So mad...

[FoxyChin]

:angry: every year in Miami we have a county fair, and several animals are displayed. This year, there was a chinchilla. Normally I don't tell people how to raise their animals/kids, but this just really upset me. The chin was in a small cage with no legdes to jump on, no hay whatsoever, little water, fruit with flies all over, and a heat light bulb directly at it. My fiance and I looked at it with concern and decided to speak up. I went over to a lady and asked if she was in charge of the chin. She said yes, so I asked her if she knew that they (chins) aren't supposed to have heat lamps pointing straight at them. She decided to grit her teeth and just say that it isn't a heat lamp, (which it is, because it was the same they used for the reptiles on display) rather a 40 bulb watt and that the chin was fine. I then asked to speak to the owner of the booth.

well, what an uproar. NOt only were they all rude, but insisted that chins don't need hay when in a display cage (what kind of ridiculeous comment is that?) Then the owner started to say that I probably dont raise chins (I don't, but I said I did), and that at the age of 30, I don't know enough (I'm actually 23, but as a vet tech and owner of 2 chins, I think I know enough to know that hay is supposed to always be available.)

I wish I would've told him I was 40.

he then started saying that some old lady there who is 60 has been raising chins since the age of 8, and that "he loves people who think they know everything" all while screaming and making a scene in front of kids at the fair.

They then grabbed the poor animal, and said "see, it's fine" then proceeded to throw it back in the cage. The poor chin I think was even more scared. It also had a bunch of notches/holes in its ears.

Nothing could be done, and I wish I would've gotten the booth number to report it to the ...I don't know, someone.

They also said that they're experts with reptiles, since chinchillas and reptiles are supposed to be together *rolls eyes*

ugh, I'm so mad. what would you have done in my situation?

[TheChinClique]

I think that you did everything I would have done. The only thing else I would have done is ask to speak to this so-called breeder who had been breeding for 52 years. I am sure that they HAD to have been making this up, because if this is how you treated your herd for 52 years, you'd be out of the job REAL quick. I always get so pissed when I try and calmly explain a situation to the person in charge of a mistreated animal, and then when I offer advice they tell me "I am wrong and they are right" in one way or another. I really hope that Chin ends up going home with someone who knows what they are doing. The fact that they were feeding it fruit and had a heat lamp on over it does not do much for my conscience. Poor baby :(

-Andrea

[haleybobl]

Well um, chins don't have hay when they're being showed ever. So, techinically you were wrong and made a big scene when you didn't know what you were talking about. It sounds to me like those ladies were right.

Take a look at some of these photos from a show...you will see there are no leaping ledges or hay.

http://www.chins-n-quills.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74312

[mouse0217]

Was this at the Youth Fair? If it is, I'm going there next weekend and I'll end up making a scene just as well. :angry: Guess my family will have to live with it. LoL. :laugh:

Eileen

[FoxyChin]

I think that you did everything I would have done. The only thing else I would have done is ask to speak to this so-called breeder who had been breeding for 52 years. I am sure that they HAD to have been making this up, because if this is how you treated your herd for 52 years, you'd be out of the job REAL quick. I always get so pissed when I try and calmly explain a situation to the person in charge of a mistreated animal, and then when I offer advice they tell me "I am wrong and they are right" in one way or another. I really hope that Chin ends up going home with someone who knows what they are doing. The fact that they were feeding it fruit and had a heat lamp on over it does not do much for my conscience. Poor baby :(

-Andrea

Well, at one point I was thinking about stealing it from the cage and taking it home, but I think that may have made the poor chinnie worse. Also, it wasn't worth arguing with a bunch of carneys (no, I'm not being politically correct at the moment) but I was also thinking of getting my carney friend "booger" (yes thats his name) to fight these people for me. But that would've made me a fool in the end.

Plus, I dont have a third cage (my two are separated for medical reasons at the moment.) but, ugh, they pissed me off so bad.

[FoxyChin]

Was this at the Youth Fair? If it is, I'm going there next weekend and I'll end up making a scene just as well. :angry: Guess my family will have to live with it. LoL. :laugh:

Eileen


yes it was! it was in one of the buildings where they have the tigers and exotic animals. I would definitely like it if more people would make these hicks realize that what theyre doing is wrong! :angry:

[HobbyGuy]

Chinchillas are nocturnal, so they can go all day long without hay or water. At chinchilla shows, the chinchillas will go all day long without hay or water. Normally, they are asleep during the day.

Not sure about the light. Was the light sitting on the cage? About how far above the chinchilla was it?

[haleybobl]

They have lights shining on the chins at shows also, but they arn't hot. Obviously big ranchers and people that show are not going to put their animals health at risk.

[FoxyChin]

Well um, chins don't have hay when they're being showed ever. So, techinically you were wrong and made a big scene when you didn't know what you were talking about. It sounds to me like those ladies were right.

Take a look at some of these photos from a show...you will see there are no leaping ledges or hay.

http://www.chins-n-quills.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74312

The no ledges thing I can understand, but the chin was not being showed the way the other chins are being showed in the pictures. This was just one chin that was being given decomposed produce with flies hovering around and had a heat lamp over it. Plus, the pellets did not look like they were good quality. I was always under the impression that free choice hay is to be offered, especially for an all day event where the animal will be stressed.

[HobbyGuy]

They have lights shining on the chins at shows also, but they arn't hot. Obviously big ranchers and people that show are not going to put their animals health at risk.

They use flourescent lights, not incandescent. When saying that they were using reptile style lighting, I picture a reflective lamp with an incandescent bulb SITTING on the top of the cage. That's why I was asking for more details. I doubt it is truly a reptile heat lamp...