Heartbreak...

[Riven]

I didn't know where else to post this, but I'd like to take this moment to clear a few things up...

I do post on CL, and some people think doing so is the devil. But it's all about screening your people. I've sold to people on forums that ended up being bad, bad, bad people.

Anyway, I had my two sets of pet cages for sale between my husband having issues with the dust and me working all the time I just wanted them to have a good home where they get attention. One set went to a great home in Missouri, the other stayed around a little longer and finally found a "good home" or so I thought.

I talked with the guy for nearly a month before they left, he has a female chin already, he asked a lot of questions to verify what he was doing was okay, etc. About a week later I get a call from him saying that one of the chins was sick and seemed to be having seizures, and they were finding blood in the cage but didn't know where it was coming from. They were going to the vet, I offered suggestions. Several days later I emailed to see how they were doing, no reply. Now about a week an a half later he called and said that that chin died and had pneumonia and couldn't breath and they had her in an oxygen box, and all the chins are on antibiotics because now they all have pneumonia. Since pneumonia and URI's are generally very contagious I find this hard to believe that they had any issues here as they were all fine when I loaded them up. Plus they spent the last month before leaving in the chin house due to my husband and the dust issues, so certainly I'd have URI in the chin house one would think if there was a cage in my opening room with it ( it's not the same room the rest of the chins are in, but I have to walk past them to get to the others). THEN he asks if I hadn't cashed the check yet if I could hold it because of the bills...

I'm so worried for the chins and wondering how this could happen, they showed no signs at all when they left here, and going from no signs to dead from pneumonia in about 2-3 weeks...

What my story is mainly about is... no matter how much you screen you can't be sure.

 

[Isabella Whateva]

That's so, so awful. I'm so sorry this happened. I can only imagine how hard it must be for you to hear about this happening and have no control. Rest in peace, sweet chinny. I really hope the rest of them get better.

 

[Amphy64]

I'm really sorry to hear that, I hope the other two chins recover Ok. I know pneumonia is really serious, but didn't think it would be fatal so quickly (they surely can't possibly have had it when they left you), poor chinnie. Maybe it was something else, I don't know. Perhaps it wasn't the new owner's fault, could have been from contaminated hay he unknowingly fed or something?

It must be very frustrating not to be able to know what is going on, I know. It's not your fault, though, you clearly did the best you could to find a suitable home. I think it can be fine to advertise on sites like Craigslist if you do a screening process, I actually found my own chin through a breeder's advert on a site like that (his breeder does screen, and told me they end up having to turn a lot of people down).

 

[starleomach]

It is sad. I am sorry. It is a hard situation. And you aren't evil for posting ON CL. I do on ocasion I have had as many bad experiances with people from forums as from other sources. the whole evil CL thing makes me crazy there are good and bad people everywhere

 

[Riven]

I emailed and got a reply today, I guess now only one of the chins is sick... And none of the questions I asked were answered like smoking in the house or extreme humidity. I'm going to ask who the vet was/is treating them and what the necropsy said ( I'm sure one wasn't done), but they were sure concerned that I didn't cash the check yet...

Orbifloxacin is what they said they were given for anitbiotic, I don't know why this would be used opposed to Baytril, same family, but I've not seen much use or research of it.

 

[Remyma0408]

Aww... this was one of your dwarf cages?

 

[Riven]

Yes it was. These girls never had a sneeze in the years they were here... John is very angry about it, he said they same thing, they were always good chins and never were sick. He's seen me hand feeding chins, and medicating, and all of that so he knows that if they were sick, he'd have seen me toting them for treatments/feedings.

 

[starleomach]

its terrible to say but I have learned to not give a refund or replacement without a necropsy. I have had it happen 2 times now where someone got a chinchilla from me and it died within days, one was taken home in a hot car, because they didn't believe me that it would over heat, wanted a replacement so they tried to lie but truth came out, the other after a 4 hour visit and discussion to NOT do what they did, they went home and threw a 9 week old baby in with an agressive male who killed it, tried to tell me he was sick when they brought him home. I said sure I will replace him bring me the body...they admited what happened right after that

Sad thing is both people contacted me through here...and I had checked them out and though them to be upstanding members

 

[Riven]

I will not be offering any refund or replacement, the deal alone was really good.

They said they'd send me the information the vet gave/sent them? But I haven't seen it, and I actually dropped the check in the bank the night before they contacted me after work.

It's just the same reason I don't do a contract, because people will just tell you what they want.

 

[ppsamm]

oh, I totally understand how heartpain it is. It is always difficult to identify good and bad people. I always feel it is a 50/50 chances of good caregiver for any people we screened and passed. Yes and I agreed and it is true....no matter how much you screen you can't be sure.

 

[AZChins]

That's why I always have people sign a contract. It gets me off the hook if they kill their chinchillas. I give them a health guarantee, but they sort of have to prove it was my fault. They will lie about things, so you need something to protect yourself. These people could lie and take you to court if the chins pass away. There's a chance that a judge could find in their favor because there are laws that protect consumers - some states give days or weeks in favor of the buyer. Just be aware of that. If they sign a contract saying that the chins were healthy at the time of purchase and that a veterinary evaluation is necessary to determine that they are sick and it was your fault, you will be more likely to be taken seriously.

And, with the air conditioning thing and keeping the chins cool, I will beat it into people that their chinchillas WILL die if they get warm. When they leave my house I put a frozen waterbottle into the carrier that will keep the chin cool for several hours.

Seriously, Nicole - contracts make people do what you need them to do. It protects you and it protects them. It doesn't matter what they do because once they have signed it, that is what they have agreed to do.

 

[caiti]

That's such a shame, I'm sorry that happened.

And honestly, even though you may have a gut feeling as to what happened, it's sometimes very difficult to really know how that situation progressed. Good people do bad things and bad people get lucky, to put it abstractly.

You can't be sure of anything but you take your chances on what seems the least risky choice. I agree that contracts are a good idea, though they don't prevent tragedies like this and others, unfortunately.

 

[Riven]

I asked for a copy of the necropsy report and asked which vet it was, because I worked at one of the prominent vets in that town for a couple years and most of them know me and I know most of them as it's not that big of a town compared to the hugantic cities some of your guys live in.

 

[VolunteerChin22]

That stinks - I am very sorry. Not defending them but pneumonia can develop really quickly - my boys went from lethargic to dead within a 48hours...My vet prescribed Baytril...It wasn't effective...Did they say if anyone in the house had been sick? They could have made the chins sick handling them...

 

[Riven]

I have not heard back from them or seen any of these "vet reports"... I did have the check bounce back out of my account and cost me additional money and I don't even know how the chins are doing.

 

[Pikaia]

I'm very sorry to hear this happened to you. Hopefully the other chins are safe

 

[VolunteerChin22]

Well, anyway you look at it they are some shady people. Sorry to hear that - I usually don't take checks because I am afraid of that.

 

[bevincliodna]

In most cases, you can take them to court for the bounced check.

 

[missyjre]

I'm so sorry to hear about the trouble with the other girls. My girls on the other hand are perfectly healthy and happy. My boyfriend has smidge terribly spoiled and says if he ever leaves me she's the only thing we'll fight over. I promise they have and always will have a great home and are very well cared for and loved.

 

[Riven]

Thanks so much, I was just thinking about them!

Still nothing from this person, I re-deposited the check and send an email saying I did so and that if it bounces again he's going to small claims... I should've learned after I had major issues with a member of another forum several years ago, came here, stayed the night, did some custom supplies for them and everything, then she closed the account she wrote the check on...