How do you go about giving advice?

[brittanycrystal]

Lately, i've noticed that as people feel its trendy to have chins they're collecting them without the slightest idea of how to care for them. Yesterday, (in my area it was nearly 85 with the worst humidity) I was at my pet shop getting some Just Organic Tomato Bits that my chinnies have fallen in love with, and I'm chatting with the store owner about my pets. This woman walks up, informs me she has 5 chins, and that for the past few days they've been lethargic and won't drink or eat. I get to asking questions and it turns out they're in her living room with no a/c.

So of course my mouth dropped off of my face and I began with the "absolutely never allow the temperature in your chin room surpass 80 degrees" and I won't even allow it to climb past 75 without becoming horribly paranoid.
It was at that point that she was decidely done with my advice, and considering her attitude she probably changed nothing.

Im sure she loves her chins as much as you or I, but I think people are just rubbed the wrong way when being told they're wrong, or that they need to change.
How do you go about educating without driving the new chin owner off? Its an epidemic, her chin experience was based on one of those PetCo flyers.

 

[Ziora]

Well, the woman asked for advice, and you gave it I guess some people are sensitive about accepting advice when it means they are doing something that needs to be changed. By the way, I never heard of feeding chins tomato bits. I stick to whole oats as a treat. Does it give them a Vitamin C boost?

 

[SunshineChins]

I find the best thing I can do is direct people here to this forum. Then then see that I am not trying to be preachy and that I am not alone in the way that I take care of my chinchillas.

 

[threewingedfury]

Just explain what is in the chin's best interest. There are people who honestly care less and won't take the proper advice, but at least you tried. I also direct them to the forum and tell them to read up on the FAQ threads. One thing I suggest though is making sure that your facts are correct before making suggestions. For instance, you mention purchasing tomato bits for your chin. Never give your chins any type of fruit or vegetables. Stick to treats such as rose hips, prepared safe wood chews, rolled oats, cheerio or shredded wheat that's unfrosted and loofah.

 

[mishellyshel]

i find that when giving advice, its all about "your" attititude and tone of voice.
personally, i dont like someone speaking condescending to me and therefore, i speak to them very politely and almost kinda relate to them and say things like, "oh when I first started with chins, i made SO many mistakes. luckily i did a lot of reserach and learned so much." then i proceed to ask them if they go online and then tell them about this site.
i also have had my own business cards made very cheaply thru vista print and it has all my contact info on it. so often i will give them that with this website and let them know they can call me anytime if they have questions.
i never claim to be an expert, because i am not. but if you relate to people and dont make them feel like whatever it is they are doing is wrong, than they will be more receptive to your opinions.

 

[brittanycrystal]

Thank you! Its about as hard as trigonometry to figure out how to give someone advice, haha.

But see, to me, if you say dehydrated tomato bits are bad, I wouldn't second guess it for a second. My answer to that, is thank you, I would've never guessed they weren't chin safe. And that's another thing that confuses new pet owners and exotic animal owners, pet shops selling products that state they're safe for a species when they aren't.

I do have a quick question, are the papaya enzyme tablets sold throughout pet stores chin safe?

 

[mishellyshel]

you should check the sugar content on those. i know i used to take them for myself for stomach issues and i remember them being kinda sweet.

what benefit are you hoping to get from them? perhaps there is another product that you can substitute with less sugar and more beneficial for a chin.

 

[Brittany]

I do have a quick question, are the papaya enzyme tablets sold throughout pet stores chin safe?

I used to give my chins the oxbow Papaya Fruit Plus active digestive enzyme supplement. I trusted it because it was oxbow and listed chins on the label. Mine only had them once in awhile for a few months. However I've found that for tummy trouble Lifeline or acidophilus powder is much more affective. If you're looking for a healthy treat buy some lifeline and mix it with a little water to form a pasty ball. My chins go bonkers for them and don't seem to miss the raisins and other less healthy treats I used to feed before I knew better.

 

[brittanycrystal]

I just use a small bit of the tablet when my standard has stomach problems. We do have lifeline (don't get me wrong, its a miracle product and I love it), but it seems when I add it to the mazuri, he'll pick through and only eat the pellets with lifeline on them. Subsequently tossing all of the plain pellets on the cage floor.
How do you give lifeline?

 

[brittanycrystal]

To explain my little Pikachu's problem, maybe someones dealt with this before. He was sick at a Petco when he was young, but they hadn't taken him to a vet. So I purchased him at their horrible price, took him to the vet and discovered he had an intestinal blockage. He was given a laxative that I had to administer once a week with lots of water to try and pass the blockage. I think it was two weeks later, this piece of plastic the size of my pinky nail came out in his droppings and he was (basically) as good as new.

Since then he has a fairly regular vet check up, and nothing appears to be wrong with him, but every so often he'll lay around lethargically and sometimes he'll develope a slight case of diarrhea.

 

[mishellyshel]

i mix my lifeline with filtered water and syringe feed it daily to my chin with malo and a new rescue. a few of my chins will eat it off a spoon, but mixed thicker like pudding consistency. i use the rubber coated baby spoons.

for slight diarrhea, i would give 1/2 unsugared mini shredded wheat 2 times per day for 2 days. but i would also re-evaluated what treats you give him, as that may cause the loose stool. i dont like the lethargy part though........that would make me a little nervous. could be lots of things like low blood sugar or nothing like just having a lazy day.
if he is eating & pooping normally, i would start to monitor his weight and write down what and how many treats he is getting.

 

[Riven]

I was going to agree with the tomato bits, tomato is toxic to cats, I'm not sure how it would affect chins but one thing it does in cats is cause belly problems.

Second guessing someone is not necessarily bad, but not listening at all... that's a different story. Forums are good because you can get various opinions. I'd just tell people hey this is what I do, you should visit this forum, it's full of chin lovers with lots of great advice.

Don't tell them they're wrong... generally it'll just make them feel inferior and they won't listen.

 

[brittanycrystal]

Unfortunately for Pikachu, he is on a strict no treat diet and has been for 2 years. But he does get sugar free shredded wheat.
My vet said the lethargy could be attributed to him having a small amount of scarring in his stomach lining and/or intestine. He said it would feel to Pikachu a lot like a human with an ulcer when he eats. He's a very regular eater, I've started to worry that perhaps he is overeating and it upsets his stomach (if only I could read chin minds, this would be much simpler)
Today he weighs 527 grams, throughout the year he basically maintains that weight, being around 550 g through the winter. It seems to me that he loses about 20 grams every summer, and is slightly less active in the warmer months.


I did try to let that woman know that when I was given my first chinchilla 10 years ago, I nearly killed him in California heat because no one around knew what she was or how to care for her. Till finally my mom called a breeder in southern california who explained the temperature parameters. Gosh, now that I think about it I think we fed her gerbil pellets. Thank the heavens that there are forums and experts readily available now.

On the topic of the dehydrated tomato, so I thought it was toxic too, and then I saw them on lonestarchinchillas.com. I already threw mine out, because I always prefer to be safe than sorry. But should I email them? It seems to be widely accepted that tomato is a big no no.

 

[Riven]

Most people who sell stuff sell anything that will sell. You can try though.

 

[brittanycrystal]

Most people who sell stuff sell anything that will sell.

That, Riven, is one sad, disappointing fact about business. Good thing that's my major, and I happen to know that if one doesn't know the effect a product has on a consumer they are required to leave a warning.

Now, lets see if my advice giving skills are any better via email.