Chin Sightings

[caiti]

So, before I got Chloe, about a year and a half ago, I had never seen a chinchilla in person. I knew what they were and had seen pictures. And to this day, I've never seen another live chin in person (not counting the dissected chins in animal nutrition class...).

Obviously, breeders have seen many chins before but how many people do you know with chins that you've seen? I still don't know a single person with chins other than myself!

 

[Stellaluna]

When I was a kid I was terrified of chinchillas. (The people who moved out of the house we moved into said they lost their chinchilla while they were packing up) I had no idea what a chinchilla was or what they looked like until... a year and a half ago lol!

 

[Pikaia]

I only know "in real life" one other person who has chinchillas. He comes into our shop bringing paint and materials and we always share stories of our fuzzbutts!

 

[ChinnyMom]

other than Rhino and the poor mistreated chins in big box pet stores, i've not seen any others 'in real life'. seen plenty of photos of everybody's spoiled lil fuzzybutts though!

 

[Essentia]

I voted for #1. lol

 

[mishellyshel]

i have pet sat a few members chins, met several members & seen their chins and of course must always look at any pet store that i happen upon. i have also seen chins at a local small zoo. but before i got my first chinchilla about 6 years ago, i am not quite sure that i have ever seen one in person before. but i voted #2

 

[Brittany]

Only my forum friends So far I've met the playchins & Sandi's boys.

 

[Stackie]

I've seen hundreds of chins as I've been to several National shows. )

 

[Lynn & The Chins]

I voted #3.

As an ECBC member and having attended many shows, I have seen hundreds of chins too.

 

[ChinnyMom]

oh my, i had a totally daft moment earlier! lol. in addition to Rhino, i've also seen Gery (the chin i babysat that started my love for these lil critters).

note to self: drink coffee BEFORE going on the chin forums........ :rofl:

 

[Amphy64]

I picked the third option, I've been able to see lots of chinnies at shows, and Henry's breeder actually lives very close to us, so I've chatted to him quite a few times. I was amazed to find a breeder lived so near by when I saw his advert for Henry though, I was looking for a breeder and there one was, within walking distance of our house. Before I saw his herd for the first time, I'd only seen chins in petshops, and never touched one, Henry was the first chin I stroked.

 

[caiti]

I forgot about you show people...oops. I guess I was more asking if people has friends that they met outside the chin world who owned chins. But I guess that's a tricky answer, because once you befriend people at shows...you know them socially as well.

Eh, well. I was just pondering over the fact that I know no one who owns chins, and I know many people who have no idea what a chin is!!

 

[Spoof]

I've seen more chins than I can count, thousands across many herds and who knows how many at shows. However, I'm always surprised to meet people that have pet chins out of the blue or who's father/grandfather raised them in a garage and kept one or two. At the most random times/places too! One couple had their son's for 15 years - he was just part of the family and had lived in the same spot in the house his entire life. I like those stories. )

 

[Chin_Parent]

I've never seen chinchillas in someone else's home, save for the three that I rescued, but otherwise I haven't heard of anyone in my area that actually is KEEPING their chinchilla. Also, Petco, PetsMart, and Petland in my area all are conspicuously free of chinchillas.

 

[Luci]

I've only seen Gizmo! Oh and those in pet stores. When I first saw a chinchilla (I was about 12ish), I thought it was gross. He was pretty fat and just looked all scrunched and mad.

I honestly dont even know how Rob and I decided to get a chin. We wanted a pet...I wanted a rabbit or a similar animal. Gerbils were "too easy" for me, guinea pigs were "too annoying", ferrets "too smelly", hedgies "not cuddly", squirrels "too crazy". So yep...first time I saw a chin, I thought it was gross, second time I saw one, I took him home lol. And since then...just pet store chins.

 

[3CsMommy]

Several pet stores with varying levels of "you're doing it wrong", a truly poor/abusive/neglectful/****** owner with (at last count) 5 chins including 3 bred females, another "you call this 'good' breeding?" owner that tried to talk me into buying a standard female kit to put in w/ my boy b/c "it's not nearly as hard as those crazy fur people make it seem!", a small rescue w/ about 20 animals, a local small breeder with 30ish animals (many of which let me scritch them through the bars, and one that kecked at me for breathing his air ), and a brief stop @ a show where I fell in love w/ ebonies.

As for chins I've handled in person... my 3, say a half dozen at the breeder's, my ex's chin and his 3 siblings, the neglected beige and the standard males from the abuser, and 3 at the BYB's home- 18-20 all together.

The first time I ever saw or heard anything about chinchillas, though, was a coat someone wore to church one Christmas when I was very small (4ish?). Then I saw a video segment on Sesame Street of a chin in a petting zoo having a dust bath and refused to talk to that woman ever again.

 

[Jenn]

The first chin I saw was at our local fair, years ago. I instantly fell in love with them and knew I had to have one someday. They were selling them for $500 if I remember correctly! I now see them in my local pet stores.

 

[CrazyForChinchillas]

I've seen chins in pet stores and at a couple of rescues where I got a few of my chins from and also in pictures.