Animal show Advice?

[D.Who]

hey guys, so as a chin parent (we rescue and breed (rescues and breeders are kept in seperate rooms even)) The number 1 thing I see on CL, Kijiji, all sorts of social media sites, is improperly cared for chinchillas
In the next month or so, there is going to be a local animal show to me! I can honestly say chinchillas are not easy to find right where I am as no pet stores carry them anymore! (YAY!!!) but what I was thinking was maybe printing off chinchilla "care" sheets, and and maybe making little "chin" love pacages, with maybe a 1/2 pound of food, a half pound of hay cubes, a 1/4 pound of blue cloud dust, and rose chinny safe treats in a treat bag like rosehips, cheerios, to give to people to try out good chin products! what do you guys think? what do you guys think are some not thought of yet important things to put on a care sheet? can you send me some of your care sheets to comine with mine to make 100% everything is there? I was also thinking of doing a photo book of different mutations, what chins SHOULD look like, and what they SHOULDN'T look like. Even if they aren't in stores they are still everywhere!! and I think this could be a semi- important and good thing towards helping to teach people proper care as it is hard to come by!
I know some like to bring chins to these kind of events, I have thought about bringing one as well so people can SEE them, but not sure if I want my babies there where they could be stressed, etc. so I am leaning towards pictures, mini care packages and info! but what are your opinions on chins at events? (building is AC BTW) would this even be a good idea to you guys? Just looking for advice and constructive critism

 

[Jazicat]

I think the beginner's package is a great one and our breeder gave us a brochure and all of the things you mentioned. What you are planning sounds more informative though. Our breeder also made sure that her information was on it so that we could call her if we had a problem.

Bringing a chinchilla depends on the personality of the chinchilla. The chinchilla we met that got us started looking into chinchillas sat on my arm for over a half hour letting me stroke him. He was not your typical chinchilla and none of my boys are like that. The breeder there gave breaks to the chinchillas and gave them time behind the table to rest. I took my chinchilla Jackie to a small craft show last Christmas (I made chinchilla fur felted ornaments) and he did great. Unfortunately there weren't many people but he did really well even when more than one person approached. Edgar gets scared and was terrified when we showed him and Oscar doesn't like any travel so I would never have taken them. We did test runs before the show and I practiced making obnoxious squeals of delight that I thought would be worse than others might make. I also would have put him away in his cage and the carrier it was in under the table if he got scared.

 

[ticklechin]

I used to do education days with the rescue I worked with. We had chins, cages that were set up like chins should have, a dust bath demo, poster boards with chin facts and pictures, samples of feed, hay and dust in bowls people could touch, some chins could be removed from the cages and be held, some just stayed there. The chins did fine.

 

[Tagna]

This is one of my first set ups for my rescue at an event:

 

[3CsMommy]

Public events with chins can be done safely. I take one of mine who is super social and sane to education events on occasion. The only time he has any kind of problem is when one of the birds of prey shows off within his eye shot. (We work with reptiles and some unreleasable wild animals, so Crash Into Me goes along as a less frightening mammal and example of why habitat loss is bad.) He stays in a small but still appropriate cage (Quality Cage Condo) with a full set up behind the table, away from people who may have just been petting a snake or would let their children shove a lollipop through the bars (and boy was that family surprised when Vern the Turkey Vulture took the candy and threw it for the kid to 'fetch'!) I make sure there's a chinchiller in there with him, pack plenty of twigs and chews, and usually toss a couple of Pur ice cubes into the water bottle so he's nice and cool, and then he can come out for petting a couple times per event. I also keep a fleece drape over the top, sides and back of the cage so he feels less exposed even when he's not in the hide. That way he's more likely to be seen by people and cooed over, but not hassled.

I might have a care sheet I printed up for a local pet store still on my HD, but I've had some computer problems since I went to war with them about their chin care. Let me rummage and try to get it to you in the next day or two.

In the care package: safe woods and a list of what they are & how to prep your own. Safe treats and why the others are risky. Safe caging elements and why the others are risky. Numbers of local vets that are qualified to see chins in the event of bloat, a leg injury, eye infection, etc.

 

[Zoaea]

Sounds like an awesome idea for your community. You can get your rescue number out too for people that want to learn proper care. I think bringing a chin to the event would depend on your animals and what they could handle. I would definitely have a backup way to keep him/her hidden if they begin to stress like 3C's mentioned.

Hope you reach a lot of people!

 

[D.Who]

thanks guys!!!!!!
The care sheet I have has all basic care, good local feeds and suppliers, ideal dust, chews and treats, the imprtance of good caging and no plastic, the risk of breeding, and why you shouldn't and I am adding chins are rodents, they don't care that their mom is their mom! Any care sheets to make mine better would be SPECTACULAR