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KristinC1983

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Where I bought my chin last winter-a breeder-she barely asked me any questions about his cage, what I knew about chins, where his cage was in my house, if he'd have a safe place to play outside his cage, or offer any info. After I had him for about a month, not needing her help, I emailed her with a few pics of him, his cage, etc, and she never responded. I said in the email that I'm sure she worried about the chins she sells, wanting to know how they are, but I honestly do not think she could care less. Once they're out of her house and she's got the money, the chins lost to her. Is this normal?

I know for a fact, as a Yahoo Answers user, that many people who buy chins do it with very little knowledge of them. They see a fluffy little critter in a petshop and think it'll be so cuddly and sweet and fun, so they buy it, and I wonder what happens with those poor chins when the person realizes this little critter is not cuddly, not 'easy', has energy at night, and has an actual personality bigger than most humans they know! I know many of these chins are the ones that end up in rescues, but I'm sure not enough of them get saved! And not enough of the spur-of-the-moment-owners end up doing the research they should've done before they spontaneously buy. The ones that do after and end up greatt owners, awesome, but I know it iisn't enough of them.

I knew a girl when I was 9 or 10, she was 7 and lived across the street from me. She had a chinchilla. Now I know that this chinchilla was not a happy one and not a healthy one. It was overweight, bored, depressed, and not cared for properly at all. It got maybe one DAY out of every month out of it's cage (she was my best friend for a couple years), had a tiny cage, and I'm sure worse but I can't remember much else about it (that was at least 16 years ago)! I know she never held it because she didn't when I was there, and when I was that age, I showed off my guinea pigs, showing how cute and sweet they were and how to hold them and play with them...She was a spoiled brat with parents who thought of the chinchilla as just anotther toy in their daughter's bedroom.

How many people out there are like this? How many of those sad chinchillas I see in petshops end up having miserable, unhealthy, and ultimitely short lives?! I can't help but hate petshops now for what I now know about them, some of the things they sell, the aniimals imprisoned there, the lack of knowledge shared with new pet owners, and just their greed in general. And I dispise the people who ask questions on Yahoo Answers about whether they should get a chin or not when they obviously shouldn't, everything they should know about chins, and sooo much more that makes me want to just scream and smack someone! This one girl in general who I KNOW hated me for a month or 2 kept asking questions about chins cause she wanted one, but if she did some simple research would've known everything she asked. Some are innocent questions, like what beddings the best, what cage...but some just make me soooo angry!

I know some of you are YA users! You're the ones who told me for a few months to join this site and I finally did and am super happy I did! But the rest of you must know what I'm talkking about, too! What are your feelings on this subject?
 
Oy! I don't even know where to start, but constantly bashing the pet shops for selling chins but at the same time supporting their business by shopping there is a bit hypocritical, I believe. That being said, I did NOT do any research when I bought my first chin from a pet store. I bought it for the reasons of it being cute, furry and the most important one of all, that the pet shop did not smell like rabbits and guinea pigs raded the place. Once I got my new chin, I went and got another boy chin from the same pet shop. Still not doing any research and after a few months, one had a baby. Well shame on me for not doing the research BUT these chins never suffered under my care. It wasn't there fault that I didn't know that one was a girl and not a boy chin. It was now my responsibility to learn from my mistakes and move forward.

I really don't think that alot of people do tons and tons and tons of research before getting a "caged" pet (rodent). But I sure do hope that once the chin or other furry pet is in their care that they are responsible and learn to take care of it.

As far as the breeder issue is concerned, personally the breeders I know ALL care about where their chins go. I have heard of backyard breeders not caring where their chins go.
 
i agree with sandi.

i bought gizmo as a spur of the moment thing. i had claimed that i did my "research". which really just meant i googled chinchilla, read a few websites, and then my boyfriend and i went to go get him.

i asked questions on Y! and i definitely got bashed by a few users. until peggy (tunes) came along. she pointed me to this site and im glad im here. i dont think its fair to get up on a high horse and condemn others for "not doing their research". ive been on this forum for a year and a half. ive had my share of vet visits, tooth injuries, syringe feedings, etc. but guess what, just last week, i read a few threads regarding chinchillas getting stones. im still learning everyday about these critters. we dont always know people's stories so we shouldnt judge.

with that said..i AM one of the people who frequents Y!answers and attempt to recruit many of them over here. yes, many of them do have ridiculous questions, but at the same time, theyre fishing for answers-doing their version of "research"...until they find us :D . there are a few users over there that i have some "choice words" for (i wont get into that). but many of them remind me of myself, which is why its important to treat each person as a potential owner. not saying i dont get upset at people...not saying that i havent stalked a specific user to correct all their wrong answers...lol. until pet stores stop selling chinchillas...there will be people who impulse buy.

i still go to Petsmart. honestly, i love petsmart. i wish people wouldnt think of pet stores as evil people trying to murder animals. i understand that they treat animals as inventory and sometimes the animals get the "short end of the stick". but you cant group everyone into one set box. my sister worked at a small pet store, then at petsmart. she cries when a fish dies...there ARE good people at pet stores. i dont know if id buy an animal from there anymore, but since i have a few gift cards, why not stock up on products for gizmo?

its a very difficult topic to touch on. i think the best we can do is continue to educate chinchilla owners, promote adopting from rescues, spread the word about quality breeders, etc. once we turn up our noses, assuming that any new chin owner is a bad owner, then we've strayed from our mission. (my boyfriends in the army...i cant think of any other word but "mission" right now...lol)
 
I think for a lot of people, at least people who are in it for the money, that probably is normal.

The chins we sell here and the rescues we rehome, we care about. Before anyone comes and sees our chins, I email them the care packet and ask that they read it. Granted, I can't guarantee they actually do, but I provide it for them. In addition, I've now added a simple chin-care form that they have to fill out before they come to see a chin. It's nothing complicated, and I tell people that if they read the care packet, they should have no problem with the form.

I think it weeds out impulse buys quite well. When we have people email us about chins, we typically talk with them for an email or two, and then when they want to come see them, we tell them (and it is on our website, so it should be no surprise) that they need to fill out the form. The ones who don't want to take the <5 minutes to fill it out? I guess they don't want a chin that bad.

I personally love pictures... I've contacted people that we've sold chins to and asked how they're doing, and I have whole folders on my computer filled with pictures that the owners have sent me. I think it's great to hear that the chins are doing well. There was even one rescue we had here for 3 years, Fuzzy, who we spent a fortune on. His new owners email and text me all the time letting me know he's doing good and asking me any questions they might have.

While I don't think there necessarily has to be continued contact between the breeder and the buyer, I think that reputable breeders ideally should provide information about the animal they're selling, should try to check if the buyer has knowledge about the animal before purchase, and should at least respond, if nothing else, when they get sent pictures.

That all said... petstores obviously can't do all of that. Regardless, I don't think every animal sold at a petstore ends up with a crappy life. Ok, maybe not all chins end up in ferret nations or large cages like that, but I think some are bound to go to good homes who at least try to care for them well. I think it's hard, with the internet out there and all the conflicting information, to know exactly how to care for an animal. This forum is a wealth of knowledge, but people have to find it.

They are easily accessible, display attractive animals and do not want to overwhelm you and possibly discourage you from buying a pet by all the proper care they should be informing you about.
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I think this is definetly the case. Our care packet is 6 pages long (on 8x11 paper). When we email it to some people, we never hear back. I think it very well may be that all the care requirements overwhelm people. In a way, I think it's good that people know the care requirements ahead of time... because if they realize, ok I can't actually take care of this need and this need... then at least they realize it before they get the pet. When we don't hear back from someone, I think, well, chinchillas must not have been the pet for them. We're not going to stop anytime in the near future, and on the same note, I don't expect to see pet stores lecturing new owners about the best way to care for their new pet - like said, it might discourage them.
 
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Sandi said:
Oy!
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My sentiments also. I guess the problem with someone calling themselves a breeder is it does not mandate that they care about the chins. The reputation of being a breeder suggests that they are usually far more invested in their chins than pet stores, but like your example shows, that is not always the case.

A lot of pet stores, for the most part concerning optimal animal welfare, irk me so badly. I went to one the other day to try to find some PRCS and remembered they had Oxbow. I asked how much it was (no price tag) on the miniscule off chance it would be decent (it wasn't, big surprise) and asked if they had PRCS afterwards. The salesguy suggested he would feed his hypothetical chin either Oxbow or Sunseed Naturals. He said they were the best chin foods and had no idea chins could eat rabbit pellets. I was happy he suggested Oxbow, but I wouldn't feed my chin Sunseed. I didn't bother correcting him, although, maybe I should have, but firstly I don't know how to do that without getting people defensive and secondly, usually I am too depressed by pet stores to even bother.

I think the whole issue with pet stores are they are more focused on profit and/or less on ethics than they should be. They are like any other stereotypical big business where their aim is convenience and demand. They are easily accessible, display attractive animals and do not want to overwhelm you and possibly discourage you from buying a pet by all the proper care they should be informing you about. Unfortunately, at a fundamental level this will not change in the near future, if ever. It's just the way a lot of businesses operate. I think it does help when shoppers correct them and they start selling more appropriate supplies, though. So, some of the shoppers there assume they will be informed about what they need to know to be a good pet owner and they aren't. Under the assumption they are, they go about doing what the pet store told them to and buying what the pet store told them to. Some of these owners, when corrected (like on Yahoo), get defensive and do not consider these corrections as legitimate or are just too insulted to consider them.
 
Don't get me wrong...

I seek out the chinchilla questions on yahoo, send them to sites I know are good like this one, fill their head with as much knowledge my head has on thhe subject that fits in the allotted space-I often spend a 1/2 hour shrinking down my answer so it'll fit, lol, and don't yell. Occassionally I'll lecture a little when someone's considering a chinchilla and obviously doesn't know jack about them, trying to talk them into doing the research, also sharing some important facts I think are big and could be scary and make someone think twice about jumping into a buy, or talking their parents into buying one, like their life span, temps, cage size, etc. And I know that there are definitely people who buy without knowing anything but they're cute, and learn as they go for awhile-learning from mistakes or whatever-I knew there would be some on here, which is why I tried to make it clear that I know some chins bought on the spur of the moment do end up in a great home with great owners who take great care of them. I'm not knocking you guys. I think it takes more guts and effort to do it how you did-buy and then suddenly learn their lifespan and their special needs and still care for them as they should be cared for.

I guess my point was, it makes me mad when people who only buy for cute and soft take the animal home, suddenly realize it's a living creature with needs that they don't feel like meeting, and either neglect it or bring it back. I think the bringing it back is better than neglecting it, but if petshops were a little more caring about their animals, this wouldn't happen. Yeah, they'd lose sales, but don't they make more money on the food, cages, litter, etc, then the actual animals they sell. I just get disgusted when all someone cares about is money when their 'merchandice' is living, breathing creatures.

I honestly didn't mean to offend anyone if I did! Or criticiize anyone who doesn't deserve it. Everyone buys on a whim sometimes-even rodents and for me, a chihuahua (Rocco who is now 9). I just think they should commit to that buy and do what they can to make the animals happy, or bring them back so hopefully someone else will do that!

And yes, I'm a hypercrit! I buy from petshops:( But I'm a single mom with financial problems and totally new to online buying! I have been buying much, much more off the internet though, like ebay and chin stores online, so I'm slowly breaking away from my hypecritical ways! I'm sure I'll never be totally free from them, but supporting them as little as possible is all I can do, at least for now! The petshop where I just got 25 lbs of Mazuri, they're actually a pretty good one-a small petshop where this one guy actually tried to talk me out of buying a chinchilla (before he knew I already owned one, lol-he owned 2)-they don't selll chins, but they sell a bunch of chin supplies, so they actually do care, at least a little! I'll be going there much more often.

I worked at 2 petshops when I was 17-19 before I knew what I know now. One was personally owned and actually pretty great with sharing advice on pets-I got my spur of the moment chihuahua there. The 2nd was a hideous place in a mall...I won't even get into that one. SO, yes, I'll say chain petshops-some personally owned ones are actually okay.
 
'The ones that do after and end up greatt owners, awesome, but I know it iisn't enough of them.'

See-I really didn't mean offense! You guys have helped me before with questions I've had, so don't think that I'm thinking bad of you-you did what should be done! I'm criticizing the ones who don't! And I also agree its hard to find good info on the internet sometimes. I did go crazy with my research before I got my little guy, but that's because once I learned their lifespan, I wanted to be SURE I could handle a chin! That's why I throw their lifespan in people's faces who are interested in chins-its one of the first things I say-it will scare the ones who shouldn't be owners away! But I'm not mean, don't worry! I compared the info on different sites, then found www.petchinchillas.info which says basically everything-I got lucky with that site. Then the few who reccomended this one to me on YA I will owe for a lifetime:) This one and that one are my top reccomendations!
 
greychins said:
Our care packet is 6 pages long (on 8x11 paper). When we email it to some people, we never hear back. I think it very well may be that all the care requirements overwhelm people. In a way, I think it's good that people know the care requirements ahead of time... because if they realize, ok I can't actually take care of this need and this need... then at least they realize it before they get the pet.
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As a pet owner dedicated to rescuing whenever possible, this is the tack I take. Once people hear that I own a chinchilla, I get lots of questions, and there are some very key points that would be discouraging to the type of owner more likely to get lazy/neglectful (poop all day every day, $300/year on supplies/wood, tall metal cage in the corner of a well-used room, etc.). If you hit them with the difficult parts first, you're more likely to discourage the impulse buyers while giving the responsible potential owners some of the information they need to start planning (not buying). Just like having human children, you need to be prepared for the crappy parts as well as the fun; if you can't do that, you need to think about a less taxing pet.
 
Our care packet is 6 pages long (on 8x11 paper). When we email it to some people, we never hear back. I think it very well may be that all the care requirements overwhelm people. In a way, I think it's good that people know the care requirements ahead of time... because if they realize, ok I can't actually take care of this need and this need... then at least they realize it before they get the pet.
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Ours is 12 pages, so I know how it goes. It cuts out at least half the people from emailing me again.
 
People will do more research on buying a new camera or computer than buying a pet. I did zero research before I bought Tiki and Meegus at petco, I started my research the next day and found chins-n-quills and realized that everything I bought was wrong and I needed to repurchase every single thing. So because I did no research before that does not make me a bad pet owner, a BAD pet owner is one that does not listen when correct information is presented.

As far as breeders go, the chinworld is a small one, stick around awhile and you will know the breeders who could give a rats boodie where there chins go and also could care less if what they sold is sick or has genetic issues.
 
ticklechin said:
People will do more research on buying a new camera or computer than buying a pet. I did zero research before I bought Tiki and Meegus at petco, I started my research the next day and found chins-n-quills and realized that everything I bought was wrong and I needed to repurchase every single thing. So because I did no research before that does not make me a bad pet owner, a BAD pet owner is one that does not listen when correct information is presented.

As far as breeders go, the chinworld is a small one, stick around awhile and you will know the breeders who could give a rats boodie where there chins go and also could care less if what they sold is sick or has genetic issues.
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See, you're an example of someone I have a lot of respect for. Like Sandi and the others who have mannned up after their purchase. A day later or a month or 2 later, you cared enough to put the effort in, learn what you can, and found you still love chins even after knowing some of the scarier facts! If those facts scare someone, or they ignore them, then they are the people I want to scream at, but instead I try to calmly answer, not being judge mental as much as possible because then they're even less likely to listen. Why do they ask if they're just going to ignore the answers, though?! Don't they realize that not every solution can be as easy as switching the shavings they use or taking a plastic igloo out if the chins chewing on it?! Like the one person who had a wire wheel in with spokes and was only 12"-they ask what people think of their cage (something along those lines), then emailed me and tried explaining why the wheel was ok-because the chin hadn't hurt itself on it (YET was my favorite word) and it ran on it all the time, so they didn't feel it was necassary to replace it-the chin loved it. WHY ASK AT ALL?! Sometimes it takes me an hour to answer a question because of the cutting and pasting and quoting I do, or trying to control my anger with a few questions I've answered and usually, especially with chin questions, it takes forever to shrink it to fit, lol! It breaks my heart and drives me crazy and makes me soooo mad all at the same time!

I just got my boy last winter. I'm still new to the chin world. A lot of you have probably seen it all and have learned how to control your feelings on certain subjects better than me. I'm sure I'll get to that point too, where I'm not obsessing, but right now it's hard! There's a lot I don't know, of course, but I sometimes tell people to contact me personally and I'll help however I can and if I don't know it, I'll send them somewhere that does. That ends up making it worse for me, like the person with the wheel-we emailed back and forth a few times. Every single thing they asked aboout, I answered (and these are things I've read a bunch of times on a website I KNOW is great, like cage size and wheel stuff), but most of what I said, he ended up trying to justifying how he did it and basically refused my advice! WHY ASK AT ALL?! It's soooo frustrating.

I know, I have to realize not everyone cares enough to put much or any effort in to changing things for the better to be on the safe side for their chin! I love that you guys get what I'm saying, though! Or hopefully you do. I'm criticizing and complaining about the ignorant, neglectful owners that stay that way on purpose-not the ones who learn from their mistakes, better their knnowledge of chins, and deserve to be chin owners!
 
I got my first chin at an auction, it was the first time I'd ever even seen one. We all nstart somewhere...

Otherwise, I don't think that chins are normally an animal that is considered overweight. I've never seen people other than new people use that term for chins.
 
Why do they ask if they're just going to ignore the answers, though?! Don't they realize that not every solution can be as easy as switching the shavings they use or taking a plastic igloo out if the chins chewing on it?! Like the one person who had a wire wheel in with spokes and was only 12"-they ask what people think of their cage (something along those lines), then emailed me and tried explaining why the wheel was ok-because the chin hadn't hurt itself on it (YET was my favorite word) and it ran on it all the time, so they didn't feel it was necassary to replace it-the chin loved it. WHY ASK AT ALL?! Sometimes it takes me an hour to answer a question because of the cutting and pasting and quoting I do, or trying to control my anger with a few questions I've answered and usually, especially with chin questions, it takes forever to shrink it to fit, lol! It breaks my heart and drives me crazy and makes me soooo mad all at the same time!
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I think the reason they ask is so that what they're doing can be validated. They don't want to be told "what you're doing is wrong or could be improved, maybe try this way" they want to be told, "yes, what you're doing is perfectly safe, continue," and I think that's why many get defensive when told they're doing things wrong.
 
I got my first chinchilla, *Eli* from my neighbor who got him at the pet shop, coincidently we were there at that time. (We frequented the place as my dad was friends with the owner and I of course love animals) I had always loved chinnies and would sit beside their cage in the shop and watch them. I couldn't have one because my Mom is allergic. But my neighbor showed up at the doorstep and asked in we wanted his chin Eli because he knew I loved him, (I went over to see him ALL the time) my mom wanted to think about it, but he was leaving in five minutes and if he didn't find him a home they were gonna let him outside and let him die. I wasn't stupid at nine so my parents took him, and they wouldn't of if it wasn't for the carelessness of Kelly the neighbor. (REcently we found out Eli is NOT a boy, yet a girl, now named Ellie)

Two years later I got two more from the pet store over a bet with my dad. I was ten. And and wanted a chin that didn't shoot me with pee. So I got two more. Two weeks later one dies from Malo, I hated the pet store owner for that. I did my research and from what I could tell they were taken good care of and everything so I thought they were just fine. OBVIOUSLY NOT! I didn't want another chin after that all I wanted to do was research. And I did. I would consider myself knowledgeable for my age at that time. Then when I felt good enough to get a new chin, I got one. (The new one was not a girl as thought, yet a boy! I still wonder if the deceased one Sniper was sexed correctly...)

I found about about the forum when I got my next one from a breeder , and stalked it forever (Not literally :p). And I finally joined it. I've learned buckets more than I ever thought!

Now that I know about Pet store chins, I would never buy from them, Ever. I went to a Mall pet store one time and they had one, a teeny tiny little standard in an enclosed aquarium with an igloo and a heat lamp. I just about screamed. I went up to the guy working and told him off, "Little miss, we don't need your help taking care of of our animals." I was Peeved. I had to leave because I knew if I walked back there, I would blow. But A HEAT LAMP?!?!? I don't know how that chinnie made it for ten minutes. But when I walked by later the heat lamp was gone so I was content enough. I hoped he/she made it. :*[
 
My first chinchilla came from a pet store. I did research...but I was 12. My research consisted of is it a boy or a girl? What kind of cage? What to feed them? What are they? I didn't research breeding, wheels, bedding, treats, or anything else. My chinchilla lived to be 8 years old, eventually having to be put to sleep for malo, but she was a happy and healthy chinchilla until the end. Did I research the next day, month, or even year? Nope. Eventually I did research and from before that I have quite a bit of experience with the "what will happen if you do this" because I did everything wrong.

I like to think I've seen and heard everything, but every day something new pops up. In reality, chinchillas have NOT been on the pet market for a very long time. Their care and do's and dont's change yearly if not monthly. I remember when many breeders told me it was ok to feed a raisin a day, then it went to a raisin a week and now no raisins. You learn as the community learns, but none of us know everything there is to know about chinchillas. Getting upset or angry with people who know less than you do helps nothing.

I am on Yahoo and answer questions now and then. The big thing I always say is "at least these people are asking before doing". Even if they end up doing whatever it was, they had the brains to ask about it. I know plenty of people that just "do" and then think about it later and ask when it's too late for anyone to do anything. Jumping all over people for asking questions only makes situations worse. The best thing to do is answer the question with facts and research.

Most of all, people will find this thread offensive. The majority of the members on here did not do research before purchasing their first chinchilla. Doing research before buying any pet would be awesome, unfortunately that is rarely how things are done. I'm just glad that people find this forum after a chinnie or two has taken over their lives. (My mom is currently laughing at me because I spent the weekend making chinnie hammocks and I spent more time checking on chinchillas than anything else)
 
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To be honest 10 years ago when I got my first chins there was not much info on the net to even do research, CNQ had just started out and if I was yelled at as a new owner who was just asking questions I would have never used the net again, CNQ was very nice to me. I keep saying, NO QUESTION is a DUMB QUESTION, make people feel they can ask anything and the chins win and give the advice in a way that does not offend nor backs the owner in a corner so they have to lash out.
 
I got my first chinchilla before I even had internet. I bought him at a petstore because my GP had died and I wanted a bunny and saw him. despite not doing any research at all he died after 15 years. Once I found forums and such I learned then I went to shows then I started breeding I wouldn't have changed a thing. Many of us started out as a spur of the moment what matters is willingness to learn
 
I am one of those spur of the moments chin owners. I got my first chin, Herby about 3 years ago from my sister. She was chin sitting for a girl she worked with, who never came back for Herby. My sister could not keep her because her chin Dusty did not get along with Herby. So, when I went up to visit my family one weekend, my sister asked my then 10 year old, if he wanted a chinchilla as a pet, to replace his hamster and fish who had recently passed. He , of course, said yes and home we came with Herby. She was in one of those guinea pig cages they sell at Petsmart, was on Charlie Chinchilla food and drank tap water. When we got home, my son realized that it was a lot harder to take care of a chin than it was a hamster and asked if I would help him take care of Herby. By this time, I had fallen in love with Herby but knew absolutely nothing about chins, so I kept feeding her the CharlieChinchilla and raisins and carrots and all the other bad things. I did however get her a new cage because I hated the one she was in. But it was one of those pet store cages with plastic everything in it. I did not know that plastic could be deadly to chins. I did not even know of this forum or any other forums. It was not until Herby got really sick and almost died that I found the forum, thanks to my vet and Googling malocclusion and it directed me too CnH. If not for this forum, I would not have Herby today.
I now have 4 chins, 1 of whom is a former pet store chin, though I did not get her from there and 2 I got from members off of here. Herby we believe is either a pet store chin or from a byb but we do not know for sure. But before getting the other 3, I had done a lot of research and been a member here and had talked and asked a bunch of questions. And that is what separates me, and countless others, from other chin owners. We ask the questions we have and take the advice to heart and apply where needed and do not let a few people who may yell or berate us, run us off.

And it's a good thing I made the snap decision to let my son take Herby, because had I left her with my sister, she certainly would have died, much like Dusty did a few months later. I recently found out that Dusty was fed whatever food was cheapest, sometimes not even a chin food, and was kept in a 2 story hamster cage with no ventilation and was allowed to run around in a ball. So, sometimes a snap decision to do something does work out alright, even if there are bumps and dips and curves along the way.
 
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As I said, I pack answers with as much advice and facts as I can, also giving my 2 favorite websites (this and mistywaterwoman's), plus a few more if it'll help. I'm not one of the people who say "You don't deserve to own chinchillas", "You're a horrible owner", or anything like that-if I ever did, it was because of something so disguisting, but I really don't remember ever saying that-I'm not a mean person in anyway-especially not on purpose. And whoever's offended, you shouldn't be, because you are on this website which I'm assuming means yyou care about your chins and chins in general, so my criticism is not about you in anyway, honestly. It's about the ones who never truly care, never truly listen to good advice, have too much pride to admitt theyy're wrong, or don't ever ask at all. Maybe I didn't word it right, but I'm sorry if you think I'm talking about you, because I'm not. Chinchillas are the only animal I've ever researched like crazy before getting, and that's because I'm a single mom now and wanted to make sure I could handle another life to care for-my daughter's a handful-she's 3 1/2 and tires me out, so I needed to make sure I wouldn't be overwhelmed in a month or a year. If I weren't a single mom, I guarentee I would've bought one from a petshop before knowing much about them, and made some mistakes before ever asking for help. I did tthis with ferrets, guinea pigs, chihuahuas, and quite a few other pets, so don't think I'm criticizing any of you-I'm NOT!

Its just that after owning a chin, getting to know him and love him and think of him as my child (I honestly do now), it kills me to know that so many like him are out there neglected, unloved, without caring owners. That so many are trapped in cages for days, weeks, months-they have so much life inside them-I can just imagine how it must feel for them to be trapped like that and too many are never saved! I'm sure you all feel the same way! I know some of you do! Everytime you here about an owner doing something that's just plain wrong, you'd probably like to go and take that chin away, just like I would. Like the chin under the heat lamp iin the petshop Mikayla saw-that sickens me! And I tend to be a passionate person about animals-I try to make certain points clear, but don't always succeed, like from my original post, I tried to make it clear that I don't mean the spur of the moment chin buyers who end up being great owners-I mean the ones who don't ever learn from mistakes, never try, and probably don't care if they ever succeed. So don't take my criticism personally because if you're on this site and read this, than my criticism is not for you! It's for the chin owners with all wire flooring, treat filled food, leave their chins in their cages 24/7 for weeks at a time, and just don't care. What I've seen on here, most, if not all of you, sound like really great owners who care a LOT!!!! Why would I criticize you?! I'd like to be more like you with all your chin stuff! I'm learning more and soon will adopt a buddy for my guy, and eventually I want to be where a lot of you are now, not a breeder, but with a bunch of chins, organized (I'm not at all now), and maybe open a little rescue of my own. Until then, you are my mentors, lol! And I appreciate this site more than you know, and you are this site, so trust me, I am not criticizing you in anyway-sorry if it sounded that way, but that's not how I meant it!
 
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