Quarantining and chinchilla shows

[tati121]

I've been pondering this for a couple days now...We all (hopefully) know about needing to quarantine a new animal before we introduce it to the animals we already have even if they're just going to be in the same room. But this goes out the window at chinchilla shows. Since they're not in the same area for too long does that decrease the ability of exposure to potential infections? But there are so many animals as well. Am I missing something? I'm just curious, obviously there isn't going to be a show where 300+ animals are in different rooms but it still gets me thinking...:hmm:

 

[Stackie]

This has been discussed several times before. When you show your animals, you have to trust (and hope) that the other breeders are not going to bring sick animals to show. Generally breeders that are showing are those that are knowledgeable and reputable anyway, and know what to look for in a sick animal.

Often times when a breeder returns home with animals they have shown, they will quarantine them before putting them back with the other chins. Some breeders do this, some don't.

 

[tati121]

Often times when a breeder returns home with animals they have shown, they will quarantine them before putting them back with the other chins. Some breeders do this, some don't.

I didn't really think about what one would do post-show to help minimize risk of infection but this makes sense!

 

[Megan]

This is one of the cases where there is a rule of thumb, however it is not always followed and there are exceptions to the "rule".

Most of the breeders I know and have been to the shows with did not quarentine when they come back from the shows. Some do. A lot of breeders do not quarentine when they purchase animals from the same few people time and time again. I tend to purchase only from the same few breeders, and do not quarentine when I purchase from them. If it's someone I don't know, someone I haven't seen their herd, then i'll seperate. Otherwise they go right into the chin unit.

 

[ticklechin]

Issues can happen at a show, the state show I went to had a breeder bring a chin to the show to be sold to another breeder, the first breeders herd had a illness that went through it and killed several chins, she thought the incubation period for the illness ran out and brought the chin-the chin was contageous, killed the chin, killed a chin from a pet owner that brought two chins for fun, made sick a pregnant female from the second breeders herd, my two chins who went were exposed to the sick chin. I was unaware of the situation and brought my two home without quarantine, I did not find out about it until a few days later since it was a secret. That is what I have a problem with is the secrecy that goes on in peoples herds when chins get sick and die, you have to hope for the best that people fess up-these two people were internet "friends" of mine and they still witheld information to me and the other breeders that were in the immediate area of the sick chin.

 

[Laurie]

To say that quarantine is a must would be a lie, quarantine is best practice. You know the animals you have in your home are healthy, to bring a new animal into that environment your not positive of their health shows best practice to quarantine. This way you know nothing can be passed and cause harm. Not all owners quarantine, sometimes there are no issues, sometimes there are.

When I showed Bronwyn, I also brought baby Lisa along for the baby derby, when I returned from the show I kept both girls separate from the others for a week just to be on the safe side.

 

[starleomach]

I put mine in holding pens for a week rather than back in the colony or in the cages where they have wire in between, New animals same. I won't buy from breeders I don't trust at a show. If there was an animal with questioned health at a show I would do the full deal..2 weeks in a different area of the house...And if there is a questionable animal at the show the judges will comment on it and have it removed from the other animals

 

[Twilight Chinchillas]

I had a experience similar to Dawns, but this was with birds. Bought said birds, only to find out later that the breeder had sick and dying birds, and was doing a cull per say, and liquidating her birds, unknown to many breeders. This was kept a secret from myself, as well, when I found out I spent easily a $1000 testing my flock. This was a disease where you could have a carrier, yet the bird would never show signs of illness. I had quarantined the bird but not tested since I trusted this person. I learned the hard way and so when getting into chinchillas, I always quarantine! Maybe I'm a big paranoid but I do a full 30 days for my chins. They get fed last, etc, then I shower and go on with my day!

 

[tati121]

Issues can happen at a show, the state show I went to had a breeder bring a chin to the show to be sold to another breeder, the first breeders herd had a illness that went through it and killed several chins, she thought the incubation period for the illness ran out and brought the chin-the chin was contageous, killed the chin, killed a chin from a pet owner that brought two chins for fun, made sick a pregnant female from the second breeders herd, my two chins who went were exposed to the sick chin. I was unaware of the situation and brought my two home without quarantine, I did not find out about it until a few days later since it was a secret. That is what I have a problem with is the secrecy that goes on in peoples herds when chins get sick and die, you have to hope for the best that people fess up-these two people were internet "friends" of mine and they still witheld information to me and the other breeders that were in the immediate area of the sick chin.

Yikes!! This is the type of worst case scenario I had in my mind when I started thinking about this. One can always hope that people are going to be honest about these sort of things but hope can only go so far...

 

[AZChins]

I know that a lot of people don't really quarantine after shows and such, but I always do. I'm very paranoid about the chins getting sick from something from even healthy looking chins. Sometimes the people don't know their chins are ill.

There was one time that I trusted someone with putting the chins right into the chin rooms and I will NEVER EVER do that again. Sadly, I think the person knew that a chin or chins were very sick and didn't bother to tell me. We're talking about someone I knew very well and trusted.

All new chins go into the rescue room away from other chins for a minimum of a month, usually longer. Risking getting an illness in the herd is something that I won't do. I did that one time and I was lucky because it was a very short lived problem...but I won't let that happen again. That's why I tell everyone to do a quarantine with any new chins that come from me or anyone else.

 

[tati121]

I'm very paranoid about the chins getting sick from something from even healthy looking chins. Sometimes the people don't know their chins are ill.

Paranoid, cautious - to each his own! Since chinchillas are stealthy little things when they're sick I would be very cautious as well especially when one picks up several chins for their herd. Sometimes you just can't be too careful!

 

[Ash]

If I know where the animal is coming from, I don't quarantine. If the animal comes from a questionable source, I quarantine.

I've only ever gone to the York show, and don't quarantine when returning from there and have done intros right away after purchasing animals.