Don't know how many of you will know about my chinchilla named Hope. To let you understand. Hope was born one morning before we went on holiday. Her mother had rejected her, Aileen noticed a little kit laying all forlorn at front of cage, abandoned by her first time mum. Aileen immediately brought her in, revived her and to cut a long story short. Decided nothing else to do but take the kit on holiday with us. Well as fate often decrees she survived and was given the name Hope.....................
Fate again stepped in years later. Aileen had another kit being hand fed her milk every couple of hours recently just before her the holiday this year as the mother of the kit didn't have her milk come in - as often happens first day born ... so, of course it went on holiday with Aileen.
This is where the circle of life kicks in. Although Aileen was still feeding the female kit two hourly feeds day and night. It was decided to bring Hope into the house as she was being retired from breeding. Mable the little kit Aileen was feeding at Mablethorpe (hence name Mable) was put in with Hope who took to her instantly. Hope began cleaning her and cuddling her etc. Mable was bouncing about the cage looking over the moon and so happy. We were laughing at her jumping over Hope etc and obviously enthralled with the new set up.
You see, Mable, after being hand reared was needing to know she is a chinchilla. Her new mum would teach her how chinchillas behave etc.
Aileen was of course still needing to feed Mable but as from that day, Hope was responsibe for looking after and nurturing her.
Here are some pics taken at the time they were introduced to each other.