messy, though they are cute and extremely soft.

kodie said...

your kids make me ugly laugh! a chinchilla?!? yipes! (btw, a friend of mine had one in college...he was very energetic and a really good jumper. i think he would have been completely impossible to catch if he ever got out of his cage! just some 'good to know' info for when your kiddo actually catches one, ya know?)

Julie said...

Why is it that every animal my daughter wants is technically, or may as well be, a rodent? Gerbils, hamsters, mice, guinea pigs...YUCK. I can barely tolerate the zhuzhu pets.

Carina said...

When my child fell in love with chinchillas I showed him a picture of a chinchilla coat. I explained that mommy has always wanted a chinchilla coat, and that any chinchilla that set paw in our house would be laying down their life to fulfill that wish.

No one wants to lend us a chinchilla anymore.

Southern Queen of the Crazies said...

I was bitten by one walking by a cage when I was younger. RUUUUUUN!

Nikki said...

I never comment, but this warrants a warning! They are as cute as a fat mouse can be. They are extremely soft (ask any socialite in NYC wearing their fur).
They are cared for like rabbits... as they jump... startling small children into screaming fits
They also have an appetite for drywall and anything else you think a goat might enjoy.
So my only correction to your daughter's assessment is that its like a cross between a rat, mouse, rabbit and goat...
other than that - they are lovely pets

Nick Probst said...

DOOOOON'T get one! My sister had one. They have super fragile bones, are wickedly acrobatic (i.e. hard to catch if it gets out), need super fine powder to roll around in that gets everywhere and they BARK!

Mrs. Tuna said...

They make nice coats right?

tiki_lady said...

ok, someone left a note to come check you out! I'm browsing! and liking. Ha!

Anonymous said...

Wow nice off handed comment about Black History month. As a mom of color who read (past tense) you quite often I am dismayed.
Black History month is a lot more to us than profiles of Harriet Tubman and Oprah Winfrey. I am glad that it got tossed in with your story about your daughter.

I will sign my name to this post as anonymous commenters are usually afraid, which I am not.

Tracy S. from Minnesota.

Learning on the Log said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Learning on the Log said...

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Unknown said...

HAHAHA! Awesome! Can I do that with my boyfriend? He's never seen a chinchilla before - we went to the pet store the other day and he was like, EW! Cool! What's THAT??? lol.

Grammy T. said...

Oh my Gosh!! You are so cute. :)

Anonymous said...

I have to say I LOVE your blog... but a chinchilla.... watch out. My sister had 2 in high school and not only do they take a lot of care, but they also have an awful yell. Being nocturnal they are most active at night and have a sound that I can only describe as police sirens. I remember one particular night when they were exceptionally loud. Both were screaming and nobody in our house slept especially the dogs. I think that was one of the last nights she had them, my dad ordered them out of the house.

Anonymous said...

that pic is so cute

Keely said...

Uh, it wasn't the kind of trap that kills them, was it? Cause you might not want her keeping it after that?

Anonymous said...

they got your attention. seems to me their advertising dollar worked just fine.

clar said...

very adorable little fellow!
What do animals eat?

clar said...

Chinchillas are amazing . They are so adorable. Thanks for sharing.
Try to check this too
DogsNStuff.net

clar said...

Love this article about Chinchillas. They are so adorable pet. Thanks once again for sharing this kind of article. Try to check this too
Types of Insectst

Anonymous said...

hey carina! literally why would you say that to your child! thanks!

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