Waiting List

I'm starting to think that no one has any patience, anymore.

I have one person (will use this as an example).  Maybe 3 weeks ago, they contact me, wanting to surrender their chinchilla.  I tell them, there's a waiting list, several people ahead of them, I can add them if they'd like.  Yes, they want me to add them.  So, I add them.

Not 7 days later, they contact me, asking if there's room to bring the chinchilla in.  I look on my waiting list to see where they are, and they are on there... with 5 people in front of them.  I inform them of this (and I did tell them, definitely people ahead of them, chins need to get adopted to bring more in, so on and so forth), and they say, ok, they'd rather get in sooner rather than later (but to a good home, of course).  Well sure, so would everyone on the list (get them in sooner), but unless people are stepping up to adopt (or foster), the waiting list is what it is. 

I get a text a few days ago, maybe two weeks since the initial contact, saying that I can take the person off the waiting list, as they listed the chinchilla themselves.  That's perfectly fine (and hey, the list shortens for the people after this!).

But the reason I mention this all... I can't make people adopt chins.  When we say we're full, it's cause we're full.  Sure, I have little cages open.  If these people would like their chins stuck in a 14 x 14 holding cage, I can probably take in a few more.  However, I understand that these people are surrendering their pets, and they don't want their chins in those small cages.  So that means, I have to wait for a big cage to open.  Some chins that come in get adopted right away.  Others.... well, you notice certain names on our website that just seem to sit there?  Chili Mac and Wife & Daughter come to mind... those two are taking up two of the big cages and have about no interest.  The "less adoptable" chins take up room until that perfect adopter comes along.  Since we are no-kill (which people like, until it means we have no space to take in their pet), just because a chinchilla isn't some flashy color and winning-you-over-personality, they just chill with us until they're adopted, whether that's days / months / years.  So, people have to wait for there to be room.  Have patience.  All I can do on my end, for the most part (other than posting their ads and hoping the right person sees them), is wait as well.