| 2007 Empress Annual Meeting (Uniformity in Chinchilla Judging) |
| It is NOT a "cutest chinnie" show, it's serious business, with serious judges who are very concerned for the future welfare of all chinchillas. They are serious about every one breeding the best to the best to continue the highest standards for the future of all chinchillas. As pet owners, our gripe with chinchilla ranchers is that some of them sell the fur to pelt for extravagant clothing. At one time, these ranchers numbered in the thousands, now, they number only in the hundreds. You may have just said,"Good." to that last statistic ... But, did you know, if it were not for them, we would not have our precious little fur balls? Chinchillas would be extinct today and would only be seen in pictures in National Geographic Magazines. We would never have the pleasure of their soft fur, big beautiful eyes and the sweet sounds that they make or their chinnie kisses. The chinchilla was almost extinct in the 1920s when the first chinchillas were brought to the US by Mr. M. F. Chapman. Do you know what the gripe is that chinchilla ranchers have with us? Yes, they have a gripe with us, also. Now, don't get indignant with me ... Their gripe is very well founded. Many of the breeding practices of the hobby or home breeder is making each generation of chinchillas weaker and weaker. We are slowly making them extinct ourselves! But how could just one person do that? One could not, but when multiplying the many ones by the thousands that do it, we are our furry friend's worst enemy. Now that I have your dander up ... Let's get down to learning some of what I was able to learn this past weekend. I often tell you to go to chinchilla shows to learn, as I have done on many occasions, but this past weekend was something very special. I was able to join many judges, ranchers and breeders (some from other countries) in an annual meeting that the regular/hobby breeders are not normally allowed to attend. This was my birthday present from my hubby. An expensive one, but worth every penny spent. Ralph & Barbara Shoots were the host and hostess and invited me to join in on the meetings and the festivities. I did, and enjoyed every minute of it! A very special "Thank-you" to Barbara & Ralph. |
| What is the difference in a field-day show, a local show and a national show? |
| What set of standards is your chinchilla being judged by/against? |
| What should you know when taking your chinchilla to a chinchilla show? |
| Let us take a slight detour here to share a couple of special pictures ... Very quiet now, or you will wake the little chin ... she's sound asleep! |
| Wouldn't you like to be able to calm your little one into falling asleep in your hands? One of the judges knows how to do it. In about 5 seconds she is resting gently in his hands, with the last 2/3 of her suspended in mid air. |
| As soon as he turns her up right again, she wakes up. |
| A field-day show is to learn what to look for in a good chinchilla and find out if your chin is 'up to standards for a real chinchilla show. A local show is a practice run. You are usually not competing with the all the "big boys" here. There may be a couple, and points do count, but it is more relaxed than the nationals. A national show is where you will see the best of the best and where the competition is the strongest. |
| Your chinchilla is being judged against all the other chins at that show, that day. And ... if the judge is a strict one ... against what is considered to be the 'perfect chinchilla'. In most Field-day Shows the judge is usually much more lax in their judging because it is more informal. They are able to give more information and suggestions as to how each would be best to used in a breeding program. They will, as a rule, let you know if the chinchilla is of the quality for breeding and what it needs in a mate to complement it. If your chin has a weakness, it needs to be paired with a chinchilla that is strong in the same area this one is weak in to off-set the problem and hopefully correct it in the kits. NEVER breed two chinchillas with the same weakness ... the kits are doomed to have it. When breeding, you want to always strive for a better chinchilla than the one you are breeding. Field-day shows are more relaxed and personal than the other two types of shows and allows more time to discuss each animal with a person that is very knowledgeable about chinchillas. Usually, they have worked with chinchillas most of their lives. In Local/Regional Shows, there is more/stronger competition, than there is in a field-day show. These shows are sanctioned by the major breeders' organizations and the breeders can receive points for these shows. This makes the competition stronger. You will have breeders that have been breeding for several years and have had a chance to learn what they need in their breeding stock and practice it. The results are apparent in these shows. In the National Shows, you will find the best breeders and the best chinchillas. The competition is very strong here. As a breeder, winning in this division, automatically assures their stock to be noticed as one that is, one of the best. Their chinchillas have to be as close to perfect as possible. Why even have these competitions? To assure that the quality of the life of the chinchilla and the physical quality of the chinchilla is at it's best, so that it might continue to survive. We humans are fierce competitors. Competition between us, has it's good and bad sides for the other life on this planet. Learning what a show quality chinchilla looks like is only part of what you need to know. You have to learn how to breed chinchillas to get ones that are of show quality and not ones that will be a part of the down-fall of all chinchillas. You may never even go to a show. Why should you want a chinchilla that is show quality? A chinchilla that is 'show quality' is closer to perfection than a chinchilla that is not. Perfection includes being healthy. A healthy chinchilla will usually live longer, if properly cared for by their human family. By-the-way ... ears and whiskers do not count in shows. Why mention that? A chinchilla can have damage to the ears from a sibling, but that does not mean it is not a healthy chinchilla. The standards of quality refer to the size, build and health of the chinchilla. The fur and how it stands up tightly is also a part of the quality of a chinchilla. If the fur is not in good condition, it can mean possible health problems for a chinchilla. |
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