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[prince_medion]

It's apparently from a chin show breeder. I thought surely there is a more gentle way to prepare a chin for top condition.
If that is the norm then I feel disgusted with show practices...

https://youtu.be/op0JrGfnqBI

[GrayRodent]

Do you have experience combing chinchillas that are not tame? I think she did a good job.
I think the groomer looks a little skittish though but I can't blame her as she pulls away periodically to make sure it cant use the traction from the comb to reach her hand with its teeth. Getting bit by a wild chin is no fun.

A tame chin usually just stays still and sometimes even craves to be groomed like this. That I have seen done plenty of times and that is shown on one of her other videos. The grooming practice is pretty much identical for them too. Having the chinchilla on a smooth table is the exact right thing to do. It cannot get traction and injure itself. You can see it arches its head around to bite and is making noises of aggression. These animals do not like to be touched or handled at all. It would be this way no matter what method groomer might try. This kind of behavior is normal for show and breeding animals as pets are usually raised to be pets and handled frequently by their owners. That kind of handling makes them unsuitable for showing. I think most people don't realize how much of a difference that makes in the way chinchillas behave.

Grasping the base of the tail is the best way to handle any chinchilla like this and even recommended practice for handling tame chinchillas allowing you to get into the fur with the comb easily. If you grasp anywhere on the coat you pretty much ruin it for the show so there is no other way.

By taking the ears you might notice it actually had a calming effect on the animal. I notice this effect handling my pets and stroking their ears and head. There is no reason to think this is problematic. Because the table is very smooth there is no way the animal can get traction to pull hard enough to cause injury or discomfort.

I don't think it's possible to do any better and still do a proper combing job.

[prince_medion]

I see, I just thought it looked a bit abusive that is all, and no I have no experience in the matter but it's just the way it appeared to me. Sorry but my opinion is if that's the way it is, then to me that's still forcing an animal against it's will which looks clearly distressed. When I have my chins, if they do not wish to be combed, I will not do it, I do not think it necessary for a pet as long as they have their dust bath and they don't get matted. I have always been kinda against dog shows anyway, and if that is a normal practice of chinchilla shows then I'm sorry but I don't agree. Showing is not a necessity compared to the companionship of a pet and getting praise and prizes off the merit of an animal especially forced , sorry I can't understand this. I'd rather feel the gratification of knowing my pet is happy and loves me and potentially other people telling me they are cute but that's it. When I pick a pet, it's nothing to do with the colors or the looks, for me it's all about temperament and character.

We have rallied against the fur trade, and to me apart the fact that the chinchilla is not killed for its fur, it's being abused and raised for it's fur, there is not much difference. I have seen pictures of chinchillas, rabbits and even cats dyed to look like pokemons and so on and that's just so wrong.

I apologize if I may upset some people but that is my opinion.

[GrayRodent]

You are entitled to your opinion but combing and grooming is causing no harm to any animal and only leads to benefit pet chinchillas as a whole. Showing chinchillas and grading for appearance is one aspect in evaluating the fittest and healthiest animals selected for breeding. You might be surprised that external appearance and conformation can be reflective of internal health and fitness for breeding in addition to pelt quality. The reason your pet is healthy and happy today is because of years of breeding, showing, and refining breeding techniques on large scales that are possible only in fur production and large scales not possible to achieve for breeding for pets alone. Pets must come from somewhere and the ones that present with congenital diseases come from ranches that don't show, have no accountability, and are not sourcing their breeding stock from reputable ranches.

If you think show chins are being abused consider that fact that chinchillas shed their fur when they are stressed and in pain which ruins their ability to be shown, or anything else. Neglect and stress is detrimental to pelt quality. A poor quality pelt can actually indicate neglect and improper care which is another reason showing is important. You might not like how it looks but those are the facts. Further accusation equating showing or pelting with abuse on these forums is against our policy because it is false and propagating defamatory information that is harmful to best breeding practices.

You are certainly welcome to continue participating in promoting safe and healthy techniques for husbandry and pet ownership and helping us in our goal to distribute accurate and helpful chinchilla information.

[prince_medion]

I understand where you are coming from now, although I read in a book that you should never grab or hold a chinchilla's tail. Could you also develop on as to why tame chins don't make good show chins?

[GrayRodent]

I do agree you should never handle a chinchilla by its tail. The base of the tail is a different story, right where it meets the body. Don't go higher up on the tail. Anything after the first inch or so is really narrow and is off limits to grabbing. This method is a great way to safely handle a chinchilla. Support the feet with one hand and the base of the tail with the other and you'd be surprised how much control you gain especially if you have a feisty one that is trying to get away from you and you afraid it is going to injure itself while you are holding it. You can support its whole weight to give you time to re-position your other hand if needed. When you actually try this with a chinchilla I think you'll understand it a lot better.

I'm not saying tame chinchillas don't make good show chins. It just has to do with the way chinchillas work. An average chinchilla kit, if not handled frequently and raised to be a pet is usually going to act like a wild animal. Some chins just have an awesome temperament and love people no matter what but this is the exception and not the rule. I happen to have one of each, both raised as pets and companions and I enjoy them both. The first chin I owned (euthanized for malocclusion) was a very wild and mean animal that acted exactly like the one in the video. He was simply a pet that was pretty much never handled. He did tame down a bit but I had work with him and it was not easy. I have two chins now, one started out pretty wild but calmed down. The other one just started out like I had been taming him for a year and he has always been very laid back. This was so abnormal I thought there was something physically wrong with him.

It is normal for chinchillas to not like to be touched or handled and they must be gently trained to accept it. And once they do, in my experience, also begin to crave attention and want to be picked up and handled. So it's a strange kind of relationship.

A show chin isn't raised the same way because handling damages the coat and deposits oil on it from your hands. This has a huge impact on the evaluation in a show. So show chins might not be handled the same way and can be pretty wild. And when this is mixed with a feisty temperament like the one on the video they can be quite bent on vengeance for any tiny irritation.

Breeders and show chins can still make good pets but they probably won't act near as tame as the kit that was purchased by a pet owner at 8 weeks and coddled heavily before its first prime. But that same chin would have a very messed up pelt if shown and would certainly get a very poor evaluation even if its coat would have grown out to be actually better than the next one that wasn't quite as tame because it hadn't been handled near as much. It wouldn't be possible to tell. The aim of shows is rarely for selling pets anyway but a way to sell the best possible stock to breeders.

[BLS Chins]

As a show breeder I take offence that you would assume we are abusing the chins by helping them reach their peak potential. Show chins are handled and well taken care of. If the chin was actually distressed, he would fur slip or cry (which he clearly is not doing in the video).

Chins are agricultural animals legally, they are only recently became pets in the last 20 yrs or so. Temperament is only partially genetic and the rest is handling. Even a chin handled daily can still be pure evil. I personally have a female who is the devil herself. She bites to draw blood, but every single one of her kits will curl up in your arms.

Shows are very important when breeding. How else do you know if you are improving the next generation? If you are not improving then you should not be breeding. This means even chins that are not thrilled with the idea of grooming should be evaluated to help the breeder improve the next pairing.

Ranchers and breeders put a lot of heart, time and money into produce happy, healthy pets for people like you. So take a step back an rewatch the video. Shes helping to bring you your pet, not hurting it