MSPCA-Angell Seeks Adopters for 60+ Chinchillas!

Small Pets Among Nearly 1,000 Rescued from “Dire Conditions” in National, Multi-Agency Operation

 BOSTON, Nov. 10, 2026 – The MSPCA-Angell is seeking adopters for more than 60 chinchillas rescued from a commercial breeding facility in Ohio, the organization announced today.

The animals were removed by Humane World last month from conditions the group described as dark and bleak, with hundreds of chinchillas living in filthy cages.

“They [Humane World] reached out to us for help when the scope of the operation became clear, as we’ve collaborated on these kinds of large-scale cases in the past,” explained MSPCA-Angell Vice President of Animal Protection, Mike Keiley, alluding to the 2021 rescue of beagles from a breeding facility. The MSPCA-Angell took in nearly 200 of those dogs.

“Obviously taking in animals and rehoming them is a big piece of this, but there’s more to it,” he elaborated. “We also sent several staff members out-of-state to help Humane World with intake and daily care of the chinchillas.”

MSPCA-Angell staff went to the Humane World facilities over two weekends in October and collectively brought 63 chinchillas back to Massachusetts.

“We’ve long been saying that the only way to address the most pressing issues in animal welfare is for groups to work together, and this rescue is a perfect example of that.”

All Hands on Deck

According to Keiley, accommodating such a large intake of small animals required changes to normal operations at the MSPCA-Angell.

“Given the huge number [of chinchillas] that Humane World was taking on, we wanted to maximize our support, so we factored in the Northeast Animal Shelter despite the fact only dogs and cats are usually housed there,” he explained. “We converted a conference space and bought more caging to get the extra space we needed.”

The chinchillas have been receiving various medical care since their arrival.

“We were able to take a lot of females that may be pregnant, as well as chinchillas that appeared to have greater medical needs because we have the region’s best Avian and Exotics specialists [at Angell Animal Medical Centers],” Keiley elaborated.

“We’re doing ultrasounds to see how many females are pregnant, some chinchillas may need dental work. Whatever care they need to live their best lives, we’ll give them.”

Several male chinchillas are ready for adoption now, and the females will be available soon.

Anyone interested in adopting a chinchilla or donating to help offset the cost of their care is asked to visit mspca.org/chinchillas.