Would you consider this?

[ErinsChins]

So, I have had quite a few people inquire about volunteering. Mostly students in high school or middle school. Not people I know. They need to get their volunteer hours in and would like to come by and play/clean/dust/feed/water the chins. Obviously, I would be there with them and there would be a sort of training and a strict cleaning routine with warm water and soap. What i'm asking though is are there any huge risks to this?

ETA: Sorry for typos, my phone has terrible autocorrect lol

 

[minrex]

When I was in high school and had to do volunteer hours, they had to be done with an actual organization. (I volunteered with a 4-H club in the area, for example.)

I personally would not allow people I don't know to come into my house and mess with my animals. How did they find out about you if you don't know them?

 

[ErinsChins]

The local highschool only requires a signature, and it isn't verified.

I would guess they found me through my website or something

 

[chechinchillas]

make sure they use hand sanitizer and they know not to come in if they are sick.

 

[Spoof]

I wish people would ask me to do that. I'd pay! Ronda would too. I would verify with the school they are from to weed out PETA crazies, otherwise I would be all for it. It's the best way to educate people about chinchillas, and if you have the time... a great way to yak about chins!

 

[Pikaia]

I agree with Spoof. As long as everyone cleaned up properly before handling the chins, it would be a great educational experience. I guess it's your call as to whether you would be comfortable with it. I don't like strangers coming into my house- I'm a bit of a weirdo when it comes to that

 

[tati121]

Hmmmm I'm on the fence about this... On one hand I would love to trust the good will in people but when people volunteer just because they "need to get their hours in" there's usually a lack of genuine interest which in turn reduces the amount of care they're actually willing to put into what they're doing which just breeds carelessness. On the other hand, if you have people who seem like they're actually committed to learning about chinchillas, the Do's and Don'ts, and everything in between THEN I would feel better about random people being around my animals while under your supervision ONLY like you stated.

I also don't know if chins would necessarily like a whole slew of different people coming in to play with them unless by play you mean sit inside a playpen. Even then the playing aspect of the volunteering is the one thing I'm iffy about. Maybe you can buy materials for hanging toys and such and just have them be little worker elves and assemble them for you! :thumbsup:

 

[tunes]

Not for a million bucks. I don't know about in your neck of the woods, but here the kids have everything from the flu, to strep, to lice. Not a snowball's chance in **** they are getting near my chins. Nooooooo.

 

[jcrdust]

Tunes hit the nail on the head. But forgot to mention BEDBUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Spoof]

I don't know about in your neck of the woods, but here the kids have everything from the flu, to strep, to lice. Not a snowball's chance in **** they are getting near my chins. Nooooooo.

'Tis swamp in this thar area, and if the kid makes it to my house, they're pretty healthy. The skeeters suck them so dry there isn't anything left for bedbugs, lice, ticks or crotch crickets to eat!

In all seriousness though, it's like interviewing for a job. You don't just take the first joe/jane that walks in the door. Talk to them, talk to their parents and see what their work ethic is like. You could be making a big difference in someone's life. )