So, I've had some chats lately with some people about which expos we're going to be at, and when, and how this can easily be kept track of. Best way -- we have a "Come See Us" section on the home page of our website. Other than that... it gets kind of messy.
Some expos, we have planned way in advance. Like WAAAAAAAAAAAY in advance. For example, I already know when the Chicago Pet Show -- Kane County is in the fall, and I'm pretty sure I already had to notify that we will be there... like as of last November (which is fine, we love that expo). Yeah, LAST November. Some are booked way in advance. So that probably will not change.
But, on the other hand... the All Animal Expo (AAE) in Wheaton / Hammond -- we can schedule or cancel up until the day before, probably even the day of... and sometimes we have waited until the day before to officially decide. And that's fine.
Also, sometimes expos get moved. See if you can follow this: The Chicago Pet Show -- Oak Lawn is scheduled for May 4-5. Did you know... it was originally scheduled for April 27-28th. When it was originally scheduled for April 27th, I had agreed to go. Then, it turned out, the Atlantic Chapter MCBA (Chinchilla) Show was also 4/27. So, I was going to go to the Chicago Pet Show, as I'd already booked that. Well... then we received notification from Chicago Pet Show that the Oak Lawn venue had been double booked for 4/27-28, and the show was moving to May 4-5. Well... shit. That was the day of the Ohio Chapter Show. So for a moment (actually a span of 3-ish months), I had to tell Chicago Pet Show... I really don't know if I will be there or not, please check back, and I will notify as soon as I figure out (I'm on the Ohio MCBA Chapter Board, so it's hard to NOT be there for a show... I have stuff to do). What else this meant though... was that April 27th was now expo-free again. So, I decided I was going to the Atlantic Chapter Chin Show, as, with the Chicago Pet Show moved, I would not be able to attend the Ohio Chapter Show (IF I attended the Chicago Pet Show). Knowing I would not likely attend the Ohio Chapter Show, I was going to attend the Atlantic Chapter Show. Then, the Ohio Chapter Show got moved to 5/18. Learning that, I called up the Chicago Pet Show and informed them that I WOULD be able to attend the Oak Lawn show. In the meantime, I received a flyer from the Be Kind to Animals Pet Care Expo... also on the 27th. With the Ohio show moved, knowing I would be able to show my animals more locally, and under a judge I liked better (than the judge for Atlantic Chapter), I applied for a booth at the Be Kind to Animals Pet Care Expo, and decided not to show at the Atlantic Chapter Show. With the Ohio Chapter Show on 5/18, the AAE scheduled having kangaroos at the show on 5/19. So that week/weekend will be insane, with me driving out to Ohio Wed/Thurs, showing Saturday, driving back Saturday night, and going to the AAE Sunday.
With all these changes -- mostly event dates changing and whatnot -- can you understand why I tell people to always check our Come See Us section, when they are unsure if we will be at an event or not? Sometimes it's hard for me to keep track of all of this!
Friday, May 3, 2019
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Donations Etc.
So, I know I posted a bit ago about how when people are sponsoring a chin, they can designate which chin they want to sponsor, and this and that... this sort of thing is across the board.
See, if you donate something, you're more than welcome to mention what you'd like that to go to, or who's name you want it in, or whatnot. Of course, within reason, and of course, we try to accommodate as best we can. Want the donation in someone else's name? No problem. Suggest that that we buy a new shop vac with your donation, when the current one is running fine... we will likely reach out and have a chat.
The reason I bring this up, though, is because people have, moreso in recent years, been donating in honor or someone, or wanting someone else's name up on the donation. You might remember how when Ed R.'s wife passed, he wanted his donation in Bonnie's name (and informed us that she had passed). Not only did we do that, but since this family had always been so generous and kind to us and the rescue, we also got a plaque that has been put up on one of our cages, dedicating the cage to Bonnie. In case you missed that post it is ---> here.
... and basically, I just wanted to let you all know, in case you happen to be donating, feel free to suggest what you'd like it used for, or if you want it in honor or someone or whatnot. Of course, we can't get plaques for everyone, but we can do our best to make people feel appreciated!
More recently than the cage plaque, I received a donation from someone, and they wanted it put from someone else, for their birthday. I sent that person a message, asking if the person might like a donation thank you card from the rescue, and explained that I would need their address, if they would (the donations on the webstore don't require an address... though even if they did, this would be a separate person entirely). They responded saying that was thoughtful, and gave me the person's full name and address. I went out and got them a birthday card, in addition to the donation thank you card, wrote a little message inside, thanking them for their donation to the rescue, and mailed it out. Hopefully they got it in time for their birthday and enjoyed getting it.
Obviously, this is a different situation than a lot of people who are donating, but we really do appreciate every little bit, and if there's a simple way that we can express gratitude, we are definitely happy to do so. :)
See, if you donate something, you're more than welcome to mention what you'd like that to go to, or who's name you want it in, or whatnot. Of course, within reason, and of course, we try to accommodate as best we can. Want the donation in someone else's name? No problem. Suggest that that we buy a new shop vac with your donation, when the current one is running fine... we will likely reach out and have a chat.
The reason I bring this up, though, is because people have, moreso in recent years, been donating in honor or someone, or wanting someone else's name up on the donation. You might remember how when Ed R.'s wife passed, he wanted his donation in Bonnie's name (and informed us that she had passed). Not only did we do that, but since this family had always been so generous and kind to us and the rescue, we also got a plaque that has been put up on one of our cages, dedicating the cage to Bonnie. In case you missed that post it is ---> here.
... and basically, I just wanted to let you all know, in case you happen to be donating, feel free to suggest what you'd like it used for, or if you want it in honor or someone or whatnot. Of course, we can't get plaques for everyone, but we can do our best to make people feel appreciated!
More recently than the cage plaque, I received a donation from someone, and they wanted it put from someone else, for their birthday. I sent that person a message, asking if the person might like a donation thank you card from the rescue, and explained that I would need their address, if they would (the donations on the webstore don't require an address... though even if they did, this would be a separate person entirely). They responded saying that was thoughtful, and gave me the person's full name and address. I went out and got them a birthday card, in addition to the donation thank you card, wrote a little message inside, thanking them for their donation to the rescue, and mailed it out. Hopefully they got it in time for their birthday and enjoyed getting it.
Obviously, this is a different situation than a lot of people who are donating, but we really do appreciate every little bit, and if there's a simple way that we can express gratitude, we are definitely happy to do so. :)
Monday, April 29, 2019
Give and Take
So, this was actually something else brought up by a new foster, that I thought was kind of interesting, and so, I wanted to touch on.
I've always asked fosters to sign the foster contract (which they may or may not think applies to them, despite signing it, but that's beside the point)... but the one thing I do require is that all fosters let me take a copy of their ID, usually a driver's license.
Now, the actual reasons for this -- several things. First, should I not be able to read their chicken-scratched address, I have a typed out version of it. Second, should I ever need to go to their house for any reason, I already have the address and don't need to waste time asking for it. Third, should a potential adopter ask me how far they are away from the foster, I can figure it out... literally to the foster's address. Last, should they run off with my animal and supplies, I know where to find them.
I always assure the fosters, I do not give out their address, and should any potential adopters be coming to their home, they themselves will be the one talking with them and giving out their address (and of course, they are not required to let potential adopters come to their home -- the other option is for them to bring the animal back to the rescue, where it would be adopted out here). Basically, I assure them, I'm not using their info / ID information for evil. Bwahahahaha.
So, the other day, one of the fosters said, well, I am entrusting them with an animal, and that's a big thing, so they feel they can entrust me with their information. Basically, the way fostering works is that the foster home gets to care for an animal while it's in the process of being adopted, and they have to send photos and info routinely about the animal.... in exchange, I need their info.
The reason I mention this is because of course, I've had people whine and moan before about giving their info. I realize, people are secretive, but... this is fostering. If people don't want to give the info, that's fine, but then, I don't want to give the animal. Maybe fostering is just not for those really private people then, and that's fine, maybe they can find another way to help, if that's their end goal. But it is give and take. They give their info -- they take a basically free "pet" that they care for, with all supplies and support provided -- there has to be some "give." That is all.
I've always asked fosters to sign the foster contract (which they may or may not think applies to them, despite signing it, but that's beside the point)... but the one thing I do require is that all fosters let me take a copy of their ID, usually a driver's license.
Now, the actual reasons for this -- several things. First, should I not be able to read their chicken-scratched address, I have a typed out version of it. Second, should I ever need to go to their house for any reason, I already have the address and don't need to waste time asking for it. Third, should a potential adopter ask me how far they are away from the foster, I can figure it out... literally to the foster's address. Last, should they run off with my animal and supplies, I know where to find them.
I always assure the fosters, I do not give out their address, and should any potential adopters be coming to their home, they themselves will be the one talking with them and giving out their address (and of course, they are not required to let potential adopters come to their home -- the other option is for them to bring the animal back to the rescue, where it would be adopted out here). Basically, I assure them, I'm not using their info / ID information for evil. Bwahahahaha.
So, the other day, one of the fosters said, well, I am entrusting them with an animal, and that's a big thing, so they feel they can entrust me with their information. Basically, the way fostering works is that the foster home gets to care for an animal while it's in the process of being adopted, and they have to send photos and info routinely about the animal.... in exchange, I need their info.
The reason I mention this is because of course, I've had people whine and moan before about giving their info. I realize, people are secretive, but... this is fostering. If people don't want to give the info, that's fine, but then, I don't want to give the animal. Maybe fostering is just not for those really private people then, and that's fine, maybe they can find another way to help, if that's their end goal. But it is give and take. They give their info -- they take a basically free "pet" that they care for, with all supplies and support provided -- there has to be some "give." That is all.
Saturday, April 27, 2019
Perspective
I wanted to write this, because sometimes when I talk to people, I discover my perspective on things is a bit different. Not like in a weird way, but simply... I've been doing this now since 2003. That's 16 years. So what may be like old hat to me, may not be to you.
Of course, I try to put myself in everyone else's shoes when they ask a question or want to see more pics or whatnot, but sometimes I acknowledge that I really do see things differently.
The one thing that I often talk about with friends is how often I hear people say they don't have time for their chinchilla. Going off yesterday's guest post -- without chins needing constant playtime (which they really don't) -- I really find it hard to grasp that perspective. Of course, we'd all like more time with our animals. I have dogs, and I'd love to spend all day doing nothing but sitting around and petting them. But... well, we all have lives. When you take away playtime -- and this goes for any animal really -- there's feeding them, watering them, cleaning their cage, and interacting with them. What of this, takes so long, I'm really not sure. By no means am I saying this to judge... I guess it's simply that I wish people would tell me what it is that they no longer have time to do, that they want to do, as it's just escaping me.
Another thing -- and this was pointed out by a recently new foster home -- "chins are high maintenance." Are they? When this foster home originally wanted to take a chin and foster a chin, the day they wanted to come was right before I went out of town for a week. I told them, hey, you can... but if you hate it, you're stuck with it for a week until I get back. They said that was fine, and that even if they really didn't like it, they could manage a week (this was months ago). So, they signed the foster contract, took their foster chin and supplies, and went about their way. Never did hear anything bad. Well, a few days ago, they brought the chin back to the rescue so she can be adopted. Since this was the first time they'd be officially "done" with a foster chin, I wanted to ask them what they thought. Their FIRST comment was about how they had read so much online about how chins are so "high maintenance" and how, after having experienced one, they really didn't think so. They asked me what I thought about this (and I agreed) and we had a chat about, as above, it's just weekly cage cleanings, keeping them fed and watered, and for this foster, she had a chin that enjoyed playtime, so they did playtime a couple of times a week. But the point was... that was it. And she couldn't imagine what those people were talking about, with the chins being high maintenance. So, I think the next person who I hear say that, I am going to legitimately ask them, what about them is high maintenance? Not to be an ass or whatever, mind you, but because I really want to know. I mean... what pet out there is less maintenance than a weekly cage clean, and occasionally feeding and watering? A pet rock? So, I'm curious to hear an answer.
And the last thing -- I can't tell you how many people mention about how they're getting a cage tomorrow and then they need a few weeks to set it up. Now, I acknowledge, not all cages are easy to set up. But... just for shits and giggles, I vaguely paid attention to the time today, as I set up a critter nation cage that was completely broken down. As in, no screws in the base, all the pieces just next to each other on the floor. It took me less than 15 minutes (with a mallet to whack some uncooperative pieces into place). As a single person, with no one else to hold a piece while I tried to fit it into the slot. Now, I still need to wash and put in the pans... but that's all I need to do, as I usually sell them without shelves, as the new homes often do that themselves. Now, I acknowledge that it took me probably less time than the average person, mainly because I've probably built 100+ of these over the years... but with two people, it should be even easier, and maaybe take 30 minutes, even including reading the directions. So again, I guess I'm confused on what takes a couple of weeks? For me, I couldn't put together two pieces and walk away, and come back later. I will do the entire cage, or nothing. So again, next time someone tells me they need a couple of weeks... I may just ask. I really want to know! Even if I do shelving -- which would be considerably easier with another person -- add another hour at the most.
I'm not trying to lessen anyone's perspective on doing these things. But I'm curious, for when people mention these, and other things similar to these... what exactly they mean. It's good to know what others think of as "difficult" -- maybe someone wants a pet that is litter trained (as opposed to cleaning an entire cage every week) -- I don't know. But I'll be interested to hear the answers, that's for sure...
Of course, I try to put myself in everyone else's shoes when they ask a question or want to see more pics or whatnot, but sometimes I acknowledge that I really do see things differently.
The one thing that I often talk about with friends is how often I hear people say they don't have time for their chinchilla. Going off yesterday's guest post -- without chins needing constant playtime (which they really don't) -- I really find it hard to grasp that perspective. Of course, we'd all like more time with our animals. I have dogs, and I'd love to spend all day doing nothing but sitting around and petting them. But... well, we all have lives. When you take away playtime -- and this goes for any animal really -- there's feeding them, watering them, cleaning their cage, and interacting with them. What of this, takes so long, I'm really not sure. By no means am I saying this to judge... I guess it's simply that I wish people would tell me what it is that they no longer have time to do, that they want to do, as it's just escaping me.
Another thing -- and this was pointed out by a recently new foster home -- "chins are high maintenance." Are they? When this foster home originally wanted to take a chin and foster a chin, the day they wanted to come was right before I went out of town for a week. I told them, hey, you can... but if you hate it, you're stuck with it for a week until I get back. They said that was fine, and that even if they really didn't like it, they could manage a week (this was months ago). So, they signed the foster contract, took their foster chin and supplies, and went about their way. Never did hear anything bad. Well, a few days ago, they brought the chin back to the rescue so she can be adopted. Since this was the first time they'd be officially "done" with a foster chin, I wanted to ask them what they thought. Their FIRST comment was about how they had read so much online about how chins are so "high maintenance" and how, after having experienced one, they really didn't think so. They asked me what I thought about this (and I agreed) and we had a chat about, as above, it's just weekly cage cleanings, keeping them fed and watered, and for this foster, she had a chin that enjoyed playtime, so they did playtime a couple of times a week. But the point was... that was it. And she couldn't imagine what those people were talking about, with the chins being high maintenance. So, I think the next person who I hear say that, I am going to legitimately ask them, what about them is high maintenance? Not to be an ass or whatever, mind you, but because I really want to know. I mean... what pet out there is less maintenance than a weekly cage clean, and occasionally feeding and watering? A pet rock? So, I'm curious to hear an answer.
And the last thing -- I can't tell you how many people mention about how they're getting a cage tomorrow and then they need a few weeks to set it up. Now, I acknowledge, not all cages are easy to set up. But... just for shits and giggles, I vaguely paid attention to the time today, as I set up a critter nation cage that was completely broken down. As in, no screws in the base, all the pieces just next to each other on the floor. It took me less than 15 minutes (with a mallet to whack some uncooperative pieces into place). As a single person, with no one else to hold a piece while I tried to fit it into the slot. Now, I still need to wash and put in the pans... but that's all I need to do, as I usually sell them without shelves, as the new homes often do that themselves. Now, I acknowledge that it took me probably less time than the average person, mainly because I've probably built 100+ of these over the years... but with two people, it should be even easier, and maaybe take 30 minutes, even including reading the directions. So again, I guess I'm confused on what takes a couple of weeks? For me, I couldn't put together two pieces and walk away, and come back later. I will do the entire cage, or nothing. So again, next time someone tells me they need a couple of weeks... I may just ask. I really want to know! Even if I do shelving -- which would be considerably easier with another person -- add another hour at the most.
I'm not trying to lessen anyone's perspective on doing these things. But I'm curious, for when people mention these, and other things similar to these... what exactly they mean. It's good to know what others think of as "difficult" -- maybe someone wants a pet that is litter trained (as opposed to cleaning an entire cage every week) -- I don't know. But I'll be interested to hear the answers, that's for sure...
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Guest Writer - Playtime!
Hey everyone! It's Chris again. Let's talk a controversial topic in the chinchilla world.... play time. I'm sure Ashley has discussed this before, but I'm sure it helps to hear another person's perspective!
Now... I'm not a breeder or rescue worker like Ashley, but I AM a longtime chinchilla owner. I've had chinchillas for 12 years now. I've owned a total of 12 chinchillas over that span (8 currently). I learned much of the good information I know now from Ashley, and reputable chinchilla forums online, and now I'm a member of multiple groups on social media. I've been around the block as a chinchilla owner, so I feel confident in the advice I give.
One huge myth that is often stated for chinchillas is that they need an hour (or more) of "out of the cage" play time everyday. If you don't think too hard about it, or are an inexperienced chin owner, this sounds like a good idea. It's a great way for them to stretch their legs, interact with their owner, and just have some fun... right? The pet store will probably even tell you to do this. However if you discuss this with breeders, hardly ANY of the reputable ones will advise you to do this. Why? That's a great question...
Let's look at the most obvious reason why first. Look at the chinchilla. what's the most unique feature about your chinchilla? It's that thick soft furry coat it has, right? Now, can you imagine putting on a fur coat, and then being expected to run around for 60 minutes and not get too hot? It doesn't sound like much fun, does it? Overheating happens very often in chinchillas during playtime, and we see this leading to seizures, dehydration or lethargy.
Next, people usually want to do playtime with chinchillas so they can interact with them, which is understandable. But how often do you simply sit on the floor and let your chinchilla run around you? Probably not often. You probably stand up or move around or do something while your chinchilla is out and about. I can't tell you how many times I've heard horror stories of people stepping on their chinchillas during play time, or falling on top of them, or other accidents like this. You think it won't happen to you, but honestly, unless you're sitting on your butt and not moving, there's a chance.
Next, think about the space in which you're doing play time. Do your Chinchillas have a whole room to run? Then I guarantee it... they will find something to chew on. An electrical cord, a wall, carpet, anything. None of these things are safe for chins to eat! "No worries" you say, "I use an exercise pen! It's safe!". Oh yeah? Well, how tall is it? Because mine is 3 ft tall and I have regularly had chinchillas jump to the top. Luckily we don't take our eyes off of them for a second, so when this happens, we react immediately to grab them or tap them to jump back into the pen.
Ok, so you finally believe me. Playtime can be dangerous. So what do you do instead? I interact with mine in the cage! Critter/Ferret nation cages are wonderful, so I can open up both doors to be able to touch, pet, scratch and "play" with my chins in the comfort and safety of their own cage. And they love it! I get more interaction in their cage than I do when/if they are OUT of their cage. Try it, you might be surprised!
If you absolutely still MUST do playtime... please do it as safely as possible. Make sure the temp of the room is LOW so there is no overheating. AC is a MUST in the summer! Keep it short.... only a few minutes. Keep their area small and safe... nothing to chew on. Use an exercise pen with a flat floor surface (no carpet). And if you are inside the area, plant yourself and don't move!
And as always.... ASK if you have questions!
Now... I'm not a breeder or rescue worker like Ashley, but I AM a longtime chinchilla owner. I've had chinchillas for 12 years now. I've owned a total of 12 chinchillas over that span (8 currently). I learned much of the good information I know now from Ashley, and reputable chinchilla forums online, and now I'm a member of multiple groups on social media. I've been around the block as a chinchilla owner, so I feel confident in the advice I give.
One huge myth that is often stated for chinchillas is that they need an hour (or more) of "out of the cage" play time everyday. If you don't think too hard about it, or are an inexperienced chin owner, this sounds like a good idea. It's a great way for them to stretch their legs, interact with their owner, and just have some fun... right? The pet store will probably even tell you to do this. However if you discuss this with breeders, hardly ANY of the reputable ones will advise you to do this. Why? That's a great question...
Let's look at the most obvious reason why first. Look at the chinchilla. what's the most unique feature about your chinchilla? It's that thick soft furry coat it has, right? Now, can you imagine putting on a fur coat, and then being expected to run around for 60 minutes and not get too hot? It doesn't sound like much fun, does it? Overheating happens very often in chinchillas during playtime, and we see this leading to seizures, dehydration or lethargy.
Next, people usually want to do playtime with chinchillas so they can interact with them, which is understandable. But how often do you simply sit on the floor and let your chinchilla run around you? Probably not often. You probably stand up or move around or do something while your chinchilla is out and about. I can't tell you how many times I've heard horror stories of people stepping on their chinchillas during play time, or falling on top of them, or other accidents like this. You think it won't happen to you, but honestly, unless you're sitting on your butt and not moving, there's a chance.
Next, think about the space in which you're doing play time. Do your Chinchillas have a whole room to run? Then I guarantee it... they will find something to chew on. An electrical cord, a wall, carpet, anything. None of these things are safe for chins to eat! "No worries" you say, "I use an exercise pen! It's safe!". Oh yeah? Well, how tall is it? Because mine is 3 ft tall and I have regularly had chinchillas jump to the top. Luckily we don't take our eyes off of them for a second, so when this happens, we react immediately to grab them or tap them to jump back into the pen.
Ok, so you finally believe me. Playtime can be dangerous. So what do you do instead? I interact with mine in the cage! Critter/Ferret nation cages are wonderful, so I can open up both doors to be able to touch, pet, scratch and "play" with my chins in the comfort and safety of their own cage. And they love it! I get more interaction in their cage than I do when/if they are OUT of their cage. Try it, you might be surprised!
If you absolutely still MUST do playtime... please do it as safely as possible. Make sure the temp of the room is LOW so there is no overheating. AC is a MUST in the summer! Keep it short.... only a few minutes. Keep their area small and safe... nothing to chew on. Use an exercise pen with a flat floor surface (no carpet). And if you are inside the area, plant yourself and don't move!
And as always.... ASK if you have questions!
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Grooming
Did you know we offer grooming? We do! It's $5 for a regular (rough) groom, or if you're at a show and want the fancy stuff, $10-15 for a show groom (the average chin gets by just fine with a rough groom).
As you probably already know, as with all advice we offer, the advice is free, including grooming advice! Had someone stop by the other day and they were telling me how they were having a difficult time grooming their chin. Apparently we'd talked about this before, as they had purchased a #3 grooming comb, so they had the right tools, but they made the comment that the comb was sharp (it is) and that the chin didn't like grooming (they typically don't). Since they were here in person and had the chinchilla with them, I asked them if they wanted the chin to be groomed that day, and they said yes.
So actually, it ended up being a learning experience, because they could see me grooming the chin and I could explain some things, while doing them, that might not be so easy to understand just with a description. It's easy to not know how to groom a chin if you've never done it before! For example, they were grooming head to tail -- like you would brush a dog, right? For chins, it's tail to head, which seems backwards to most people... but that's how us oddball chin people groom. Then at the end, you actually hold the comb differently, instead of pointed into the fur, you hold it more like straight down, and brush to get some of the loose fur that's left out. Then the chin gets the front paws set down, hold one ear and the tail, and wiggle the hind end. It sounds funny, but it fluffs them back out. But I guarantee, how you are picturing that last part could very well be way different than how it looks in person... but once you see, it's like oooh ok that's how that's done. So now that they've seen it, they can go home and try to groom again on their own. In the meantime, their chin had a LOT of dead fur come out and is probably much happier...
Had someone else ask about grooming the other day... since it was over the phone, I suggested they watch some youtube videos to get an idea of what it looks like, explained the tail-to-head thing, and for them (for the average person) explained that you're probably fine getting a metal dog flea comb and using that to groom. They're usually not nearly so pointy as the chin combs.
As you probably already know, as with all advice we offer, the advice is free, including grooming advice! Had someone stop by the other day and they were telling me how they were having a difficult time grooming their chin. Apparently we'd talked about this before, as they had purchased a #3 grooming comb, so they had the right tools, but they made the comment that the comb was sharp (it is) and that the chin didn't like grooming (they typically don't). Since they were here in person and had the chinchilla with them, I asked them if they wanted the chin to be groomed that day, and they said yes.
So actually, it ended up being a learning experience, because they could see me grooming the chin and I could explain some things, while doing them, that might not be so easy to understand just with a description. It's easy to not know how to groom a chin if you've never done it before! For example, they were grooming head to tail -- like you would brush a dog, right? For chins, it's tail to head, which seems backwards to most people... but that's how us oddball chin people groom. Then at the end, you actually hold the comb differently, instead of pointed into the fur, you hold it more like straight down, and brush to get some of the loose fur that's left out. Then the chin gets the front paws set down, hold one ear and the tail, and wiggle the hind end. It sounds funny, but it fluffs them back out. But I guarantee, how you are picturing that last part could very well be way different than how it looks in person... but once you see, it's like oooh ok that's how that's done. So now that they've seen it, they can go home and try to groom again on their own. In the meantime, their chin had a LOT of dead fur come out and is probably much happier...
Had someone else ask about grooming the other day... since it was over the phone, I suggested they watch some youtube videos to get an idea of what it looks like, explained the tail-to-head thing, and for them (for the average person) explained that you're probably fine getting a metal dog flea comb and using that to groom. They're usually not nearly so pointy as the chin combs.
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Chicago Pet Show -- Oak Lawn
So... we will be at the Chicago Pet Show -- Oak Lawn this year. This event is May 4th and 5th at the Oak Lawn Pavilion in Oak Lawn, IL.
We hope it's another great event, as always. I'm presenting both days at 12:30 on how you know if chinchillas are the right pet for you, so if you're interested in hearing that chat, make sure you head over to the presentation stage. Of course, myself (and a volunteer or two!) will be happy to talk to you at the booth as well, so don't be shy!
If you do plan to come, make sure you print out this coupon for $1 off admission.
Hey, $1 saved is $1 more you can spend at our booth, am I right? We will of course have some of our adoptable pets there, complete with adoption forms and everything, so should you find the love of your life in one of our pets there, you can take that furball home!
We should be getting a double booth like we had at St. Charles, and if we do, we will again have three whopping tables of goodies for you to take home for your furballs! How awesome, right??
Worth noting -- at these Chicago Pet Show expos, we don't typically bring food / hay / dust (the way we do for the All Animal Expo) -- if you'd like any of this brought there for you (or anything else you might want), feel free to let us know ahead of time, and we will be happy to bring it for you... but you have to let us know!
Also, don't forget... though I realize this expo is a lot closer to home... should you want to ADOPT a chinchilla, like a specific one, we CAN bring that chinchilla to the expo for you (with paid deposit... so they don't just sit around all day and have someone decide to no-show). We actually already have one chinchilla that will be getting picked up at this expo!
We hope it's another great event, as always. I'm presenting both days at 12:30 on how you know if chinchillas are the right pet for you, so if you're interested in hearing that chat, make sure you head over to the presentation stage. Of course, myself (and a volunteer or two!) will be happy to talk to you at the booth as well, so don't be shy!
If you do plan to come, make sure you print out this coupon for $1 off admission.
Hey, $1 saved is $1 more you can spend at our booth, am I right? We will of course have some of our adoptable pets there, complete with adoption forms and everything, so should you find the love of your life in one of our pets there, you can take that furball home!
We should be getting a double booth like we had at St. Charles, and if we do, we will again have three whopping tables of goodies for you to take home for your furballs! How awesome, right??
Worth noting -- at these Chicago Pet Show expos, we don't typically bring food / hay / dust (the way we do for the All Animal Expo) -- if you'd like any of this brought there for you (or anything else you might want), feel free to let us know ahead of time, and we will be happy to bring it for you... but you have to let us know!
Also, don't forget... though I realize this expo is a lot closer to home... should you want to ADOPT a chinchilla, like a specific one, we CAN bring that chinchilla to the expo for you (with paid deposit... so they don't just sit around all day and have someone decide to no-show). We actually already have one chinchilla that will be getting picked up at this expo!
Friday, April 19, 2019
Sorting Herbs
You may not have known this... but we sort through all our rosehips (and other herbs) for all of our customers. Anything "bad" comes out, so only the best makes it to you.
This started years ago when we sent out an order to someone, who then posted on one of the facebook groups, a "review" (which they had done with other vendors before, but I hadn't made the connection). Their review was positive, so nothing bad... the one part that caught my attention was for a few of the herbs, they made the comment that there were a few pieces that were somewhat discolored or a little off, and though those were probably fine regardless, they removed those.
Those would have been hawthorn berries. They are small red/maroon berries, that notoriously seem to somehow end up different colors, the most common being turning more whiteish / creamy-ish. Not mold, mind you, that's just the color some of them turn. Why just a few, here and there, I have no idea. But they do. And every batch of them has a couple that are off-colored. If the outer layer comes off the berry, they are cream-colored inside. So now, when packing up hawthorn berries, I make sure to eyeball them. Not saying some crappy ones never get through, but rest assured, we got out the worst ones (which my animals enjoy thoroughly... cause they really are just fine).
The other day, there were some brown-ish rosebuds in our package of rosebuds. They looked, well... overdone. Like someone left them in the dehydrator a bit too long and they got crispy and burnt. So those were removed.
The latest thing, though, is that our last like... 20 pounds... of rosehips have been, well... disappointing. We've been buying them as "whole organic rosebuds," and at least 1/3 (if not more) of each pound has been pieces. As WE are selling whole organic rosebuds, not organic rosebud pieces (at least in the current listing), it shouldn't surprise you that we are sorting these, and have been for quite some time. Officially we are done sorting these, and hopefully the batches from a different supplier (which we have here, but haven't needed to open yet) will be better. In the meantime... we have a lot of these pieces. Some we've already sold off, but we still have a lot of it left.
We've decided to call them rosehip nibbles! We now have a bunch of these for sale, in 3 oz quantities, for $4. You actually get more of 3 oz of nibbles than 3 oz of whole rosehips, due to them missing the weight of the seeds!
In the second pic, you can see the 3 oz bag of whole rosehips on the left, and the 3 oz bag of rosehip nibbles on the right. We have added these to the webstore, $4 for 3 oz. -- https://www.nwichinchillas.com/apps/webstore/products/show/7977833
While supplies last, of course. Hopefully the new supplier will have more of the whole rosehips (we used to get a few broken ones... but not like this...)... or else this may be an item that stays around forever.
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Phone Calls -- Never Cease to Amaze
Phone call today:
Me: Hello
Them: Hello. Do you get in stray dogs?
Me: No, sorry, we just take in small animals.
Them: Hello?
Me: Yes?
Them: So you have small animals that can be adopted?
Me: Yes, chinchillas and guinea pigs.
Them: So no dogs?
Me: No, sorry, just the small animals
........................
I swear...
Me: Hello
Them: Hello. Do you get in stray dogs?
Me: No, sorry, we just take in small animals.
Them: Hello?
Me: Yes?
Them: So you have small animals that can be adopted?
Me: Yes, chinchillas and guinea pigs.
Them: So no dogs?
Me: No, sorry, just the small animals
........................
I swear...
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Holiday Toys! And Ornaments!
So... if you peruse the webstore with any regularity, you may have noticed there's been some new additions.
The first things that were added, maybe a few weeks ago now, were the stamped ornaments ($3 each). These:
I came up with creative names for these... the first being "Do you want to build a snowman?".... the second, "Grandma got run over by a Chin-deer," and the third, I asked one of my friends (and guest blog author, Chris), for suggestions. She came up with "Walking in a winter Chin-derland." Yes, we all need lives.
...but before she came up with that suggestion, she said... "you do know it's March, right?"
Yes, for sure. But... we have a lot of stuff that's sat around for awhile, waiting to be listed, and I will get it all listed eventually! And hey, who knows when you might want to order something like one of these, right?
Also, we have two holiday chew toys that have been around this year, but just now listed as of the other day...
... aren't they adorable?? The snowman is 8-9" long and the tree is 6-7" long, and either is $6. We originally were hoping to have "buttons" on the snowman, but tried that, and... well... nothing sticks to loofah, even with glue.
So now, all of those items are available in our webstore...
But one more thing I wanted to mention... you may have noticed we are currently running a sale on some of our hammocks... you may also have noticed we seem to have an awful lot of holiday prints... but only for Christmas. Seems like Halloween fleece, or Thanksgiving fleece, and whatnot, doesn't exist, but Christmas fleece OMG they have everything. So... it may have gotten a little overboard. So... between that, and the fact that we anticipate having these ornaments / toys / etc available year round (hey, your chin likes the cold... why not a snowman?), we are anticipating having a Christmas in July sale which will have for sale all our holiday items, like the holiday-themed hammocks, the holiday toys, ornaments (we have even MORE not listed), and so on. You can stock up in July... and be ready for December early! So, definitely check back in July for that sale!
The first things that were added, maybe a few weeks ago now, were the stamped ornaments ($3 each). These:
I came up with creative names for these... the first being "Do you want to build a snowman?".... the second, "Grandma got run over by a Chin-deer," and the third, I asked one of my friends (and guest blog author, Chris), for suggestions. She came up with "Walking in a winter Chin-derland." Yes, we all need lives.
...but before she came up with that suggestion, she said... "you do know it's March, right?"
Yes, for sure. But... we have a lot of stuff that's sat around for awhile, waiting to be listed, and I will get it all listed eventually! And hey, who knows when you might want to order something like one of these, right?
Also, we have two holiday chew toys that have been around this year, but just now listed as of the other day...
... aren't they adorable?? The snowman is 8-9" long and the tree is 6-7" long, and either is $6. We originally were hoping to have "buttons" on the snowman, but tried that, and... well... nothing sticks to loofah, even with glue.
So now, all of those items are available in our webstore...
But one more thing I wanted to mention... you may have noticed we are currently running a sale on some of our hammocks... you may also have noticed we seem to have an awful lot of holiday prints... but only for Christmas. Seems like Halloween fleece, or Thanksgiving fleece, and whatnot, doesn't exist, but Christmas fleece OMG they have everything. So... it may have gotten a little overboard. So... between that, and the fact that we anticipate having these ornaments / toys / etc available year round (hey, your chin likes the cold... why not a snowman?), we are anticipating having a Christmas in July sale which will have for sale all our holiday items, like the holiday-themed hammocks, the holiday toys, ornaments (we have even MORE not listed), and so on. You can stock up in July... and be ready for December early! So, definitely check back in July for that sale!
Friday, April 12, 2019
Things That Make Me Happy
Sometimes it's the little things. Do I whine a lot? Yes. Are there stupid adopters? Yes. But am I also usually in a decent mood? Yes.
I suppose, if I have to tell you, I'm actually a reasonable person like everyone else, you probably wouldn't believe it, but there are a lot of happy / good moments interspersed between the stupid and annoying ones. But... when there's a great adoption that goes off with a hitch, I can often sum that up in a sentence or two, versus the idiots, well, as you know, I can write a book.
But anyway, I wanted to tell you that often the good moments, aside from adoptions and whatnot are actually little things. People donating little amounts. Don't get me wrong, $100 is great... but also few and far between. People donating $0.25 is more likely, and would add up, if everyone did it. So believe me that I am sincere, when I tell you thank you for your (little) donation. I do mean it.
The other night, the good moment didn't involve anyone but myself... it was already after midnight, and I'd already over-ridden the timer once downstairs. If you don't know, the lights are on a timer downstairs and go on in the morning, and off at night. I don't know exactly what time, but after 10 pm for the evening turnoff. So I'd already had to turn the lights back on (which I'd rather not do... can upset the chins which are used to the schedule) to keep working down there, and then went back up, and told myself, not going back down. When I was upstairs, I looked at my to-do list, and the one thing on there was to list two toys (another post coming about that). The one was already made and I have a pic of, but the other I had just sold the last of. Even though it was more a holiday toy, I wanted to have it listed on the website, so I wanted to make one so I could take a picture and list it. The day before, I had dyed some wood for the dyed part of the toy, and that day, it was dry, so I knew if I went downstairs again, I could assemble the toy and get a picture (and then, go upstairs and list it). So, I said ok I'll go down again, turn on the lights again, just for that toy.
So as I'd opened the door from the house to the hallway that goes to the basement, I heard sounds like there was an animal there. Oh, forgot to mention... there was a chin that was loose from the previous night, that I hadn't seen all day that day. Turned on the light, the chin was at the top of the basement stairs! (Oddly enough, this is super common... why they go up there, I don't know, but they like to go to the top of the stairs) The noise was from her hopping around on the top step. I caught the chin and put her away.
I did end up going down and assembling that toy. But what was so awesome was that, had I decided to not make that toy, I wouldn't have caught that chin, at least, not right then. And let me tell you, it's a lot easier to catch them when they're on the top step then loose in the basement. Right place, right time, to decide to go down and make that toy. So that was my happy moment for the day, and I wanted to share with you all.
I suppose, if I have to tell you, I'm actually a reasonable person like everyone else, you probably wouldn't believe it, but there are a lot of happy / good moments interspersed between the stupid and annoying ones. But... when there's a great adoption that goes off with a hitch, I can often sum that up in a sentence or two, versus the idiots, well, as you know, I can write a book.
But anyway, I wanted to tell you that often the good moments, aside from adoptions and whatnot are actually little things. People donating little amounts. Don't get me wrong, $100 is great... but also few and far between. People donating $0.25 is more likely, and would add up, if everyone did it. So believe me that I am sincere, when I tell you thank you for your (little) donation. I do mean it.
The other night, the good moment didn't involve anyone but myself... it was already after midnight, and I'd already over-ridden the timer once downstairs. If you don't know, the lights are on a timer downstairs and go on in the morning, and off at night. I don't know exactly what time, but after 10 pm for the evening turnoff. So I'd already had to turn the lights back on (which I'd rather not do... can upset the chins which are used to the schedule) to keep working down there, and then went back up, and told myself, not going back down. When I was upstairs, I looked at my to-do list, and the one thing on there was to list two toys (another post coming about that). The one was already made and I have a pic of, but the other I had just sold the last of. Even though it was more a holiday toy, I wanted to have it listed on the website, so I wanted to make one so I could take a picture and list it. The day before, I had dyed some wood for the dyed part of the toy, and that day, it was dry, so I knew if I went downstairs again, I could assemble the toy and get a picture (and then, go upstairs and list it). So, I said ok I'll go down again, turn on the lights again, just for that toy.
So as I'd opened the door from the house to the hallway that goes to the basement, I heard sounds like there was an animal there. Oh, forgot to mention... there was a chin that was loose from the previous night, that I hadn't seen all day that day. Turned on the light, the chin was at the top of the basement stairs! (Oddly enough, this is super common... why they go up there, I don't know, but they like to go to the top of the stairs) The noise was from her hopping around on the top step. I caught the chin and put her away.
I did end up going down and assembling that toy. But what was so awesome was that, had I decided to not make that toy, I wouldn't have caught that chin, at least, not right then. And let me tell you, it's a lot easier to catch them when they're on the top step then loose in the basement. Right place, right time, to decide to go down and make that toy. So that was my happy moment for the day, and I wanted to share with you all.
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Addition to Previous Post
Sort of an Update / Addition to the previous post about making appointments in the future... some people can't even keep next-day appointments.
Yesterday, someone scheduled an appointment for 10 am, today. Before I even saw it, they requested that the appointment be changed to 11 pm. For some reason, I have to approve appointment changes, though not appointments. I went in there, approved the change from 10-11. I actually had something in mind that I was going to do today, but then I saw that appointment and I was like oh well that's ok, someone set up an appointment. But, had there not been an appointment, I would have gone and done something, away from the house.
I suppose you know I'm writing this because they never showed. For a next-day appointment that they even adjusted the time for!
While some people do keep appointments for the far-away-future, and in reality, not that many people are no-shows... this sort of thing only convinces me further to not schedule way-out appointments. I suppose, though, regardless of when the appointments are, some people will be flaky regardless... oh well...
Yesterday, someone scheduled an appointment for 10 am, today. Before I even saw it, they requested that the appointment be changed to 11 pm. For some reason, I have to approve appointment changes, though not appointments. I went in there, approved the change from 10-11. I actually had something in mind that I was going to do today, but then I saw that appointment and I was like oh well that's ok, someone set up an appointment. But, had there not been an appointment, I would have gone and done something, away from the house.
I suppose you know I'm writing this because they never showed. For a next-day appointment that they even adjusted the time for!
While some people do keep appointments for the far-away-future, and in reality, not that many people are no-shows... this sort of thing only convinces me further to not schedule way-out appointments. I suppose, though, regardless of when the appointments are, some people will be flaky regardless... oh well...
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Scheduling Appointments... in the Future
So, this has come up, from time to time again, so I feel like writing about it really quick. We get a lot of people who want to set an appointment for way in the future... often a month or two (or more!) from when they are contacting us. For the most part, unless I somehow know 100% that I will be available that day (which is unlikely), I rarely book these sort of far-out appointments. Usually, I tell people, contact me closer to the date when they want to make the appointment, and then we will book it. No one's ever happy with this, of course, but then, I'm rarely happy when I've booked appointments that far out either.
Let me explain.
First, I rarely know what I'm doing that far in the future. What has prompted this blog post is that someone booked an appointment for tonight, 4/6, back on March 12 (3/12). I suppose that you can guess, I'm not writing about this because it was a great time... rather, they didn't show. Now, what prompted me to book this appointment, today, was that I already knew that we would be at the AAE today, and they wanted an appointment here, at the rescue, after the AAE. Well, I know that I don't go around and do anything after the expos, as they are tiring, so I knew I would be home after the expo. So, I booked the appointment.
That ^ is unusual though. There's a chin show coming up in like two weeks that I cannot make my mind up as far as whether or not I should be going to. The same weekend is an expo, that if I want to go, I better hurry it up and register for. I haven't yet decided yet which (if either?) I'm going to, but one would put me locally, maybe an hour away, and the other would put me on the east coast, I think North Carolina. I'm sure you can see why it would be hard to plan for that weekend at the moment. Even a few weeks ago, for MCBA Nationals, I hemmed and hawed about whether I was going or not, up until like a few days before the show. What finally made up the decision for me was that I had people wanting to come by and adopt on that weekend (versus... I would not be bringing animals to sell at the show), so I stayed home.
Obviously not every weekend is such a big deal as far as stay home, or go, or whatever. But especially planning a few weeks out can be difficult, as sometimes plans aren't fully figured out. There's another weekend coming up in May... Saturday is the Ohio Chapter Show / Field Day. As some of you may know, I'm Secretary / Treasurer of the Ohio Chapter MCBA, so besides the fact that I really should be there for that, I would like to show. So, that's Saturday. Sunday is the AAE show where they have the kangaroos. If the one past expo with the bear cubs was any indication, we also really should be at the one with the kangaroos (as the bears weekend was an awesome weekend for sales). I've talked with I don't know how many people about how to manage to be at both, drag the dogs around, drag the stuff around, pack the van early, etc etc etc. Have a vendor table vs. don't have a vendor table (at the show), etc etc etc. I will have to figure that out, prior to the weekend, but one thing that will play into account... the chins are getting adopted really well right now. Should that show come around and I have very few chins to bring to the AAE... will we go? Maybe, maybe not. But... I won't know that until a lot closer to the show, and that's the 5/19 show... so over a month away. Will adoptions continue how they are? Will they taper off? I don't know, no one does. Time will tell.
And of course, the other thing that always makes me iffy about scheduling appointments so far out... is no-show. Some people somehow manage to not show up to appointments made the next day, much less a month or so out. Some do show up to long-scheduled appointments, don't get me wrong, but many don't, and then, like today, I sat around waiting for this person to show... and they never did. With that much time, it's easy to forget there's an appointment, and unfortunately, there's not enough hours in the day for me to contact everyone and remind them of their appointments, so if someone doesn't write it down or recall (on their own) that they have an appointment, nothing I can really do.... but I can avoid scheduling appointments way out in the future.
This is also why, if you've checked out our scheduling software at all -- here -- you may have noticed that there's rarely the ability to book an appointment more than a few days / week in the future. Same thing. I set available times for days, sometimes only a few days in advance... so the appointment stays fresh in everyone's mind.
Let me explain.
First, I rarely know what I'm doing that far in the future. What has prompted this blog post is that someone booked an appointment for tonight, 4/6, back on March 12 (3/12). I suppose that you can guess, I'm not writing about this because it was a great time... rather, they didn't show. Now, what prompted me to book this appointment, today, was that I already knew that we would be at the AAE today, and they wanted an appointment here, at the rescue, after the AAE. Well, I know that I don't go around and do anything after the expos, as they are tiring, so I knew I would be home after the expo. So, I booked the appointment.
That ^ is unusual though. There's a chin show coming up in like two weeks that I cannot make my mind up as far as whether or not I should be going to. The same weekend is an expo, that if I want to go, I better hurry it up and register for. I haven't yet decided yet which (if either?) I'm going to, but one would put me locally, maybe an hour away, and the other would put me on the east coast, I think North Carolina. I'm sure you can see why it would be hard to plan for that weekend at the moment. Even a few weeks ago, for MCBA Nationals, I hemmed and hawed about whether I was going or not, up until like a few days before the show. What finally made up the decision for me was that I had people wanting to come by and adopt on that weekend (versus... I would not be bringing animals to sell at the show), so I stayed home.
Obviously not every weekend is such a big deal as far as stay home, or go, or whatever. But especially planning a few weeks out can be difficult, as sometimes plans aren't fully figured out. There's another weekend coming up in May... Saturday is the Ohio Chapter Show / Field Day. As some of you may know, I'm Secretary / Treasurer of the Ohio Chapter MCBA, so besides the fact that I really should be there for that, I would like to show. So, that's Saturday. Sunday is the AAE show where they have the kangaroos. If the one past expo with the bear cubs was any indication, we also really should be at the one with the kangaroos (as the bears weekend was an awesome weekend for sales). I've talked with I don't know how many people about how to manage to be at both, drag the dogs around, drag the stuff around, pack the van early, etc etc etc. Have a vendor table vs. don't have a vendor table (at the show), etc etc etc. I will have to figure that out, prior to the weekend, but one thing that will play into account... the chins are getting adopted really well right now. Should that show come around and I have very few chins to bring to the AAE... will we go? Maybe, maybe not. But... I won't know that until a lot closer to the show, and that's the 5/19 show... so over a month away. Will adoptions continue how they are? Will they taper off? I don't know, no one does. Time will tell.
And of course, the other thing that always makes me iffy about scheduling appointments so far out... is no-show. Some people somehow manage to not show up to appointments made the next day, much less a month or so out. Some do show up to long-scheduled appointments, don't get me wrong, but many don't, and then, like today, I sat around waiting for this person to show... and they never did. With that much time, it's easy to forget there's an appointment, and unfortunately, there's not enough hours in the day for me to contact everyone and remind them of their appointments, so if someone doesn't write it down or recall (on their own) that they have an appointment, nothing I can really do.... but I can avoid scheduling appointments way out in the future.
This is also why, if you've checked out our scheduling software at all -- here -- you may have noticed that there's rarely the ability to book an appointment more than a few days / week in the future. Same thing. I set available times for days, sometimes only a few days in advance... so the appointment stays fresh in everyone's mind.
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Overstock Adoption Inquiries
I think I told you, the other day, about how it's rare to get a good lead on a potential adopter through those overstock pet listings (which if you recall, I don't list, but must somehow pull our listings from another site).
As I mentioned, most people are either too far away, or don't respond, or I get weird responses or whatnot... or like that fake response that I got the other day that I posted about. This one was also too good to not share with you all:
Now, that zip code is Florida, so it is a real zip code, unlike the last one, but in case you missed it, let me draw your attention to the comment they wrote:
"I don't have money."
Then... you won't be adopting? Something like this, I won't even bother responding to. If you read these blogs with any regularity, you know my take on all of this -- I don't think anyone has to be rich to own a pet, but you do at least have to have money for necessities and possibly vet bills... but if you say you don't have money... well... you don't need a pet. Sorry. Why even fill this out?
As I mentioned, most people are either too far away, or don't respond, or I get weird responses or whatnot... or like that fake response that I got the other day that I posted about. This one was also too good to not share with you all:
Now, that zip code is Florida, so it is a real zip code, unlike the last one, but in case you missed it, let me draw your attention to the comment they wrote:
"I don't have money."
Then... you won't be adopting? Something like this, I won't even bother responding to. If you read these blogs with any regularity, you know my take on all of this -- I don't think anyone has to be rich to own a pet, but you do at least have to have money for necessities and possibly vet bills... but if you say you don't have money... well... you don't need a pet. Sorry. Why even fill this out?
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Fake Inquiries
Yes, we really do get these! Most aren't all that obvious, until they start asking really weird questions, like can they eat the chins? Can they pelt them? Can their snake eat them when the get tired of them? Oddball stuff.
But this one that I received was actually kind of amusing, so I wanted to share. Here's a screenshot of the email:
Now... I routinely get these adoption inquiries from overstock.com... where, I should note... I DO NOT POST MY ANIMALS. Somehow that website must grab listings from other websites and post them to there as well... and while that sounds great, almost no adoptions come from it. Mostly because people are far away. So, as a result, the first thing I do when I receive one of those overstock.com adoption inquiries is type in the zip code and see where they're located. If it's like east coast or west coast or whatever, I might as well just ignore it.
So note, this one has the zip code, 01234. Whether or not you know anything about zip codes, let me tell you, there really are some zip codes that start with 0. They're pretty much all on the east coast. But I figured, I would look it up and see exactly where.
... ok.. no. So then I look at the rest of the listing. Look at the phone number... (123) 456-7890. Also look at the name -- Jane Doe. So it's all fake... but look, they did put down that they have 8 birds and one cat in the house!
So... what exactly is the point of this? I suppose if I'd looked at the entire thing, top to bottom, initially, it would have been more clear that it was fake to start with... but why even take the time to write all that out... like other than to waste someone's time? Just don't get it I guess... ah well...
But this one that I received was actually kind of amusing, so I wanted to share. Here's a screenshot of the email:
Now... I routinely get these adoption inquiries from overstock.com... where, I should note... I DO NOT POST MY ANIMALS. Somehow that website must grab listings from other websites and post them to there as well... and while that sounds great, almost no adoptions come from it. Mostly because people are far away. So, as a result, the first thing I do when I receive one of those overstock.com adoption inquiries is type in the zip code and see where they're located. If it's like east coast or west coast or whatever, I might as well just ignore it.
So note, this one has the zip code, 01234. Whether or not you know anything about zip codes, let me tell you, there really are some zip codes that start with 0. They're pretty much all on the east coast. But I figured, I would look it up and see exactly where.
... ok.. no. So then I look at the rest of the listing. Look at the phone number... (123) 456-7890. Also look at the name -- Jane Doe. So it's all fake... but look, they did put down that they have 8 birds and one cat in the house!
So... what exactly is the point of this? I suppose if I'd looked at the entire thing, top to bottom, initially, it would have been more clear that it was fake to start with... but why even take the time to write all that out... like other than to waste someone's time? Just don't get it I guess... ah well...
Friday, March 29, 2019
Adoption Time Frame
One thing I get asked a lot is how long adoptions take. Do they submit the form and hear back in a day? A week? Can they do it in person?
For chinchillas and guinea pigs, I will usually let the people do the adoption forms in person, though for other animals I'd prefer the forms be filled out ahead of time. Mainly because, let's say for a hedgehog, while I understand how to care for them and whatnot, if someone really doesn't, I don't know all the info off the top of my head to lecture. For chins, what temps should they be below? 74, preferably lower, got it. For hedgies... uh... they need it warmer. I can guarantee you, in my care packet, there IS a temperature range, I just don't know it verbatim. And what I don't want to happen is for someone to get here, tell me, "I know nothing about hedgies, educate me!" (which, by the way, happens ALL the time with chins), and then I need to share all the useful info. Plus, if I'm honest... I feel like people should do some of this research ahead of time.
Sometimes that works out, sometimes not. I had someone call the other day, asking if we still had the hedgie, and I told them yes, we do, and then they asked if they could come over and see him, that day. I told them, they could, but first, we had a care packet they'd need to look over and an adoption form to fill out, since this is a rescue. They said that's fine, I wrote down their email, we talked about making sure they checked their junk folder for the email... and I immediately went upstairs and sent them the docs. Never heard back. Could I have adopted out that hedgie that day? Possibly... but chances are, I would have had to help that person, every question of the way, with the adoption form... and again, with the more exotic animals like the hedgies, I'd prefer that people read the care packet and fill out the form PRIOR to getting here, so... guess that one didn't work out.
But I actually didn't write this post to yap about that specifically (it just worked it's way in), but it's a good example, because I told them, if they submitted the form that same day, I would look at it, and provided everything looked good, they could come over and adopt, that same day.
Sometimes it's fine to wait, sometimes not. I always tell people, I don't hold the animals without a deposit, so if people dilly dally too long, someone else may scoop one up. With the guinea pigs recently, I had someone message me, asking about single guinea pigs that could be adopted. We had two single females. So we went back and forth on emails over a couple of days, sending pics, ages, whatnot... until we got to where I linked them to the guinea pig care packet and adoption form. Let's say I emailed them to that on Monday. In that email, I told them, when they fill out the adoption form to let me know, so I am sure to go look at the completed doc. The following Monday (a week later), I received a "Will do!" email back from them.
Sounds good, only thing is that that on Sunday, the first of the single guinea pigs had found a home, and that Monday (got the email in the morning), I had someone coming later that day to see the second single guinea pig. If they ended up adopting, that meant there were no more singles for this person. I mention this, because sometimes waiting a week would be perfectly fine. The previous person who was interested in some of these guinea pigs had originally told me, oh they'd have their payment in a few days, yadda yadda... in the meantime, no one else was inquiring, so it didn't matter... I never did hear back. But the point is, it was maybe 2-3 weeks where there was no interest... and then this one person emailed asking about single guinea pigs, and pics and whatnot... then I had the two more (the one that adopted, and the one that was coming the following day) both send adoption forms in the same day. You just never know. For both of those people actually, they sent in adoption forms, I emailed / called them... for the first one, she came the next day, the second one came the day after. So, sometimes it really is that quick.
This is why I also tell people about the deposits. Believe me, it's not because I'm dying to send out invoices or take people's card info down over the phone (because there's at least a chance I'm paid in cash in person)... but rather, I can't guarantee any of this. I can tell you, if you call me up and say, ok, I submitted a form... I can, more likely than not, go look at it within a couple of minutes or even a couple of hours, if I'm in the middle of something. And if it looks fine, you may be able to come by the same day. And that's why I mention the deposits... some people will yap in emails for weeks on end, and that's fine... just... the chin (or other critter) isn't on hold, and in the meantime, it may be just that quick *snaps* for someone to adopt it.
If you're reading this and thinking, well, that sounds like selling out from under the one person, let me share with you -- I have my fair share... let's say at least 40-50% if not higher, of people who will send emails after emails after emails (or even phone calls), and then *poof* vanish. Like, I don't get an email that says they changed their mind, or anything, just *poof* gone. People without deposits, obviously. Knowing how frequently this happens, if someone says they want to come, in person, and look at the animals, and possibly adopt... and they physically show up and are here, are approved, and want to adopt, you bet they get to take an animal home!
I've tried to be... I don't know exactly what word I want to use for it... more lenient, more understanding... whatnot. But I can't tell you the number of times I have told someone who is physically here, "oh, someone online is getting back to me about that one." And sometimes that person does... but more often than not, I never hear back, and then the animal that could have found a home is still here. Go figure. So, now, if there is a good home in front of me, they trump someone who is just "asking about" the animal online. At the end of the day, that's the only way the animals find homes. That's all for today!
For chinchillas and guinea pigs, I will usually let the people do the adoption forms in person, though for other animals I'd prefer the forms be filled out ahead of time. Mainly because, let's say for a hedgehog, while I understand how to care for them and whatnot, if someone really doesn't, I don't know all the info off the top of my head to lecture. For chins, what temps should they be below? 74, preferably lower, got it. For hedgies... uh... they need it warmer. I can guarantee you, in my care packet, there IS a temperature range, I just don't know it verbatim. And what I don't want to happen is for someone to get here, tell me, "I know nothing about hedgies, educate me!" (which, by the way, happens ALL the time with chins), and then I need to share all the useful info. Plus, if I'm honest... I feel like people should do some of this research ahead of time.
Sometimes that works out, sometimes not. I had someone call the other day, asking if we still had the hedgie, and I told them yes, we do, and then they asked if they could come over and see him, that day. I told them, they could, but first, we had a care packet they'd need to look over and an adoption form to fill out, since this is a rescue. They said that's fine, I wrote down their email, we talked about making sure they checked their junk folder for the email... and I immediately went upstairs and sent them the docs. Never heard back. Could I have adopted out that hedgie that day? Possibly... but chances are, I would have had to help that person, every question of the way, with the adoption form... and again, with the more exotic animals like the hedgies, I'd prefer that people read the care packet and fill out the form PRIOR to getting here, so... guess that one didn't work out.
But I actually didn't write this post to yap about that specifically (it just worked it's way in), but it's a good example, because I told them, if they submitted the form that same day, I would look at it, and provided everything looked good, they could come over and adopt, that same day.
Sometimes it's fine to wait, sometimes not. I always tell people, I don't hold the animals without a deposit, so if people dilly dally too long, someone else may scoop one up. With the guinea pigs recently, I had someone message me, asking about single guinea pigs that could be adopted. We had two single females. So we went back and forth on emails over a couple of days, sending pics, ages, whatnot... until we got to where I linked them to the guinea pig care packet and adoption form. Let's say I emailed them to that on Monday. In that email, I told them, when they fill out the adoption form to let me know, so I am sure to go look at the completed doc. The following Monday (a week later), I received a "Will do!" email back from them.
Sounds good, only thing is that that on Sunday, the first of the single guinea pigs had found a home, and that Monday (got the email in the morning), I had someone coming later that day to see the second single guinea pig. If they ended up adopting, that meant there were no more singles for this person. I mention this, because sometimes waiting a week would be perfectly fine. The previous person who was interested in some of these guinea pigs had originally told me, oh they'd have their payment in a few days, yadda yadda... in the meantime, no one else was inquiring, so it didn't matter... I never did hear back. But the point is, it was maybe 2-3 weeks where there was no interest... and then this one person emailed asking about single guinea pigs, and pics and whatnot... then I had the two more (the one that adopted, and the one that was coming the following day) both send adoption forms in the same day. You just never know. For both of those people actually, they sent in adoption forms, I emailed / called them... for the first one, she came the next day, the second one came the day after. So, sometimes it really is that quick.
This is why I also tell people about the deposits. Believe me, it's not because I'm dying to send out invoices or take people's card info down over the phone (because there's at least a chance I'm paid in cash in person)... but rather, I can't guarantee any of this. I can tell you, if you call me up and say, ok, I submitted a form... I can, more likely than not, go look at it within a couple of minutes or even a couple of hours, if I'm in the middle of something. And if it looks fine, you may be able to come by the same day. And that's why I mention the deposits... some people will yap in emails for weeks on end, and that's fine... just... the chin (or other critter) isn't on hold, and in the meantime, it may be just that quick *snaps* for someone to adopt it.
If you're reading this and thinking, well, that sounds like selling out from under the one person, let me share with you -- I have my fair share... let's say at least 40-50% if not higher, of people who will send emails after emails after emails (or even phone calls), and then *poof* vanish. Like, I don't get an email that says they changed their mind, or anything, just *poof* gone. People without deposits, obviously. Knowing how frequently this happens, if someone says they want to come, in person, and look at the animals, and possibly adopt... and they physically show up and are here, are approved, and want to adopt, you bet they get to take an animal home!
I've tried to be... I don't know exactly what word I want to use for it... more lenient, more understanding... whatnot. But I can't tell you the number of times I have told someone who is physically here, "oh, someone online is getting back to me about that one." And sometimes that person does... but more often than not, I never hear back, and then the animal that could have found a home is still here. Go figure. So, now, if there is a good home in front of me, they trump someone who is just "asking about" the animal online. At the end of the day, that's the only way the animals find homes. That's all for today!
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Guest Writer - Chinchilla food
Hello again from NWI volunteer Chris!
I'm writing today to talk to you about chinchilla food! Feeding your chinchilla quality pellets is one of the best things that you can do for your pet. It's also one of the things that is the most confusing for new owners!
It can be so intimidating to walk into the pet store and see soooo many different bags of food! You want to trust that anything with a picture of a chinchilla on it is safe for chinchillas, right? Unfortunately...wrong!
If you look closely at these bags, many of them have "extras" mixed in with the brown pellets, like seeds, nuts, or dried fruits. These things are not good for chinchillas, even though they like them! I like to compare these types of food to "Lucky Charms" cereal. Isn't it much healthier to feed kids "Cheerios", without all those extra sweets?? The same idea applies to chinchillas.
"But all my chinchilla will eat is the food with treats! So I HAVE to give it to him!" No, you do not. YOU are the owner, YOU are in charge, not the chinchilla. If a human toddler only wants to eat candy, do you submit to them and only give them candy? No of course not! You give them healthy food and know that they won't starve themselves, eventually they will eat the healthy food. Chinchillas are the same way.
"What are the best foods?" Your best bet as a pet owner are Oxbow Essentials, Mazuri, and Tradition (a.k.a. Hubbard Life). Oxbow Essentials and Mazuri are commonly found in pet stores, though a little pricey! Many well-known breeders (such as NWI!) feed Tradition to their own herd, and lucky for you, sell it as well! Since breeders purchase in bulk, the prices you pay buying from them is often FAR cheaper than pet stores! Yay!! Cheaper, and healthier... Why WOULDN'T you go that route?!
I'm writing today to talk to you about chinchilla food! Feeding your chinchilla quality pellets is one of the best things that you can do for your pet. It's also one of the things that is the most confusing for new owners!
It can be so intimidating to walk into the pet store and see soooo many different bags of food! You want to trust that anything with a picture of a chinchilla on it is safe for chinchillas, right? Unfortunately...wrong!
If you look closely at these bags, many of them have "extras" mixed in with the brown pellets, like seeds, nuts, or dried fruits. These things are not good for chinchillas, even though they like them! I like to compare these types of food to "Lucky Charms" cereal. Isn't it much healthier to feed kids "Cheerios", without all those extra sweets?? The same idea applies to chinchillas.
"But all my chinchilla will eat is the food with treats! So I HAVE to give it to him!" No, you do not. YOU are the owner, YOU are in charge, not the chinchilla. If a human toddler only wants to eat candy, do you submit to them and only give them candy? No of course not! You give them healthy food and know that they won't starve themselves, eventually they will eat the healthy food. Chinchillas are the same way.
"What are the best foods?" Your best bet as a pet owner are Oxbow Essentials, Mazuri, and Tradition (a.k.a. Hubbard Life). Oxbow Essentials and Mazuri are commonly found in pet stores, though a little pricey! Many well-known breeders (such as NWI!) feed Tradition to their own herd, and lucky for you, sell it as well! Since breeders purchase in bulk, the prices you pay buying from them is often FAR cheaper than pet stores! Yay!! Cheaper, and healthier... Why WOULDN'T you go that route?!
Monday, March 25, 2019
Adoption Fees
You may or may not have seen this... but I did... so I will share with you... on our facebook posting for Snowflake, the hedgehog, someone commented, "I might consider adopting the hedgehog assuming you would give me $100 for taking it off your hands."
My response was, "Pretty sure adoptions work the other way around... the adopter pays the adoption fee. Why would we pay for someone to adopt?"
Which brings me to a quick chat that we can have about adoption fees. Adoption fees exist for a reason. While the animals are here, they cost money. Whether that's food, water, dust, bedding, vet bills, and so on, it all adds up. Sure, for some animals, there's less cost than others, but then you watch another animal come in that will cost 10x more than all the rest, due to needing to go to the vet, or take special meds, or a special diet, or whatnot. So, the money gained from adoption fees that don't go right back into that animal, go into the one that needs more. Or, go into paying the bills, or that kind of thing.
If you have ever talked to me, or read the posts about, those "clear the shelter" days, you know that I feel strongly against those kinds of things. If you're unfamiliar, those are where the big humane society-type shelters waive adoption fees for a day and the animals are free to adopt. Yes, the people still have to fill out the paperwork and whatnot... but my worry is always... for the people who either (1) thought $60 was too much to adopt a dog, or (2) couldn't afford $60 to adopt a dog... is it GOOD that these people get a free dog? Can they afford vet care? Can they afford BASIC needs for the dog? A bag of decent dog food is like $30+. So, at least here, there will never be "clear the shelter" days, or, for that matter, PAYING anyone to adopt.
I suppose I can sort of vaguely understand the concept where someone might pay to get an animal out of rescue. Not specifically paying, necessarily, but like... if we have a really health compromised animal that's unlikely to get adopted, we try to get it into a foster home. There, they'll get more attention, more of a "home environment," and whatnot. And in a sense, we are "paying" for it to leave... we provide the fosters with the cages, food, treats, bedding, whatever they need... but... BUT... we are only providing what we would use ourselves... we're not giving them a money incentive, on top of that, to take the chin. So...no, sorry, not ever paying anyone to adopt.
At the end of the day, money has to come in to keep the rescue running. No money, no rescue. Pretty sure that's how everything works in life, right? Money makes the world go around. And on top of that... if I was so dying to have the animals leave that I would pay people to take them... I wouldn't be taking them in, in the first place. That is all.
My response was, "Pretty sure adoptions work the other way around... the adopter pays the adoption fee. Why would we pay for someone to adopt?"
Which brings me to a quick chat that we can have about adoption fees. Adoption fees exist for a reason. While the animals are here, they cost money. Whether that's food, water, dust, bedding, vet bills, and so on, it all adds up. Sure, for some animals, there's less cost than others, but then you watch another animal come in that will cost 10x more than all the rest, due to needing to go to the vet, or take special meds, or a special diet, or whatnot. So, the money gained from adoption fees that don't go right back into that animal, go into the one that needs more. Or, go into paying the bills, or that kind of thing.
If you have ever talked to me, or read the posts about, those "clear the shelter" days, you know that I feel strongly against those kinds of things. If you're unfamiliar, those are where the big humane society-type shelters waive adoption fees for a day and the animals are free to adopt. Yes, the people still have to fill out the paperwork and whatnot... but my worry is always... for the people who either (1) thought $60 was too much to adopt a dog, or (2) couldn't afford $60 to adopt a dog... is it GOOD that these people get a free dog? Can they afford vet care? Can they afford BASIC needs for the dog? A bag of decent dog food is like $30+. So, at least here, there will never be "clear the shelter" days, or, for that matter, PAYING anyone to adopt.
I suppose I can sort of vaguely understand the concept where someone might pay to get an animal out of rescue. Not specifically paying, necessarily, but like... if we have a really health compromised animal that's unlikely to get adopted, we try to get it into a foster home. There, they'll get more attention, more of a "home environment," and whatnot. And in a sense, we are "paying" for it to leave... we provide the fosters with the cages, food, treats, bedding, whatever they need... but... BUT... we are only providing what we would use ourselves... we're not giving them a money incentive, on top of that, to take the chin. So...no, sorry, not ever paying anyone to adopt.
At the end of the day, money has to come in to keep the rescue running. No money, no rescue. Pretty sure that's how everything works in life, right? Money makes the world go around. And on top of that... if I was so dying to have the animals leave that I would pay people to take them... I wouldn't be taking them in, in the first place. That is all.
Saturday, March 23, 2019
Keychains
So, many of you have probably already seen this, as we've posted some pics here and there, had them at expos, and posted on a chin group or two, but juuuuuust in case you haven't... we now have chinchilla (and guinea pig) keychains!
Just look at them:
Just look at them:
...aren't they just precious! If there's enough of a demand for a custom color, we can always do some of those as well! Feel free to contact with any inquiries.
Interestingly enough... this is one of those things that's grown... due to people just like you! One of my good friends makes these, and she brought over two small pieces of vinyl to show me the color, and those ended up being the first two colors (the grey and the white). Then, when she brought over the finished keychains, she also brought a scrap of what is technically called "opal" (*raises eyebrow*), and to me, that looked beige-y / goldbar-y, so that became that color. Then another friend asked if we could make it in black. So, that became the black one. Then one day, the original friend showed up with three pink ones. The pink ones gave me the idea to ask her if she could make some in purple, like a violet chinchilla. And though I would never have guessed it, the violet have outsold every other color by a ridiculous margin.
(and somewhere in there, she also showed up with the guinea pig ones, which are also hella cute)
If you would like some of these for yourself, we do tend to have them at the rescue, like if you're coming here for supplies... though right at the moment, you might want to check first, as I'm filling initial orders for these adorable things. We've also been bringing them to the expos. And of course, you can always buy them on our website! They're under the "human items" section... here's the link to that -- https://www.nwichinchillas.com/apps/webstore/products/category/1601983?page=1 -- as always, all proceeds benefit the rescues, and what a better way to do that, than with your own furball keychain, right??
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Reading & Comprehension
I know I've talked about this many times before, but I really think people don't read. Or maybe, if I'm nice... they read, but don't retain a thing.
I have had people tell me, on the way here, they read the care packet. And then said oh yeah I can't wait to give my chins fruits.
I understand, we can't remember everything. I get it, I do. Maybe we should start thinking of it as "allergies" or something. Course, I have friends that don't remember I have a nut allergy, and offer me peanut M&M's all the time... but that's beside the fact. If you are a parent, and your kid has an allergy, surely you remember, right, and surely you don't give the kid what they're allergic to, right? Why? Well, because you don't want them to suffer from ill effects.
Well, it's the same with chins and fruits and veggies. Or chins with plastic. Or chins with whatever else they shouldn't have.
I actually feel like chinchillas are relatively simple in their requirements. Not saying everyone agrees with that, but when I have a guinea pig or a rabbit, I need to actually go and look up, ok is this veggie good for them? Some are, some aren't. So you have to KNOW which ones are and which ones aren't, or constantly look it up.
With chins it's easy -- NO fruits, NO veggies. To me, that makes it so much simpler.
Same with treats... people are always asking what they can give as treats... so I tell them, the human foods would be things like cheerios, unfrosted wheat squares, old fashioned oats... for non-human items, it's mostly dried flowers and herbs. Again, I find this relatively simple.
But you know I get all these questions about, well what about this seed treat? No. What about this dandelion drop? No. What about this yogurt treat? No. What about this thing with carrots in it? No. Can I give my chin a piece of my dinner? Double no.
Like I said, to me, I find it easy to care for them because there ARE restrictions. I guess I need someone to explain to me WHY people know the restrictions and yet feel the need to still want to give EVVVVVVVVVVVVERYTHING else out there, as well. To me, it's easier to say, here's the limited list of things they can have. If it's not on the list, don't give it....
I have had people tell me, on the way here, they read the care packet. And then said oh yeah I can't wait to give my chins fruits.
I understand, we can't remember everything. I get it, I do. Maybe we should start thinking of it as "allergies" or something. Course, I have friends that don't remember I have a nut allergy, and offer me peanut M&M's all the time... but that's beside the fact. If you are a parent, and your kid has an allergy, surely you remember, right, and surely you don't give the kid what they're allergic to, right? Why? Well, because you don't want them to suffer from ill effects.
Well, it's the same with chins and fruits and veggies. Or chins with plastic. Or chins with whatever else they shouldn't have.
I actually feel like chinchillas are relatively simple in their requirements. Not saying everyone agrees with that, but when I have a guinea pig or a rabbit, I need to actually go and look up, ok is this veggie good for them? Some are, some aren't. So you have to KNOW which ones are and which ones aren't, or constantly look it up.
With chins it's easy -- NO fruits, NO veggies. To me, that makes it so much simpler.
Same with treats... people are always asking what they can give as treats... so I tell them, the human foods would be things like cheerios, unfrosted wheat squares, old fashioned oats... for non-human items, it's mostly dried flowers and herbs. Again, I find this relatively simple.
But you know I get all these questions about, well what about this seed treat? No. What about this dandelion drop? No. What about this yogurt treat? No. What about this thing with carrots in it? No. Can I give my chin a piece of my dinner? Double no.
Like I said, to me, I find it easy to care for them because there ARE restrictions. I guess I need someone to explain to me WHY people know the restrictions and yet feel the need to still want to give EVVVVVVVVVVVVERYTHING else out there, as well. To me, it's easier to say, here's the limited list of things they can have. If it's not on the list, don't give it....
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Phone Calls -- From Me and You
This has been a "problem" for years, and I guess I just don't get it. And this goes both ways...
I've had people call here... leave a voicemail... so I call them back. I understand most of these people are not going to have my number in their phone, but... I can't tell you how many times I get sent to voicemail! Like where it rings once or twice, and then straight to voicemail. Call again, even LESS rings, so it's intentional. The best part is when I get someone on the line, and say, "this is Ashley with NWI Chinchillas," *CLICK* Like... they called me. So, why they're hanging up on me, or sending me to voicemail or whatever... I just don't quite get it? Maybe someone can explain it to me.
Other phone calls... I got one today that asked if I was Critter Camp, which is a guinea pig rescue located not all that far from here. I explained, no, this is NWI Chinchilla Rescue, and told them about the guinea pig rescue. Oh that's ok, they wanted tor reach me. Bullshit, they wanted to reach Critter Camp. I'm not stupid, come on. Then they asked me if I took in animals... as usual, we are full and have a waiting list, so I told them about that, they said thank you and hung up. Probably now they will call the actual Critter Camp
Same thing goes for adoption forms. I can't tell you how many people fill them out, I respond (usually email, but sometimes I phone call depending on situation), and I never hear back. I'm not even talking about someone who's waited a week to hear back from me, most often this is people who've sent one and I've replied the same day!
I guess my point for all this is -- there's very little follow through for people nowadays, and myself, I find it insanely frustrating! Why apply to adopt... if you're not going to answer the rescue's emails / phone calls? Why call about something, if you're just going to hang up, or send the call to voicemail when they call back? At the end of the day, it's a waste of my time. Not that adoption forms take that long to look at, but that's actually beside the point. If I look at 5 of them and respond to all 5 (and the responses are what take a while, since some people put down some really oddball stuff), and only 1 person gets back to me... why did I even bother? I understand, people may have second thoughts... but maybe that should be thought through... prior to contacting? Just my thoughts, anyway...
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Chinchilla Sponsorships!
So, quick blog post today, but I just wanted to say that you all have been extra awesome lately! We have had LOTS of awesome people lately.
Have you seen the website? More specifically, have you SEEN how many chinchillas have been sponsored? Normally, we're lucky to have one chinchilla sponsored at any given time, yet as I write this, I just received a paypal payment for a 3 MONTH SPONSORSHIP of one of our chinchillas, and we already have 5, yes FIVE, chinchillas sponsored, and another ONE that someone sponsored a name for! How awesome is that!?
If you're reading this and you're like... what is sponsoring a chinchillas? Let me tell you! For a low price of $10, you can sponsor one of our chinchillas for a month. The $10 goes towards the care of the chinchilla, so basically the food, dust, hay, treats, toys, and whatever they need. You can even pick the chinchilla you want to sponsor! Cool, right?
For sponsoring a chinchilla (or any furball or scaley or animal here), you receive:
Have you seen the website? More specifically, have you SEEN how many chinchillas have been sponsored? Normally, we're lucky to have one chinchilla sponsored at any given time, yet as I write this, I just received a paypal payment for a 3 MONTH SPONSORSHIP of one of our chinchillas, and we already have 5, yes FIVE, chinchillas sponsored, and another ONE that someone sponsored a name for! How awesome is that!?
If you're reading this and you're like... what is sponsoring a chinchillas? Let me tell you! For a low price of $10, you can sponsor one of our chinchillas for a month. The $10 goes towards the care of the chinchilla, so basically the food, dust, hay, treats, toys, and whatever they need. You can even pick the chinchilla you want to sponsor! Cool, right?
For sponsoring a chinchilla (or any furball or scaley or animal here), you receive:
- a blurb on the chinchilla's listing, saying it is sponsored, by your name (first name, last initial), for however long you chose to sponsor
- a donation thank you card mailed to you
- a photo of the chinchilla you are sponsoring (we will pick one for you, if you do not choose one yourself) with some info about the chinchilla, mailed to you
- photo currently in black and white, as my printer is out of color ink, sorry all
- your name / sponsorship added to our Donations page on our website
We also have the option where you can name a chinchilla, which has all the benefits of a sponsorship (see above), and also is $10, but rather, you get to NAME the chinchilla whatever you would like!
The naming obviously is only done once, and it can be applied to any chinchilla here that doesn't have a name, though you can choose to do the regular sponsorship of a chinchilla for as long as you want! The sponsorship I just received is for 3 months! What a lucky chin!
If this interests you, you can find both the regular sponsorship and the name sponsorship options on our webstore:
Name sponsorship -- https://www.nwichinchillas.com/apps/webstore/products/show/7489877
...or feel free to contact us with any questions or if you'd rather help in some other way. Thanks all!!
Friday, March 15, 2019
Empress National Chin Show
So, this was back a few weeks ago now, but I never did post about it... because Jim is judging at the MCBA Nationals and my chins are boarded at his place, I can't show at that Nationals this year (or likely next year), so this year I took a leap and went and showed at Empress Nationals! Quite the jump for me, considering... I'm not sure I have EVER showed at an Empress show before, much less Nationals, right?
The chins did ok. The judges were tough, and focused a lot on size, unfortunately (in my opinion and the opinion of several others I know), some of the higher placing animals were big... but lacking in other areas that many people felt were very important as well, but you know, each judge has their own method of critiquing the animals, and that's why there's quite a few judges!
Notably, one of my standards got a 1st place, a nice dark standard male. For my mutations, they were sort of all over the place, as I did show a goldbar and a curly, and those don't tend to do all that well at shows that DON'T put a lot of emphasis on size, much less the ones that do! But... also notably, had some good mutations! The two that stand out to me (in looking back at this, a few weeks later) is that I had on litter, out of Marty (a hetero ebony) and Cupcake (a pink white). The two kits, a tan and a homo ebony, were one of the last litters born here at my place in Hammond, before the herd moved out to Ohio. Both males were good enough to hang onto and grow out. The ebony received a 1st place, and the tan male went National Champion Tan Male! Who-hoo!!!
This is him:
So that was awesome. And even on the not-so-highly placing animals, I got good comments that helped clarify what I plan to do with them and if I plan to keep them.
The show itself was awesome, everyone was great. We also had a vendor table there:
...and sold quite a bit of stuff! Great weekend with great people, hopefully we'll do it all again next year!
The chins did ok. The judges were tough, and focused a lot on size, unfortunately (in my opinion and the opinion of several others I know), some of the higher placing animals were big... but lacking in other areas that many people felt were very important as well, but you know, each judge has their own method of critiquing the animals, and that's why there's quite a few judges!
Notably, one of my standards got a 1st place, a nice dark standard male. For my mutations, they were sort of all over the place, as I did show a goldbar and a curly, and those don't tend to do all that well at shows that DON'T put a lot of emphasis on size, much less the ones that do! But... also notably, had some good mutations! The two that stand out to me (in looking back at this, a few weeks later) is that I had on litter, out of Marty (a hetero ebony) and Cupcake (a pink white). The two kits, a tan and a homo ebony, were one of the last litters born here at my place in Hammond, before the herd moved out to Ohio. Both males were good enough to hang onto and grow out. The ebony received a 1st place, and the tan male went National Champion Tan Male! Who-hoo!!!
This is him:
So that was awesome. And even on the not-so-highly placing animals, I got good comments that helped clarify what I plan to do with them and if I plan to keep them.
The show itself was awesome, everyone was great. We also had a vendor table there:
...and sold quite a bit of stuff! Great weekend with great people, hopefully we'll do it all again next year!
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Cage Dedication
If you've been at the rescue recently, you may have seen that one of our cages near the entrance now features a large cage dedication.
If you haven't seen it, this is what it looks like:
Bonnie and Ed Reinhart have been customers of the rescue for years. They have adopted two chinchillas from us over the years, and have donated many times. Back when I used to do everything myself and had no help here, I used to occasionally close the webstore so I could get caught up on orders. If you've been around awhile, you may remember that. It was sometimes closed for months at a time! Often when it was closed, they would send me a donation to make sure that the rescue would get back up and running again.
The last I saw them in person was 3 years ago, in March of 2016, when they adopted their second chin... though they order food and supplies all the time.
Unfortunately, this past February, I received an order and a donation, with the note that Bonnie had passed away. Ed mentioned, he still wanted to use her name in donations. These people were a very sweet couple, always supporting me / the rescue and donating every time they could. The donation that I received with the most recent order was $200, which is quite a sizeable amount! Their other donations were less, but they've all added up over the years!
I talked with Chris about all of this, and she came up with doing a cage dedication for Bonnie. I found someone to make the sign you see above, and that's what we got. I also printed out a picture of Ed and Bonnie with one of their adoptive chinchillas, framed it, and mailed it to them. Ed was very happy and touched by the cage dedication here and the photo we sent him.
If you haven't seen it, this is what it looks like:
Bonnie and Ed Reinhart have been customers of the rescue for years. They have adopted two chinchillas from us over the years, and have donated many times. Back when I used to do everything myself and had no help here, I used to occasionally close the webstore so I could get caught up on orders. If you've been around awhile, you may remember that. It was sometimes closed for months at a time! Often when it was closed, they would send me a donation to make sure that the rescue would get back up and running again.
The last I saw them in person was 3 years ago, in March of 2016, when they adopted their second chin... though they order food and supplies all the time.
Unfortunately, this past February, I received an order and a donation, with the note that Bonnie had passed away. Ed mentioned, he still wanted to use her name in donations. These people were a very sweet couple, always supporting me / the rescue and donating every time they could. The donation that I received with the most recent order was $200, which is quite a sizeable amount! Their other donations were less, but they've all added up over the years!
I talked with Chris about all of this, and she came up with doing a cage dedication for Bonnie. I found someone to make the sign you see above, and that's what we got. I also printed out a picture of Ed and Bonnie with one of their adoptive chinchillas, framed it, and mailed it to them. Ed was very happy and touched by the cage dedication here and the photo we sent him.
Monday, March 11, 2019
Always Ask Questions
So, this is probably a given... but I feel like in all situations of life... if you don't know, or are unsure of something, always ask questions! I honestly don't feel like anyone should ever feel afraid to ask or whatnot, if you don't know, ask!
We had a group of students from Purdue call us about using the rescue for a group project. All they said was that they needed to talk to me about a problem the rescue had, and as a group, they would discuss the problem and come up with a solution. I vaguely remember doing something like this in one of my classes way back when, so I told them, that was fine. They said they had to get permission to use our rescue, and would contact us back. Some time passes, and they get the ok, and they tell me they need to interview our workers / volunteers who are at the rescue a considerable amount of the time. So I talk to Jennifer, get her permission to give them her phone number, and pass that along to them. I tell them, there's me and her, and that's it. There's not a lot of routine volunteers, though I do occasionally get the court appointed community service people... but not a lot of people who volunteer and stick around.
Next email I receive is that there's four people + the initial person who contacted me, and they each need to interview someone. My response back was basically, well... there's still just me and Jennifer. Never did hear back from them.
In all fairness, I didn't ask for more info about their project, and they also didn't volunteer at any point, in the two weeks prior to telling me about the 5 interviews, that they needed to do 5 interviews... had we known, they could have moved onto a different place much quicker.
I guess my point is... they didn't know... and they didn't ask.
Maybe they thought there would be volunteers out the wazoo here. Or that I have a ton of employees, rather than occasional help when I can afford it. But the reality is... we don't get a lot of volunteers, and a good chunk of everything is done by myself, helped by Jennifer when she's around.
And to me, I feel like this is a perfect example of... had they started out saying, "ok, we have this class project, this is what it's about... now the one thing is we need to do 5 interviews, are there 5 people who we can interview?"... I feel like this whole thing would have gone differently. Obviously that's not how it went, and it's too bad that they wasted time that could have been spent on a different business. But this is why it's so important to ask questions!
I'm sure many of you have heard me say, if you don't know the answer, it's not a stupid question. I mean, there's all stuff that we don't know! So we just gotta ask! I know that can be hard sometimes... but if you don't ask... you may never know! That is all for today.
We had a group of students from Purdue call us about using the rescue for a group project. All they said was that they needed to talk to me about a problem the rescue had, and as a group, they would discuss the problem and come up with a solution. I vaguely remember doing something like this in one of my classes way back when, so I told them, that was fine. They said they had to get permission to use our rescue, and would contact us back. Some time passes, and they get the ok, and they tell me they need to interview our workers / volunteers who are at the rescue a considerable amount of the time. So I talk to Jennifer, get her permission to give them her phone number, and pass that along to them. I tell them, there's me and her, and that's it. There's not a lot of routine volunteers, though I do occasionally get the court appointed community service people... but not a lot of people who volunteer and stick around.
Next email I receive is that there's four people + the initial person who contacted me, and they each need to interview someone. My response back was basically, well... there's still just me and Jennifer. Never did hear back from them.
In all fairness, I didn't ask for more info about their project, and they also didn't volunteer at any point, in the two weeks prior to telling me about the 5 interviews, that they needed to do 5 interviews... had we known, they could have moved onto a different place much quicker.
I guess my point is... they didn't know... and they didn't ask.
Maybe they thought there would be volunteers out the wazoo here. Or that I have a ton of employees, rather than occasional help when I can afford it. But the reality is... we don't get a lot of volunteers, and a good chunk of everything is done by myself, helped by Jennifer when she's around.
And to me, I feel like this is a perfect example of... had they started out saying, "ok, we have this class project, this is what it's about... now the one thing is we need to do 5 interviews, are there 5 people who we can interview?"... I feel like this whole thing would have gone differently. Obviously that's not how it went, and it's too bad that they wasted time that could have been spent on a different business. But this is why it's so important to ask questions!
I'm sure many of you have heard me say, if you don't know the answer, it's not a stupid question. I mean, there's all stuff that we don't know! So we just gotta ask! I know that can be hard sometimes... but if you don't ask... you may never know! That is all for today.
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Chinchilla Supply List
As you may have read in our recent guest blog post by our wonderful volunteer Chris, one of the things she did for us was to check out prices at pet stores, so we could update our Chinchilla Supply List.
In case you're unfamiliar with this, we have a supply list on our website, here -- which compares the prices of items that you can purchase here at NWI, or at the pet stores. The last time we gathered data for this supply list was back in 2013, when I went to Petsmart and gathered prices for comparable items to items that we sell. As it's been 5ish years... time to do it again!
In talking with Chris about this, she graciously volunteered to go check prices for us, and sent me an email a few days later with lots of good info. I compiled it, created a new chart with all of the current prices / info, added it all up for totals and whatnot, and it is now what you see on the website.
As you can see in the list, we carry everything the pet stores do (and often, even more), at similar or even lower prices! Some things we have are priced similarly... our food bowls are $4.00, and Chris found similarly sized food bowls priced at $3.99 and $2.99-$3.99 at the pet stores. To be perfectly honest, buying ceramic food bowls in bulk is not something that there's a lot of options for, so I'm happy with just being competitive in the pricing. For other things, you can see where there's significant pricing differences. The one that stands out, even after closing the page, is hay cubes. At the pet store, they are over $8 per pound! Insanity! We charge $1.25 per pound. Now, not everyone uses hay cubes, but even hay from us is $1 per pound, versus $4+ per pound at the pet store. And all you lack, in getting it from us, is the pretty chinchilla on the packaging. But come on, we know that's not that important to you, right? We all just throw away or recycle the packaging anyway!
Anyway, so that list is very currently up to date, in case you were ever wanting to compare prices, there ya go :)
In case you're unfamiliar with this, we have a supply list on our website, here -- which compares the prices of items that you can purchase here at NWI, or at the pet stores. The last time we gathered data for this supply list was back in 2013, when I went to Petsmart and gathered prices for comparable items to items that we sell. As it's been 5ish years... time to do it again!
In talking with Chris about this, she graciously volunteered to go check prices for us, and sent me an email a few days later with lots of good info. I compiled it, created a new chart with all of the current prices / info, added it all up for totals and whatnot, and it is now what you see on the website.
As you can see in the list, we carry everything the pet stores do (and often, even more), at similar or even lower prices! Some things we have are priced similarly... our food bowls are $4.00, and Chris found similarly sized food bowls priced at $3.99 and $2.99-$3.99 at the pet stores. To be perfectly honest, buying ceramic food bowls in bulk is not something that there's a lot of options for, so I'm happy with just being competitive in the pricing. For other things, you can see where there's significant pricing differences. The one that stands out, even after closing the page, is hay cubes. At the pet store, they are over $8 per pound! Insanity! We charge $1.25 per pound. Now, not everyone uses hay cubes, but even hay from us is $1 per pound, versus $4+ per pound at the pet store. And all you lack, in getting it from us, is the pretty chinchilla on the packaging. But come on, we know that's not that important to you, right? We all just throw away or recycle the packaging anyway!
Anyway, so that list is very currently up to date, in case you were ever wanting to compare prices, there ya go :)
Thursday, March 7, 2019
Guest Writer - Volunteering & Pet store prices
Hi everyone! My name is Chris and I'm a volunteer for NWI Chinchillas. I've gotten involved in volunteering for NWI over the last few months. I thought there might not be too much for me to help with, as I'm about an hour away from the location, but I was wrong!! I've done so many different things like assisting at pet expos in my area, helping compose forms for adoptions & fostering, and posting listings for available animals across multiple websites.
My latest task involved going to pet stores in my area to check on prices for a variety of items. Ashley wanted to update a pricing list of items she carries in her supply store, comparing them to pricing of similar items in the "big box" pet stores. I was so pleased to find that not only does she carry MORE safe options than the pet stores do, but at BETTER prices!! We all love to support small businesses, but with that, usually comes slightly higher prices in order to support that business owner. But not at NWI! She is able to buy these great items in bulk, and passes on the savings to you!! Much of the profit that is made is fed back into the rescue, which helps care for chinchillas who need specialized care, TLC, and time to look for that perfect forever home. Who WOULDN'T want to support that?!
I was also shocked to see how many items at the pet stores had pictures of chinchillas on the packaging, when they were in fact, NOT chinchilla safe at all! Things like yogurt drops, veggie treats, or paper bedding are all displayed as suitable for ALL small animals. Many small animals have different needs from one another, and shouldn't be all lumped together! And if you're instead buying from a small business who specializes in one kind of animal, you can rest assured that you are getting the best products possible for that particular animal. And isn't that what you want for your furry family members?
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Surrendering Chinchillas... With/Without Cages
So, wanted to do a quick post today about people surrendering chinchillas. Well, any animals for that matter.
Well, let me back up. In order to surrender an animal to the rescue, it's as simple as reaching out, getting on our waiting list if needed (and there almost always is a list), and then when we have room, bringing it in. While we appreciate people bringing in stuff with their chinchilla, some people do and some people don't, but the only thing we officially ask for is for the previous owner to bring some food that the chinchilla was eating.
Interestingly enough, a lot of people seem to run out of food and then decide they need to bring their chin in. I kind of wonder if it's maybe, hey, we can either buy more food, or give up the chin, which should we do? But I digress. The food is the only thing we ask for.
I've had a lot of people talking to me lately about how some rescues either charge surrender fees, or require cages to be dropped off with the animal. We've never charged surrender fees, and I don't see a situation where this would change... but basically, it's a fee for dropping off an animal. The money goes to help care for the animal and fund the rescue of course... but my worry has always been, what about that person that doesn't want to spend the $50 to drop off the animal, and, when this is brought up to them, decides that it's better to just let the animal go outside? I want to say the one humane society locally has a surrender fee, and they get animals dropped off on their doorstep, to avoid this. Last I heard, they have posted a sign saying they will prosecute people who drop animals at the doorstep. While I get the intention behind it (wanting people to come in, rather than drop the animal at the doorstep)... what do you think the real result of this prosecution thing is? You got it! The animals no longer are dropped off at the humane society, but rather, are just "let go." Now, how did that solve anything?
The other thing is that many rescues are requiring that people bring the cage with the pet. We've had instances where we've asked for this, like if we're trying to squeeze an animal in, due to special circumstances, and our cages are full, but in general, we do not require cages. Again, I understand the rationale -- if people still have the cage, there's always a possibility that they are just getting rid of this pet, and will go get another one... and the cycle will continue. In reality, I think more people that I want to run into are selling the cages and supplies, rather than giving them to rescues.
The reason we don't require cages to be given is again, because of the concern for the animals. We get in chinchillas here, from people who have told us, well, that other shelter requires we bring in a cage. So, what happens if every place requires a cage? You know where doesn't? The kill shelters. And you know what happens when they get overrun with small animals? Especially when no one is bringing them a cage? Oh yeah. I'd rather be the one that's a bit lax with that (and people do bring cages... not all, but a decent amount of people) and make sure the animals are going to a good rescue, rather than having that requirement, and then making people go searching for other places to take in their animals, because they want to keep / sell / whatever that cage.
I try to make it easy. Granted, some of these people probably do get other animals, which may end up at shelters later, but let's be honest... if we took their cage, they can just buy another. I'm worried about the current animals here... I'll deal with the ones in the future, when they get here.
Well, let me back up. In order to surrender an animal to the rescue, it's as simple as reaching out, getting on our waiting list if needed (and there almost always is a list), and then when we have room, bringing it in. While we appreciate people bringing in stuff with their chinchilla, some people do and some people don't, but the only thing we officially ask for is for the previous owner to bring some food that the chinchilla was eating.
Interestingly enough, a lot of people seem to run out of food and then decide they need to bring their chin in. I kind of wonder if it's maybe, hey, we can either buy more food, or give up the chin, which should we do? But I digress. The food is the only thing we ask for.
I've had a lot of people talking to me lately about how some rescues either charge surrender fees, or require cages to be dropped off with the animal. We've never charged surrender fees, and I don't see a situation where this would change... but basically, it's a fee for dropping off an animal. The money goes to help care for the animal and fund the rescue of course... but my worry has always been, what about that person that doesn't want to spend the $50 to drop off the animal, and, when this is brought up to them, decides that it's better to just let the animal go outside? I want to say the one humane society locally has a surrender fee, and they get animals dropped off on their doorstep, to avoid this. Last I heard, they have posted a sign saying they will prosecute people who drop animals at the doorstep. While I get the intention behind it (wanting people to come in, rather than drop the animal at the doorstep)... what do you think the real result of this prosecution thing is? You got it! The animals no longer are dropped off at the humane society, but rather, are just "let go." Now, how did that solve anything?
The other thing is that many rescues are requiring that people bring the cage with the pet. We've had instances where we've asked for this, like if we're trying to squeeze an animal in, due to special circumstances, and our cages are full, but in general, we do not require cages. Again, I understand the rationale -- if people still have the cage, there's always a possibility that they are just getting rid of this pet, and will go get another one... and the cycle will continue. In reality, I think more people that I want to run into are selling the cages and supplies, rather than giving them to rescues.
The reason we don't require cages to be given is again, because of the concern for the animals. We get in chinchillas here, from people who have told us, well, that other shelter requires we bring in a cage. So, what happens if every place requires a cage? You know where doesn't? The kill shelters. And you know what happens when they get overrun with small animals? Especially when no one is bringing them a cage? Oh yeah. I'd rather be the one that's a bit lax with that (and people do bring cages... not all, but a decent amount of people) and make sure the animals are going to a good rescue, rather than having that requirement, and then making people go searching for other places to take in their animals, because they want to keep / sell / whatever that cage.
I try to make it easy. Granted, some of these people probably do get other animals, which may end up at shelters later, but let's be honest... if we took their cage, they can just buy another. I'm worried about the current animals here... I'll deal with the ones in the future, when they get here.
Friday, March 1, 2019
Adoption Forms... and What Will Get You Denied
So, if you've talked with me in any depth about adoption forms, you've probably heard me say that they're not meant to be difficult... and they're not. They're not meant to see how many hoops I can make you jump through to get a rescue animal, but rather, they're to check that you have a basic idea on how to care for the animal you're trying to adopt, and that you have the appropriate cage / accessories for this animal. That is all.
Short of major red flags, most people do get approved. Some people seem horrified at that thought, but again, I'm not asking if people are going to be stay-home-chin-moms, but rather, if they can afford vet care, what kind of cage they have, and so on. Most people are approved, and I honestly believe that that is because... the average person can care for the average small pet that we have up for adoption. If you have the appropriate cage and accessories (or are willing to get those... as we do sell them or can point you in the right direction if you'd rather), and are willing to learn, we are willing to help. It's really that simple.
So what gets people denied? There's a few things that unequivocally will get you denied -- keeping the animals outside or in some area that's unheated / un-cooled. Having an inappropriate cage (not as in, it's too small, but rather, keeping chinchillas in an aquarium). Lying on the adoption form and myself finding out. You lie once, you don't get a second chance. I think I have a blog post from years ago about how someone told me they had all these wonderful cages to use... showed me pics even... and turns out, the pics were all random cage pics off of google. Not even stock pics, like the one pic was a cage that had an animal in it, and the person went as far to say something along the lines of, well, don't mind the poos, I will clean it first. When confronted with the fact that these cages were not, in fact, theirs... the person told me, well, they didn't have a cage yet, but didn't want to get denied due to that. Sad to say... but I would have helped them get a cage in whatever way I could... but lying to me, especially in this case, multiple times... nope. Done. Because how should I know the next thing isn't a lie?
With many things people put down on adoption forms, I will send questions back. If there's any doubt regarding an answer, I will ask for more info about it. Because of this back and forth, this is why many people get approved to adopt, because with more information, I'm satisfied that the home would be great.
But some people are just... difficult. I had one case from about a week ago that I wanted to share with you all, and I snapped a screenshot of the one part that just made me shake my head. First off, they didn't put their name or contact information. They also didn't sign the bottom of the form. You might think, oh no big deal, but get the form from a generic email address... so should you not fill out a phone number or email... even if your form is wonderful, I have no way of contacting you. And in case you're thinking, oh, well maybe they just missed it -- the questions on these forms all require an answer. You will not be able to submit the form without them being answered (well, there's a few that have a different setting, but not most). This person in question, for every question they didn't want to answer, put a dash ( -- ) for the answer. So this had to take a little time to do! But let me share with you the fun screenshot:
So... "I know all of this but why would I need to write everything down?" -- how about... because I asked for it? Because you won't get to adopt without you writing down an answer?... and by reading those answers, I approve the adoption form? Maybe this is difficult for people, I don't know. But if there's a question, it needs to be answered. If the question isn't answered in a way that I think is complete enough, and I want more info, you better bet that if I ask you for more info, you're not getting any farther in that adoption until you give me that additional info I asked for. Why is this so difficult? This is how adoptions work!
This is one of those things -- I'm happy to help people. Really I am. If I can help, I'm glad to. Even the people who I whine about, I'd rather help people learn than not. But... I'm only human as well. These things wear on me, and I get more adoption forms that are like "I don't have to tell you what cage I have" than I should. And I restrain myself from responding back, "I don't have to let you adopt..." I just delete and move on.
Most people get approved... but the ones that don't... make the best stories. lol
Short of major red flags, most people do get approved. Some people seem horrified at that thought, but again, I'm not asking if people are going to be stay-home-chin-moms, but rather, if they can afford vet care, what kind of cage they have, and so on. Most people are approved, and I honestly believe that that is because... the average person can care for the average small pet that we have up for adoption. If you have the appropriate cage and accessories (or are willing to get those... as we do sell them or can point you in the right direction if you'd rather), and are willing to learn, we are willing to help. It's really that simple.
So what gets people denied? There's a few things that unequivocally will get you denied -- keeping the animals outside or in some area that's unheated / un-cooled. Having an inappropriate cage (not as in, it's too small, but rather, keeping chinchillas in an aquarium). Lying on the adoption form and myself finding out. You lie once, you don't get a second chance. I think I have a blog post from years ago about how someone told me they had all these wonderful cages to use... showed me pics even... and turns out, the pics were all random cage pics off of google. Not even stock pics, like the one pic was a cage that had an animal in it, and the person went as far to say something along the lines of, well, don't mind the poos, I will clean it first. When confronted with the fact that these cages were not, in fact, theirs... the person told me, well, they didn't have a cage yet, but didn't want to get denied due to that. Sad to say... but I would have helped them get a cage in whatever way I could... but lying to me, especially in this case, multiple times... nope. Done. Because how should I know the next thing isn't a lie?
With many things people put down on adoption forms, I will send questions back. If there's any doubt regarding an answer, I will ask for more info about it. Because of this back and forth, this is why many people get approved to adopt, because with more information, I'm satisfied that the home would be great.
But some people are just... difficult. I had one case from about a week ago that I wanted to share with you all, and I snapped a screenshot of the one part that just made me shake my head. First off, they didn't put their name or contact information. They also didn't sign the bottom of the form. You might think, oh no big deal, but get the form from a generic email address... so should you not fill out a phone number or email... even if your form is wonderful, I have no way of contacting you. And in case you're thinking, oh, well maybe they just missed it -- the questions on these forms all require an answer. You will not be able to submit the form without them being answered (well, there's a few that have a different setting, but not most). This person in question, for every question they didn't want to answer, put a dash ( -- ) for the answer. So this had to take a little time to do! But let me share with you the fun screenshot:
So... "I know all of this but why would I need to write everything down?" -- how about... because I asked for it? Because you won't get to adopt without you writing down an answer?... and by reading those answers, I approve the adoption form? Maybe this is difficult for people, I don't know. But if there's a question, it needs to be answered. If the question isn't answered in a way that I think is complete enough, and I want more info, you better bet that if I ask you for more info, you're not getting any farther in that adoption until you give me that additional info I asked for. Why is this so difficult? This is how adoptions work!
This is one of those things -- I'm happy to help people. Really I am. If I can help, I'm glad to. Even the people who I whine about, I'd rather help people learn than not. But... I'm only human as well. These things wear on me, and I get more adoption forms that are like "I don't have to tell you what cage I have" than I should. And I restrain myself from responding back, "I don't have to let you adopt..." I just delete and move on.
Most people get approved... but the ones that don't... make the best stories. lol
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