See:
"Judging the Quality of Internet Care Information"
DID YOU KNOW...
Ever wonder why some of the
common advice given in the pet community doesn't work for you?
Myth
and misinformation is one reason, this
is another. |
| IMPORTANT TIP: |
Chinchillas are territorial by nature! Some
are much more territorial than others, but if you have
more than one bonded group it is your responsibility to
accomodate and respect their territorialism in order to
avoid cagemate conflicts
or anti-social
(biting, urine-spraying) behavior that some chins
may direct at their chinparent to convey their extreme
stress and agitation:
1) Only let bonded
cagemates out together for out-of-cage exercise
time, do not mix groups.
If different groups use the same playroom, sprinkle Baby
Cornstarch Powder or Arm
& Hammer Baking Soda (no Baby Powder, nothing
containing talc!)
on carpet urine stains and vacuum the room well between
uses, then have a carpet cleaning periodically.
2) Chinchillas do have a territorial range or "comfort
zone" that extends a few feet out from their cage
in the directions they can see (covering cages, as
described on Routines,
reduces stress
and helps prevent cagemate conflicts),
and by instinct they want to defend and secure that
immediate territory. For this reason,
the playroom must be entirely separate from the cage room,
because an outsider wandering near other cages is in danger
of getting bitten on the nose or toes, and his presence
can instigate dominance mounting
(which can lead to fights) as the lead chin in
the caged groups attempts to reestablish rank and control
in response to the territorial violation, or "intrusion."
3) Always introduce
chins before cohabitation to prevent potentially deadly
fighting, and never use an introduction method that will
antagonize their sense of territorialism or put their
safety in jeopardy.
Read more: Maintaining
Group Compatibility.
|
|
CRITICAL POINTS OF CHINPARENTHOOD,
"BEFORE YOU BUY!"
Adoption
Contract/ Qualification Assessment (.doc)
Chinchilla
Care Sheet, "The Essentials" (.doc)
|
Chinchillas
can be the ideal companion. Normally gentle and friendly creatures,
they only bite or spray urine under extreme
duress, even the most vocal
ones don't make noise often, shedding
is very minimal, their droppings
are small, hard and odorless (and continually deposited!)
and their urine isn't odorous as long as their cage
is kept clean. Some essentials:
a large
cage, a chin-proofed
play area, and
unlimited access (ration treats,
not dietary staples) to
the dietary staples of fresh,
high quality pellets,
hay,
and distilled or filtered water.
There ARE potential drawbacks to having a chin as a pet, however,
so don't make the initial investment unless you have acknowledged
the following and are positive you will remain committed to
providing all the affection, time, energy and expense needed
in a chinchilla lifetime:
|
|
Pet
stores frequently mis-sex chinchillas!! It's
not that uncommon for someone to buy a female that's already
pregnant because the pet store grouped the animals by color
and not by gender, or for someone to buy a "same-sex"
chin as company for the one they got from a pet store and end
up with a litter. Before you buy, do your research, learn how
to IDENTIFY
GENDER to prevent overpopulation and unwanted pets!
|
|
The foremost expectation
people have when choosing a chinchilla for a pet rests on the
deceptive perception of the chinchilla being a cuddly "lap
pet." The reality is different, most chinchillas don't
want to be restrained for periods of holding and cuddling (except
for occassional chin
scratches), they want to be on the move, exploring,
energetic, playful. Chinchillas are highly
intelligent
and independent, they tend to have a mind and will of their
own rather than being docile and easily controlled. It
takes someone with intelligence, both emotional and cognitive,
to truly understand and appreciate them.
|
|
Chinchillas themselves
are NOT
"ALLERGY-FREE," nor is the hay they eat every
day and the dust they bathe
in regularly.
|
|
Chinchillas
are not like other furries insofar as heat tolerance is concerned,
they will die if heat and humidity aren't kept low! They must
be kept indoors in a climate-controlled environment;
AIR
CONDITIONING IS MANDATORY,
not optional, in climates where the temperature can
reach 70F! If high humidity (above 60%) is a frequent
weather factor then a dehumidifier is also required.
|
|
|
Chinchillas are
LONG-LIVED.
The average chinchilla life expectancy in captivity is 10-15
years but they can live 20+ years, and that's a very long term
commitment. For that entire
time they'll need knowledgeable, devoted care, regardless of
whether their chinparent experiences a change in lifestyle or
preferences (new hobby/ interest, going off to college, joining
the military, relocating, starting a family, etc.).
|
|
Chinchillas can easily
become stressed or bored, which can lead to health or behavioral
problems such as fungus,
fur-biting
or cagemate conflicts.
The plain fact is, they're far too intelligent to just sit,
caged, for hours on end without sufficient environmental stimulation,
exercise or interaction.
Providing this can sometimes feel TIME
CONSUMING, because out-of-cage activity requires supervision;
chinchillas are rodents who will gnaw anything not sufficiently
"chin-proofed."
Chins require a moderately
active environment where STRESS
FACTORS are kept in check.
A large cage
to accomodate running and playing, a variety of chew
toys, at least one hideaway
per chin and a cage wheel
will help decrease stress and boredom inside the cage while
TV
during waking hours will provide environmental stimulation when
the chin isn't actively engaged in out-of-cage playtime.
|
|
Chinchillas are NOT
RECOMMENDED for young children or as classroom pets for
several reasons important to the chin's well-being and the children's
expectations.
|
|
Most of the problems
that chinparents eventually encounter have to do with a lack
of accurate knowledge or familiarity in these areas:
The
Essentials, Environmental
Stress Factors, conducting safe Introductions
and Safety.
Products marketed as "for" chinchillas may in fact
harm
or even kill your pet, for example: cedar bedding, wheels with
spokes, plastic cage parts or accessories and cages
with unsafe
mesh width.
|
|
Chinchillas are
regarded as an exotic animal. The "startup cost" for
a new chinparent (see Zillah Chinchilla's basic list)
is substantial and vet care for exotics is EXPENSIVE.
|
|
When selecting a
chin, HEALTH
AND TEMPERAMENT should be the foremost consideration, not
strictly appearances. The colorful "mutations"
(every color but the original gray is the result of recessive
gene breeding and/ or inbreeding,
some colors are more established and stable than others)
can be less hardy, not as long-lived and more erratically temperamented
than the standard gray. Most importantly, every chin needs "A
GOOD HOME"! |
|
HEALTH & LIFESTYLE
misinformation and care myths
index/
the essentials, or basics, of chinchilla
care (cage accessories, about safe
housing and homemade cage designs)/
heat and humidity can be life- threatening
(articles, emergency, keeping cool)/ estimating chinchilla age/ shipping,
transporting or travelling with your chin (resources and additional
articles, checklist)/ chinchillas and allergies: not "allergy-free"
(reducing the allergic impact of hay and dust
Health & Lifestyle Pages:
* Chinchilla
Behavior: Relating to People & Animals
adoption source, or background, and behavioral expecations
(pet breeder, ranch, pet store, re-homing, rescue)/ general characteristics
of behavior/ routines (exercise, sleep and covering cages)/ initiating
bonding, a hands-on approach (first contact procedure)/ relating to
your chinchilla (chin scratches or grooming, playtime bonding, catching
and handling)/ environmental stress (attitude and behavior determinants,
basic ways to prevent stress, potential stress
factors)/ anti-social behavior (biting; urine-spraying- single
female chin syndrome; rearing up and chattering teeth; hostilely pursuing,
cornering, fur-pulling)/ facts about discipline/ behavioral rehabilitation:
addressing biting and urine-spraying/ relating articles/ compatibility
with other animals (chins and buns don't mix)/ as classroom pets -and-
are chinchillas a good pet for children? (pets for kids)
* Chinchilla
Introductions and Group Dynamics
introducing chins: precautionary notes, pointers (intro method warning)/
cage within a cage (cwac) method of introducing chinchillas/ the social
disposition indicator: negative, positive, inexperienced, conclusion/
maintaining group compatibility (preventing conflicts,
causes for conflict, the two kinds of mounting)
* Chintelligence
and Communication
communication (general characteristics, hear chinchilla
sounds, speech recognition)/ taming or training/ clever chin stories,
chintelligence articles/ the tv attraction
* Dental
Health
dental health (articles and photos, dental formula, facts and problem
prevention, crossley articles)/ malocclusion (defining; articles and
photos; environmental factor- calcium deficiency, inadequate tooth
wear, implementing changes; symptom progression of malocclusion)/
supplementing vitamin c for dental health (articles, vitamin c sources)/
supplementing calcium to correct calcium deficiency (calcium metabolism,
moderate ca:no p calcium supplementing, articles, bladder stones in
perspective, calcium sources)/ positive results from vitamin c and
calcium supplementing: correcting calcium deficiency, reversing malocclusion
(herd of maloccluders; casper in japan; henry, sugarpuff and dinky
in the uk; sasha's miracle)
* Exercise
and Play
exercise and environmental stimuli (chuffy's story, exercise
for breeding chinchillas)/ exercise wheels (safety criteria; suppliers;
reviews and demonstrations)/ using a harness/ out-of-cage exercise
time (chin-proofing and other precautions, eyesight and agility, escape
artists, if a chin is stepped on)
*
Grooming, Fur and Skin Health
grooming (articles, accessories, the right dustbath container)/
dry skin/ callouses (bumblefoot)/ missing fur? (medical explanations;
wear, rubbing; fights; fur-slipping; fur-biting, chewing, barbering;
fungus)/ care myths: the wet bath (administering) -and- withholding
dustbath (dustbath massage, dry butt-bath)
* Healing:
Ailments & Remedies
don't kill your chin with "kindness!"/ health articles
(medical and anatomical, senior health and cataracts, vet articles,
vital statistics)/ antibiotic and penicillin warning/ anesthesia/
euthanasia/ household remedies/ seizures, fits, convulsions (articles,
brain infection)/ curing giardia (articles, oreganol article)/ protozoan
parasites in captive chinchillas/ common kidney diseases in small
pets/ hair rings and prolapsed penis (photos and articles, hair ring
removal, treating a prolapsed penis)/ eye irritations/ incontinence
and urine scald (articles)/ quarantining new chins/ digestive system
ailments (additional articles, rectal prolapse of the intestine or
bowel: photo and articles, the gastrointestinal system and gi stasis,
bloat, enteritis, lower gi disease, hepatic lipidosis)/ contagious
diseases (ringworm and giardia, pasteurella, pneumonia, rabbit viral
hemorrhagic disease (vhd), ectoparasites, listeriosis, rabies and
monkeypox, frenkelia microti)
* Nutrition
nutrition articles/ nutrition in captivity: approximating
the wild diet (malnutrition, wild diet and nutritional requirements)/
provide a variety of hays (additional articles and guaranteed analysis
charts)/ pellets, a dietary staple of domestic chinchillas (pellet
brand analysis)/ treats vs. health hazards (healthiest treats, hazards)/
why distilled or filtered water is best/ handfeeding and formulas
(articles, formulas: complete diets, supplementary)/ two studies of
the wild chinchilla diet, and plant photos (2002, 1983, puya berteroniana)
* Origins
and Wild Chinchillas Today
chinchilla types, or species (articles, photos of the chinchilla
species, species description, scientific classification- how chinchillas
differ from viscachas)/ wild chinchilla conservation status for short
and long-tailed chinchillas/ recent wild chinchilla research and links:
history, life in the wild/ las chinchillas national reserve in chile/
sights and cultures of the andes/ the great mf chapman hoax (facts:
1, 2, 3 and conclusion)
RESCUE,
RE-HOMING AND CLASSIFIEDS
guides to responsible rescue and re-homing (re-homing by contacting
rescue: hoarding vs legitimate rescue; re-homing by direct placement;
articles)/ adoption fees and dangers of ftgh, "free to good home"
(bunchers, hoarders or collectors)/ usa & international rescues
and shelters, petfinder shelter status/ you can sponsor a rescue chinchilla!/
why rescue workers ask questions/ information resources (sites, lost
pet resources, chinchilla hotel and temporary lodging, rescue programs
for chins and other exotics)/ classifieds
Rescue & Re-Homing Pages:
* Let's
Home Those In NEED Before We Breed!
the big picture in review (defining overpopulation and "good
home")/ casualties of reckless breeding/ we can
curb chinchilla neglect, abuse and homelessness!/ pocket pets,
what rights?/ "family in desperate need," insightful humor/
selections from, "we are their heroes"
* The
Rescue Report
photos and actual case descriptions from chinchilla rescue
workers: introduction/ links to rescue, re-homing stories/ counting
the rescues/ near death experience/ dorm room neglect/ dire consequences
of irresponsible breeding/ thirty inbred chinchillas/ ftgh fiasco/
chinchillas left out with trash/ abandoned outside in summertime/
death trap cages/ crippled kit/ neglect survivors/ helping to turn
things around/ spiffy's frat house nightmare/ the many costs of rescue
work/ warning to rescuers about people wanting "cheap breeding
chins"
* Setting
Standards for Responsible Pet Chinchilla Breeding, Ownership and Neutering
breeding or mating myths/ recommended reading/ breeding basics
for the surprised new chinparent (rotational feeding method)/ standards
for responsible pet chinchilla breeding (our philosophy, breeding
standards, nfb: "not for breeding" factors!)/ screening
for responsible pet chinchilla ownership (examples: adoption contracts
and procedures)/ articles: breeding, mutation colors, baby-saving,
determining gender, etc./ zebedee's story: hand-raising kits/ neutering
(articles, introduction, why neuter, checklist, factors to consider)/
inbreeding, linebreeding and why pet breeders shouldn't (articles,
breeding for health and temperament)
SAFETY
& SUPPLIER RESOURCES
safety intro, product reviews link/ site safety and need-to-know index/
pet-safe cleaners/ safe litter or bedding (suppliers)/ safety items/
safe vs. hazardous chews (safe, effective chews: examples, cleaning
and reusing cholla and pumice; safe wood: about safe wood, the list,
cleaning, storing; toxic wood: toxic factors, the list, cyanogenic
glycosides; chewing hazards)/ safe vs. toxic metals/ chinchilla collectibles/
search, shop chinchilla supplies (quick links, international suppliers
& google search)
VET
RESOURCES
information resources (articles
on choosing a vet, online vet advice, pet insurance)/
usa and international vets that specialize in exotics/
how knowledgeable is your vet?/ initial vet examination criteria and
detecting illness (droppings, urine, ears and paw pads, eyes, fur,
heart and lungs, general attitude, teeth)
MEMORIALS
memorial and support sites, burial wares/ the message in memorials/
estate planning: prevent orphaned pets!/ do chinchillas grieve?/ death
throes: a chin's final moments/ words of comfort at parting/ ChinCare's
Dedication
|
|
| Note: MCBA
and ECBC are not listed among our pet organizations because
they are the U.S. pelter clubs.
We hope that someday the pet breeders who comprise the majority
membership in both clubs will make progress in getting them
to change direction and represent the pet interests of their
membership. |
Chinchilla
Breeder's Organization
CBO is a branch of The Chinchilla
Club
Chinchilla Carers' Club
"UK-based club for all people interested in the care
and keeping of chinchillas as pets"
Chinchilla
Club NZ
New Zealand-based, "the chinchilla's
health and
welfare is of the foremost
concern of the Club"
Chinchillas
As Pets Association 
events
CAPA
is a U.S.-based club
Chinchillas
For Pets Not Pelts
CFPNP
is a UK club and rescue
Chin
Knights, Rodela
Chinchilla and ChinChorro
Knights
and Rodela are clubs sworn to uphold protection
for chinchillas from the fur
industry, ChinChorro is a program
organized to save the wild chinchilla
The
Chinchilla Club
events
An international pet chinchilla
organization
The
National Chinchilla Society
events
NCS is a UK club that publishes a bi-monthly informational
gazette, accepts overseas memberships and does not support
the fur industry
|
The
ChinCare webmasters regretfully admit that we're linguistically challenged
outside of our
native habitat, so this is not the most comprehensive list, just a
sampling of what we've found:
|
Chinchilla Vienna/ Danish
Club/ Nordic Club
German,
Austrian, Dutch, Swiss sites
Swedish,
Danish and Norwegian sites
Asian: Forum,
Chinchilla
Room, Cindy's
Homepage
Dutch: Lima Chinchillas,
Vida
Nueva Foundation
Finnish: Pet
Chinchilla Association
French:
Bernard
et Bianca,
Les
Chinchillas de Sylvie
German:
CHINCITTÀ,
Chinchilla
Post Online, ZooArt, Links,
Chinchilla
Lexicon sites: Museum,
Photos,
Books
Italian: IL
CINCILLA'
Portuguese: Quinta
Das Roedores
Spanish: Chinchiweb,
infochinchillas.com,
Spanish Chinchilla Club,
Forum, Latest
newsletter(.pdf) |
Chin
Knight's Non-English Sites:
Murmel's Homepage/
Chinutopia/ Chin
City
Chinchilla Paradies/
Sven's Chinchilla Homepage
Ottinger's Chinchilla Familien/
Chinchilla Villa
Petras Tierinsel/ ChinPower/
Chinchilla-Meli
Chinchilla Wunderwelt/
Silver Streak Chinchilla
Chinchilla-Villa
Kunterbunt
Non-English
Articles
Spanish article- Centro Veterinario Carlinda, www.pdf/
.pdf
by
Jaime E. Jiménez, PhD, et al:
Pet Guide Series (.pdf),
in Japanese
"Glorious Past, Threatening Present" (.pdf),
in Italian |
Since 2002 we have
hand-reviewed all the English language pet chinchilla care sites (over
700 as of 2008) on the web for the educational purposes of this
site. The following sites are,
in our estimation, the most thoroughly informative (substantial
coverage on nearly all topics) and usually factually reliable
pet chinchilla care sites on the web.
This list is subject to periodic updates. Our Disclaimer
and ChinCare's Principle
applies.
|
Azure
Chinchillas
Bettina's Fluffy Chins
Chin City
ChinBin
in Oregon
Chinchilla Cymru
Chinchilla Quest
Chinchillas2Home
Chinnychinchins
Chintrek
Crystal
Chinchillas, Belgium |
Darren's
Chinchilla Paradise, Singapore
Downsview Chinchillas
Dunja's House of Chinchillas
Ebony Dragon Chinchillas
Etc-Etc Chinchilla Page
Eyes of Texas Chinchillas
Keeping Chinchillas As Pets-
A Guide
Kingdom Chinchillas
PetPlace.com
|
MAGAZINES,
DIRECTORIES AND
REFERENCE LIBRARIES |
Chinchilla
Club Community Reference Library
Chinchilla
Club Magazine (RETAIL)
Chinchillas.com
Newsletter
Chinchillas
Unlimited Reference Library
Chinformative
Forum Reference Library
ChinNet
ECO
Magazine
(MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED)
Small Pet Club
(ONLINE PET DIRECTORY)
UK
Pets.co.uk (UK NEWS, RESOURCES, ETC.)
RESOURCE LISTS
CA
Chins Vet Reference Books/ Caitlin's
Chinchillas CentralPets/
Cheeky Chinchilla Club/ TRO
Etc-Etc.com/
Chinchilla
Lexikon/ Chinchilla
Library
BOOK SEARCH AND PRICE COMPARISON
addall/ blackwellpublishing/
booksprice.com directtextbook/
fetchbook/
GoogleBookSearch usedbooksearch
Blue
Moon Chinchillas/Cheeky/
Chinchillaburg
Dunja's/
Kritter Cards/
WWF
(not chinchilla-specific)
Videos,
Games, Children's
Page, Chin
Wars and
more under "Extras"/ Chin
Jump/ Jigsaw/
Haikus
Chin Dance/
Animated
Photo Cube/ Retha's
Puzzles
Coloring Book/
Self-Test
for Chinchilla Addiction
Cartoon Gallery/
Merry's Memory
Test/ Silly
Images
Emily's Chinese
Ink Art, Chinchilla Paintings
Puzzle and Crossword,
Dusty Flips!/ Rodent
Movies
Chinchilla
Fun & Toons/
Chintoons by Herike Rehme
Mottos, Chin
Lovers/ Animal Totems:
The Chinchilla
Chin Movies, Videos/
Chinchilla Collectibles
Museum
and The
White Pages of Chinchilla Pictures
STAMPS: etc-etc,
Chinchilla-Lexicon
LIVE WEBCAMS:
Chinchilla/
Chinchilla-Lexikon
Drew's/ Lone
Star/ sleepychinchilla
SOFTWARE
Chinchilla
World's Pedigree Maker (FREEBIE)
Evans'
Chinchilla Register
SITE HOSTING (FREEBIE)
CentralPets.com/ Chinchilla
Club
ChinNet/
My Pets Pages
IMAGES (FREE, MAY REQUIRE LINK BACK
TO SITE OF ORIGIN)
Chinchilla
City Icons/ Chinimations
Chinnie
Potter/ Emma's Free Images
Paw-Talk Pocket Palz/ The
Chinchillaburg
ONLINE SECURITY INFORMATION
eCommerce
& Online Security by Chinchilla Cymru
Snopes:
Real Viruses, Hoaxes, etc.
|
| SPONSOR A CHINCHILLA
IN THE ZOO |
America's
Teaching Zoo, Moorpark College, CA
Baltimore Zoo in MD/
Brandywine Zoo in DE
Catoctin
Zoo in MD/ Lee
Richardson Zoo in KS
Pueblo Zoo in CO/
San Francisco
Zoo
ONLINE COMMUNITY:
FORUMS, CHAT, GROUPS, WEB JOURNALS, MEETUP, ETC.
... THESE OFTEN LIST MORE
CHINCHILLA RESOURCES |
We recommend these international forums, in
our opinion
they're the best: Chinchilla
World, Chinformative Forum,
Chinwags,
CHINformation Organization
Forum,
Chinchillas Unlimited,
and Midwest Exotics:
A forum for
hedgehogs, chinchillas and sugar gliders. Not only are
they fur-free,
their atmosphere and level of expertise
are exceptional!
The following quote is from
Chinwags.
In our opinion this prudent and responsible approach should be
adopted by all forums:
"Our first port of call if worried should always be the vets.
We should try to remember the difference between our own experiences
(which in themselves can vary in different situations) and
information we have picked up along the way.
"Where possible would you please make clear where any details
you mention came from, have you been through this or have you read
it somewhere? If from a website/message board please provide a link
where possible (or link and quote), so that other members may
make a better judgement for themselves as to the validity of the details.
We ask that you do not try to impose your views on others, just let's
be here to share, comfort and help where we can."
RESCUE FORUMS: Farplace
Forum, UK/ Pet
Rescue, UK/ PetsAlive,
USA/ Rodent
Rescue
ANTI-ABUSE FORUM: catler.org
INTERNATIONAL CHINCHILLA MEETUP
WEB JOURNALS/ BLOGS: Chinchilling,
Chinchilla Life!
Chinchilla
Love, Chinlog, Chinchillas
= Happiness Live Journal,
Chinchilla
Place, Interview
with the Chinchilla
Animal
Dreamz
Blue
Moon's Chat
CentralPets.com
Chinchilla Chat
Line
Chinchilla Club Forum
Chinchilla
Club NZ
Chinchilla
Forum
chinchilla_lovers
email group
Chinchilla
World
Chinchillas Unlimited
CHINformation
Organization Forum
Chinformative Forum
ChinMail
Chins & Quills
Chins-n-Friends
ChinsRus.co.uk
ChinStation
Chinwags
Just
Chinchillas
Kingdom
Chinchillas (msn) Board
Lone
Star Chinchilla Forum
Midwest Exotics
Nibbler
Niche
Ontario
Chinchilla Association
Paw-Talk:
Chinchillas
Petfanatics.com:
Chinchillas
Pets.Com.sg:
Singapore Forum
PetsHub.com:
Chinchillas
Pins-n-Chins
Practical
Pet Care: Chinchillas
Small
Pet Club
The Chinchilla
Club Forum, NZ
Whisker-Tales
YAHOO
- CHIN GROUPS
|
The Webmasters
...
White & Nerdy! |
ABOUT................Our
Story, Credentials,
Judging the
Quality of Internet Care Information
US...
...Copyright
Notice, Disclaimer,
ChinCare's
Principle, American
Chapter of the Chin Knights
Link-To-Site Logos:
1,
2 and
thumbnails: 1,
2.
Save image to your PC and link to ChinCare.
Contact: Choose an address from below, no spaces when
sending, put "chins not spam" in subject.
We're always happy to do what we can regarding advice or referrals,
and we ALWAYS
reply, often within 24 hours. If you do not receive a response
within 48 hours,
PLEASE resend as we have had email problems in the past.
ChinCare: the fuzz @ matildes mission .org....
Matilde's Mission: chin rescue @ matildes mission
.org |
|
Our Story, Part One
In 1997 the ChinCare webmasters started out with one chinchilla
bought on an impulse buy from a pet store. We were told that it was
a boy, so we bought "him" a buddy... and a couple years
later something that looked like a mouse was scurrying about their
cage! YIKES! That was Hugo, the first chin born to us. After that
surprise birth we had two more litters born to Hugo and his mate Deedlit
while trying to get to the point where we could have all male and
all female cage pairings.
We weren't what you would call "responsible
breeders" (we wish we'd known then about adopting from rescue
first), we didn't know much about chinchilla genetics and we didn't
have our chins' genetic/ medical and temperament histories.
That's BAD. We learned our lessons, the "what not to do's,"
in this and other areas the hard way. So we decided to make it our
mission to do research and compile a website that would serve as a
hub, a directory, to all the online chinchilla care information so
that others would be able to start out on the RIGHT track, as prepared,
knowledgeable, conscientious chinparents. That's how ChinCare came
about. (Read Part
Two)
Credentials, the content that the webmasters
have written for ChinCare derive from:
Intensive
observation and interaction while working with hundreds of chinchillas
through our rescue work (since
2000, includes interaction with chinchillas from all backgrounds:
pet chinchilla or "hobby" breeder, pet store, rescue, re-homed and
those with special needs or that have been neglected or abused, etc.),
Pet
Homes For Ranchies (saving ranch chinchillas since 2004,
also see Accomplishments
on Matilde's Mission) and
our chinfamily (begun in 1997, over thirty since 2002); the
hand-reviewing of all English language pet chinchilla care sites (over
700 as of 2008) on the web for the educational purposes of this
site; ongoing international communications with pet chinchilla owners,
breeders, rescue workers and ranchers; extensive online research and
data mining; the study of our
reference library which includes dozens of veterinary, scholarly and
rancher-authored books, pamphlets and articles
(.doc,
and our purchase of rancher-authored books did not contribute to the
continuation of pelting) and of course the indispensible benefit
of working closely with our exotics specialist vet.
Content from ChinCare has been translated into at least three foreign
languages: Finnish, German and Spanish, and in 2008 we contributed
an article on chinchilla safety, "Danger Defused," to Critters
USA magazine. We
co-founded the American
Chapter of the Chin Knights and later the
501(c)3 registered charity, The
Matilde Mission: Pet Homes For Ranch Chinchillas, Inc.
Our Story, Part Two
After purchasing our first chinchilla in early 1997, our chinfamily
grew as we became smitten with these charming, intelligent
creatures. We adopted from pet chinchilla or "hobby" breeders,
ranchers, and one reputable pet store that occassionally got a chin
in who had a discharging eye, heavy scarring from fight wounds or
a difficult temperament. In 2000 we began taking in only chins in
need: abuse and neglect cases, rescue, re-homed, special needs and
senior chins. Along the way we met and maintained communication with
several authorities on the chinchilla, including published authors
and scholars who've conducted field studies on the remaining wild
chinchilla population.
Our "herd" steadily increased (with rescues, we do not
breed but don't begrudge those who breed responsibly)
and since 2002 it has numbered over thirty, since 2003 we've been
fortunate in having the frequent opportunity to work from home and
that advantage has enabled us to spend time conducting informal behavioral
studies of the character, temperament and social interactions of our
chinkiddies. In 2003 we began networking internationally
with pet chinchilla rescue/ re-homing services for the purpose of
aiding pet chinchillas in crisis situations. In 2004 we initiated
the Pet Homes For Ranchies (or PHFR) Midwest Project that worked
cooperatively with ranchers to save (pelting
is no longer profitable) one hundred at-risk
ranch chinchillas and find them homes within the pet community, PHFR
projects are ongoing to this day.
Our rescue has been full for years with those chins we took in that
cannot be adopted out due to age, handicap, etc., so they'll live
out their time with us, watching TV
and living the good life. We're active in maintaining this educational
website and matildesmission.org,
a charity we work for that helps both ranch and pet chinchillas in
need. But we're not always at the computer, besides work and caring
for our chinfamily we take time for recreational interests: reading,
writing, attending artistic events and theater, home remodelling,
biking, landscaping, sight-seeing, hiking, paintball, etc. Our combined
university education has culminated in the following degrees: English
Language and Literature for Secondary Level Education, Human Resources
Management, Business, and Computer Science.
Judging the Quality of Internet Care Information
The sole objective of this article is to encourage chinparents to
THINK CRITICALLY and ASK QUESTIONS of their information source. We
too have been confused and misled in the past by some people's ignorance
and arrogance in online advising, and we'd like to help spare others
the consequences we've endured. This is not an attempt on our part
to somehow disqualify advice given elsewhere and to imply that only
our advice is true and relevant, we invite the same honest scrutiny
that we encourage chinparents to apply elsewhere. See ChinCare's
Principle and read the conclusion after these points:
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Most
of the advice in the pet chinchilla community comes from pet
breeders, and they typically cite their quantity of experience
as proof of their comprehensive expertise. But unless a pet
breeder also does a substantial amount of rescue work, then
their experience consists mainly of dealing with the type of
chins they breed: temperamentally mellow (breeding for temperament
should
be a top priority), hand-raised pet
bred or docile ranch
chins.
Reputable pet breeders don't get their breeding chinchillas
from pet
stores, rescue or re-homing (this is a good
thing!), but the public that they are advising DOES,
and those chins are more the "real" than the "ideal."
When pet breeders generalize and advise from experience with
easy-going, well-adjusted, and therefore more adaptive
and resilient chins, they sometimes neglect to realize that
their experience isn't truly representative and that | | |
