Rescues?

[chy1820]

How do you start a rescue step by step? What legal papers do you have to file? Everything i should know about starting a rescue? So if anyone could please help me with these questions i have searched for days about these questions:crossfingers::frown2:

 

[liewwan]

First off are you ready for vet bills? There are 2 different ways: non profit where you will have to register or just start with craigslist to rescue sick looking ones. Most of the time you will have to purchase them.
Make sure you check with your county and city for limits on how many chins you can have.
Biggest and the most important thing of all: know your research! What signs to look for on a sick chin, supplies to handle a sick chin, time to hand feed if needed to.
Are you found to adopt out after the chin is fully recovered or are you going to do this as a rescue providing a forever home.
A quarantine room for new chins coming in.
Many factors comes into rescuing.

 

[Vyxxin]

As mentioned your first step is determining if you want to be a registered not for profit. Start there, make a decision, THEN find out more. There is no "how to" because the procedures aren't going to be identical for any person. There are some basics that apply to everyone but you must START with deciding what type of rescue you want to be first. Then decide on how to get there. You'll need funding, you'll need caging, you'll need at least two rooms that do not have common ventilation. But first things first. Decide on what type of rescue you want to be and then find out if that is legal in your area and if so, under what circumstances. For example it may be legal as long as you do not have more than 15 chinchillas in your care at any given time.

 

[chy1820]

okay i want to rescue chins only and may i ask the big and major differences between a registered and not registered rescue? and how would i found out how many chinchillas i can have in my care legally? I've looked for a long time but i still cant find anything about how many or anything else

 

[Vyxxin]

By type I meant either you want to be registered non-profit or you don't. I didn't mean decide whether you want to rescue chins or chins and huskies. As far as finding out what's legal, more than likely you're going to need to do some footwork. You'll want to check city/town ordinance as well as county ordinance. If you plan on doing it in your own home or if you plan to build a specific building makes a difference.

 

[mishellyshel]

before i would start either type of rescue, i would make sure you had a bank account cushion of at least $2500.
i "rescued" several chins and now have them as pets and in one week recently spent almost $1000 and several years ago spent close to $2000 over a 3 month period on just one chin. also if you keep pets specifically chins, i would make sure that they are kept separate from your rescue and that you have additional space for quanteining each one as they come in.
as for the legal aspect, each city in each state has different pet rules. i would go to your township website and/or call your local animal control and see if they can send you in the right direction.
\

 

[liewwan]

I do only chinchilla rescue, however I'm not 501c which is a nonprofit. Mostly because I have my own breed line of peds and I do rescue work at the same time.
There are controversy about which chins are considered as a rescue; so keep that in mind. You'll have chins that are surrenders to you (in perfect health nothing is wrong etc), you'll have chins that are surrendered to you that's fighthing to live and our lovely ones from craigslist that are in the worst condition (chances are these will have to be bought).

Certain county and city requires a minimal amount of care provider for certain amount of rescue animals (chins or not chins) to maintain a 501c. 501c you can file a tax write off for the cost of care vs non 501c you can't. 501c has a tight and strict guidline and will require lots of paperwork. You'll have to contact them for more info. Regardless of which way you go, you still NEED to have proper funding for them.

So back to the original thought, are you going to adopt out the chins or provide a long term santuary for rescue chins. If long term santuary, you'll have to put yourself in a limit because the cost of the care can add up.

You need to make sure you have a trusted vet specifically for chins.

 

[AZChins]

You could always work with a nonprofit small animal rescue organization. Sometimes it isn't really worth it to go through and get your own nonprofit going. I've worked with nonprofit rescues quite a bit over the years, they have to do a lot of work to maintain the nonprofit status. Taking in rescues is something that you will find to be very taxing on you financially and emotionally. It isn't usually fluffy, happy chinchillas, it ends up being very sick and very neglected animals that require a lot of time investment and work. People bring you animals that they claim they love but the poor chins may be hanging on by a thread.

Don't get me wrong, helping the chins is a wonderful thing. It is extremely rewarding and the chins benefit from a loving person willing to care for them. However, unless you are in the financial position where you can pour hundreds or thousands of dollars into one chin (or possibly more or dozens) don't get into rescue. Also, if you don't have a lot of free time to devote to the chins, don't do it. Be prepared to keep every single chin that comes in because some chinchillas can end up being unadoptable for one reason or another.

So, basically what everyone has stated is very true! I take in a fair amount of rescues and all my money goes to their care...anything that I make selling supplies, in adoption fees and selling my own baby chins goes to rescue related costs!

 

[ChinnyMom]

i would suggest starting out as a foster caregiver for a rescue. this will give you a taste of what rescue work entails and it will also give you a chance to help out local rescues in your area. quite often with fostering, the expenses are covered by the rescue, so you are not financially drained if a chin needs extensive vet care.