Issue with introducing chins to new friends...

[brinfe]

Ok, so I've been making a few new friends lately and want to invite them over to my apartment. I love my chinchillas don't get me wrong but I feel like most people don't know what to think of them or you for having them for that matter.

So, in my bedroom I have 4 chinchillas: 1 in a condo, another 1 in a condo, and 2 in a townhome. All of these cages are securely stacked on top of each other: make up the towering cage of metal that is nearly 8 feet tall in the corner of my room. I put curtains on the sides of the cages to decrease the mess and give it a more attractive look.

My main questions to you all are 1) how do your non-chinchilla owner friends feel about you having chins and 2) what have you done to your cages to make them more attractive? Pictures are very welcomed :-D

Thanks!

 

[VolunteerChin22]

Well i have 30 so most ppl think im nuts haha, but they love to watch them eat a cookie and they like to see them take a bath, so if I know ppl are coming over I will usually hold off on the baths for them...mine are in a seperate room just for them so I don't do anything other than sweep the floor when people come over...

 

[mishellyshel]

i have 3 of my boys upstairs (2 in a huge cage in the living room & 1 in the kitchen ). the 4 news guys are in 1 FN 3 story cage in the finished basement.
honestly i really dont care what people think!
most people are intrigued by them, i am sure a few are kinda grossed out. the kids seem to like them.
i usually just do a sweep of the loose poop, hay, & shavings so it doesnt appear that i live in a zoo like environment.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Mine are spread around the house. I don't really care what others think - what matters is that I love them.

 

[Cinder and Me]

I normally just wait to see when my friends start asking questions. If they seem interested I'll hand them a cherrio and let them feed my girl. I know one of my friends thinks they make a mess, but other than that, no one really cares. My friends just go about their business, until Cinder barks and then they normally hover over there and ask more questions. lol Over the years my friends know that chins need temperature control and they are not to be fed anything but approved treats/woods. lol But see, my friends know I'm very protective and a little nutty over my pets.

 

[Carol~Anne]

We don't have a lot of people over b/c we're relatively new to this town and just haven't met all that many people yet. That said, anyone who has come into our home is totally fascinated by the fact that I have chinchillas and every one of them has been excited to see them.

I bring them downstairs to the chin room, show them their huge cages with all their toys and I generally scoop up Max my giant grey boy, hold him and let them touch his fur. Everyone is so surprised by how soft he feels and by how cute he is.

My teenage daughter gets a little embarrassed at times and asks me not to show her friends the boys but I don't pay any attention to her b/c I know the kids just love to see the chin room, feel their fur and they've got lots of questions. She also removes the "I love my chinchilla" sign from the main bathroom mirror b/c she thinks it's tacky but I promptly put it back on and tell her to mind her own business. :impatient:

 

[starleomach]

Everyone who has come here likes the chinchillas. Even my in laws who I am pretty sure think I am crazy for having 70. But I have never lost friends because of the chinchillas. Don't worry. If anything they are a great conversation starter

 

[Sesame]

Friends have just come over to see what a chinchilla is. Most become pretty enamored by her and I usually let friends give her a rosehip or somesort of a treat. My boyfriend had a few friends visiting during playtime, and his friends loved to see Sesame wall surf and jump all over them.

I usually try to tidy up the cage and the surrounding areas before company comes over. If there are any weird looks given, it's due to the shelves of boxes holding Sesame's sticks, twigs, whirlies, coins, etc.

 

[chin8710]

All my friends knew about chinchillas before I bought mine because I would discuss all the research I learned with them, it was just so intriguing I had to share! They were all accepting and some were wary about the smell they might cause but to me there really isn't a smell just that "pet" kind of smell from pine shavings and such but it's not stinky. Also, I have a FN that just sits in the corner and I do nothing with it because I think the setup on the inside is attractive enough. The only I do when friends come over is pick up loose poop squirt some air freshner and smile! I also don't let them touch my chinchillas mostly becuase my one is easily stressed and when she gets stressed out she stops eating or drinking for days. My other one is an escape artist and its too risky. Good luck!

 

[Laurie]

My 9 chinchillas live right in the livingroom in their ferret nation setups. Most people are amazed at the size of the 3 story level and will comment on that. I have to warn people not to get to close to Bobo or put their fingers in her cage as she bites and will bite at pant legs. I do not allow anyone but my family to hold the chins--and even then it's very rare as they would rather look than hold. But when someone does want to hold or pet a chin I always pick Abby or Bronwyn as they are two really great girlies who put up with the attention.

As for the cages being attractive--they really aren't LOL! My mom would have a hissy fit if she ever saw the true amount of poos that fly all over! Some things are better left a mystery.

 

[EveningChin]

I have the fn142 for my three girls and most people just think the cage is huge but cool. If you want to see pictures go check out Ferret nation club page in the housing area.

Mine used to be in our dining room but now they have their own room. I put a tv and a dvd player in there for because we end up hanging out there because my friends think they are mesmerizing.

 

[Bethany2386]

Well, when I got my first chin all my friends told me how weird that was. Then I had them touch him. They were amazed at how soft they were. Some still say, those things are ugly. But, I don't care. They are my pets, not theirs lol. They are amazed though by how you can't smell them. I have had one person go buy their own chin, but all my other friends just think they are weird and funny. They do like looking at them though. And all their kids and mine love having 'playtime' with them. They think it's awesome. I always supervise, but they know the rules before I every time. I make sure to tell them. LOL

 

[ChinchillaSteve]

My chins are like a tourist attraction
Every visitor familiar or not sees them and LOVES them!

Especially when they get a treat, so don't worry!
You make friends with chins

 

[drowningathena]

Bethany2386: Someone thought they were UGLY? That's awful! I hope you smacked them.

Honestly, I've never had anyone not adore Pantoufle, once they petted her and watched her play. I had several friends that all wanted to baby-sit her when I went home for a weekend at college. And the not-smelling thing really does amaze people. Half the people I show her are tempted to buy their own.

Actually, the worst reaction I ever had to her was when I showed her to a lady in the airport who wanted to know what I had in the carrier. She said it looked like a fat rat. Hehe, I don't think she really meant to be insulting, but I was quite offended at the time. :impatient:

 

[Chibigirl]

I actually just had a friend come over and she loved Beaker. Beaker came out for play time and let my friend pet her which will win anyone over because their fur is so nice and soft. I did sweep up the floor and clean up all her little shavings that had fallen out of the cage before hand though. Even my mom who really didn't like the idea of having one at first because she said they were "giant rats" now thinks she is cute and sits in the room for play time with me.

 

[Bethany2386]

Yes, they did say that. They said, "Ewww! They are UGLY! They just look like rats." Yeah, ticked me off, but I don't care. We ended up not being friends for a few months after that... Now, that person is asking me about them... So, I suppose even if people think that they are ugly, they end up loving them. I think that they are gorgeous. I love seeing pictures of everyone's chins. It makes me want to just give them all kisses.

 

[arf2184]

The chins are upstairs in their own room and usually no one even knows they are there unless we bring it up. Then they have to see them.

Depending on the person, I'll either bring them up to the room to see everyone or bring one of my more friendly chins downstairs to visit. Everyone always has to touch one. If the person is sitting down and is content to let the chin just crawl on them (and doesn't mind the poo), I'll let them 'hold' one of my 'ambassadors' (friendly, tolerant chins...usually Girdy). I don't have an issue with chins escaping...not that they don't, just most all the chins return up the stairs to the chin room on their own or with a little herding. That's where playtime is and that's where they feel comfortable. Sputnick will even go back into his cage if I tell him to. There's usually someone else home to entertain our guest(s) while I take a fe minutes to return the chin to his/her cage.

Most people love them instantly. Dust baths are always a hit! Kids like to feed them a treat so I let them do that instead of holding (kids tend to squeeze when an animals squirms so no holding).

My cages are melamine ones that I made. Each has a hammock with some sort of cute print on it. Many people comment on those with an "Oh how cute, he's sleeping in his little Curious George hammock!"

My cages:

 

[3CsMommy]

I've never had someone not react with (at the worst) polite curiosity. Of course, the first thing I say when someone comes into my home is "Are you afraid of rodents at all?" just to prepare them before hand. Most people are very excited to hear about Crash and usually the next question is "Can I meet him?" or "Is he friendly?" I love introducing people to my fuzzbutt (and vice versa) simply because it's a great chance for people who like animals to see an exotic type up close and learn some accurate information about them from a fairly reliable source (if I do say so myself). Crash is a little on the shy side, but really likes men, so it's good for him to meet friendly strangers who have washed their hands too. He's getting more outgoing with every new person he meets, which is a relief for me. He's more interested in playtime the more confident he gets, so while it's harder to get him back into his cage afterward, I know he's getting his exercise and he's otherwise happy.

True (recent) story: Friend of a friend was going through a rough time, so when my birthday rolled around, we decided to include him in the cake and presents thing, to give him a chance to get his mind off of things and come play with the animals. I made the call to tell him we were on the way home, and instead of saying something that makes sense like "I've heard you've been blue. Would you like to come play with some pets and have some ice cream cake?" out came "Hi, its Becky. Would you like to pet my chinchilla?":wacko: In one way or another, chins seem to earn me friends.

We're officially dating now, so it didn't turn out *badly*, but that's generally not the kind of first impression I intend to make with new people. :laughitup:

 

[Essentia]

Would you like to pet my chinchilla?

:rofl: It's nice and soft!

 

[3CsMommy]

:rofl:

Yeah, that was his reaction... and all of his friends' reactions...:hair: