Hello from San Jose, CA

[SpringChins]

:hello:

I am relatively new to chinchillas, but am very quickly learning. I have a *lot* of experience with rats, and they seem very similar to chinchillas in a lot of ways. I also have a very good understanding of genetics in general, and have a decent understanding of chinchilla genetics specifically, although I haven't bred any chinchillas yet (I believe that experience is the best teacher).

I have found an experienced breeder in my area who has agreed to mentor me, so I am excited about that. :blob3: However, I will still probably have lots of questions for this forum, since I don't want to harrass my new mentor.

Regards,
Yresim

[tamsam]

Hi there. welcome to the site. nice to meet ya. take care. tam sam and capi tooo....

[Funzle Bunny]

Welcome to Chins-n-quills Yresim!

[Tails]

Hi and welcome. Not to get down on you but while experiencing things can help you learn I wouldn't do it with an animal, chins aren't necessarily like rats in the birthing process. There are a lot of complications that can arise. I'm not saying not to breed, just make sure you're ready for any situation that may arise. It's good that you have someone experienced nearby and also make sure to have a vet handy. There are lots of threads on here that can help. Hey I'm still new to chins too and have had them for almost a year, and still am learning tons. Anyway have fun!!! :)

[SpringChins]

Hi and welcome. Not to get down on you but while experiencing things can help you learn I wouldn't do it with an animal, chins aren't necessarily like rats in the birthing process. There are a lot of complications that can arise. I'm not saying not to breed, just make sure you're ready for any situation that may arise. It's good that you have someone experienced nearby and also make sure to have a vet handy. There are lots of threads on here that can help. Hey I'm still new to chins too and have had them for almost a year, and still am learning tons. Anyway have fun!!! :)
To clarify: I believe that I am about as prepared as anyone can be without having actually gained experience. My point was that, while I have read A LOT of information on the topic, I don't feel that anyone can "know" something until they have experienced that thing. They can only "know about" it, which is completely different.

I "know about" how to deal with breech births in chinchillas, but I don't "know" how to deal with them, because I haven't been in that experience. I have guidelines in my mind of what to do, and what to avoid, but that doesn't mean that I "know" what to do in the situation, because I haven't been in the situation.

Contrastingly, I "know" how to deal with hair rings in males because I have done that (I don't just "know about" it).

Think about it like driving a car. A person could read all the books in the world about driving, and "know about" driving. But you would never say that the person "knows" how to drive. A person is not considered to "know" how to drive until that person has driven. Similarly, I have read a lot about breeding chinchillas, and I "know about" how to breed them based on what I have read. However, I don't "know" how to breed them.

One of the reasons I am so excited to have a mentor is because she has the experience. She "knows" how to breed chinchillas. So I have the distinct advantage of having her to help me through the phase between "knowing about" something and "knowing" something.

Back to the metaphor about learning how to drive, she is like the licensed driver that is taking me out driving so that, if I make a mistake, she can correct it before it has disasterous effects. Only when I have proven myself will I be allowed to breed without her close attention.

As for a vet, the vet office that treats my rats also has three chinchilla vets. One of those vets has written papers on chinchilla health. The other two are her understudies (one of them is a really awesome rat vet, the other is a good vet all-around).

I do everything in my power to learn all I can about an animal before I bring that animal into my home. However, I have made mistakes in my past, mistakes which can not be undone, because I did not recognize something based on what I had read, or because no one had written about that thing yet (this is particularly an issue with exotic pets). As pet owners, it is our duty to avoid these mistakes as best we can. However, when they do occur, we need to do our best to learn from our mistakes, and to teach others. Only in this way do we make sure that those mistakes never happen again.

My concern is always for the animals in my care, and in making sure that those animals are safe and happy. I would never purchase an animal that I didn't "know about." But the only way to get from "knowing about" to "knowing" is to do, to experience. Most likely, in the first few years, I will be at my mentor's house, or my vet's office, or this forum, regularly to ask "what about this" and "does this mean anything" and "what do you think".

I'm fairly sure that anyone out there who has done their research prior to owning or breeding an animal will know exactly what I am trying to say here. If you don't understand something, let me know what part or parts are confusing, and I will try to expound on them. Perhaps with more driving metaphors. :D