[Claire D]

I'm not sure how many of you use the US forum, Chins-n-Quills but it has been down for a couple of weeks now. The forum owner has not been contactable and, despite the Admin Team's best efforts, they have not been able to get the forum back online (the owner has not paid the bill).
As those of us who frequented other forums well know, losing important and useful threads can be very frustrating. CnQ was running for 8 years - that's an awful lot of information, hard work, and experiences to have lost. :(

The Team have been inundated with queries about the old forum and have started another forum (Chins-n-Hedgies) so that they can continue to be the excellent resource as before. The original domain (http://www.chins-n-quills.com) now points to the new forum.

CnH actively welcome members from the UK and I always find it interesting to discuss the differences in care/management etc between us all - it's well worth joining to gain a different perspective. There are some very knowledgeable people on there and they also welcome exchange of ideas. :D

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/

[Ian]

Hey Claire

Thanks for letting us know - I havent been there for a while so i've just been and registered :)

[Chinnfluff]

Stupid laptop - I managed to log in on another friend's account (sorry Ian!).

I do hope this new forum takes off and possibly they might get some of the old threads back if they can get in touch with the owner..................

This post has been edited by Chinnfluff: 01 February 2009 - 04:24 PM

[jaina_organasolo]

Thank you Claire! I hadn't tried in a few days to access it.

[Doolittle]

Thanks Claire :rolleyes:
I've never been on any chin forums outside the UK ones so this will be a first for me! :huh:

[Claire D]

US forums are often more "direct" in their responses and they still have pelting but the info is always interesting and some good discussions happen.
It's definitely a different perspective. :)

[NZ_Chinnie_Owner]

Can I just ask something about the site please. A good few years back I signed up to the old site and posted a few times and did say that I didn't support pelting (very nicely too I might add lol) and promptly got disabled and couldn't join up again under that ISP. Is that a no-no on that site? Not saying this to start a huge debate - just wondering what I did wrong and that's all I could think it was lol. I would sign up again but just need to know what I need to be careful of lol.

[ChinchillaWorld]

Well it's a totally new site with new rules etc so if I was u I would go and have a quick read of them n see what they say - I am a member but can't say I've read the rules lol. You will also see our banner up there as a sponsor in the rotating banner thingy - it'll be there for the next 6 months :)

[Diane]

That site welcomes those that deal with the fur trade and those that don't Lycia. As such they will not allow any kind of criticism of either so saying you don't agree with it constitutes an offensive posting. Pelting is still legal in the US so if you rejoin just don't give an opinion. :)

[Claire D]

Most US forums tend to be pelt neutral - some ranchers do post on various forums and they tend to have vast amounts of knowledge (that's where the majority of our information originally came from and still does to a certain extent) and experience of keeping chins.

[NZ_Chinnie_Owner]

hehe Diane - do you realise how hard it is on me not to give an opinion? lol But yup - I'm learning, but it's just so hard lol but yup - mental note to keep shut about some things lol. I kinda have to say though that just because information is coming from pelters - it doesn't mean it's right. I do understand it is legal though, although being the offensive sort I am - I don't agree lol. But yup - I'll play nicely and just keep out of certain threads. When you think of it though - the word - pelting, fur breeding etc should just be banned except for those sites that strongly support it and where chinnie lovers know not to go in. *wonders why fake fur isn't enough*

lol - I guess I can't have a signature saying "anti fur" then lol and no - just being norty, I wouldn't do that as I do realise it's each persons right while it is legal. Where else is it legal though? Just interested really. Someone did try it here - but they were quickly shut down and all chins removed.

[jaina_organasolo]

it's still legal through out Europe really.

Just remember that if no-one had farmed Chinchillas for fur, we wouldn't have any at all. I'm not pro fur farming, especially in this day and age, but respect what the fur industry has given us - domestic chinchillas, knowledge that only keeping on a large scale can give and all the fancy colours that we have today.

That's how I see it.

[Claire D]

NZ_Chinnie_Owner, on Mar 2 2009, 09:21 PM, said:

I kinda have to say though that just because information is coming from pelters - it doesn't mean it's right.

Nor does it mean it is wrong ;)
There are some incredibly experienced ranchers who take the time to mentor "hobby" breeders and give valuable advice on the forums. I don't agree with pelting or fur farming and I do not support it in terms of buying from ranchers but I do have an enormous amount of respect for the knowledge certain individuals have. As Jaina says, without the ranchers we would not have pet chins and we certainly would not have the kind of knowledge we have available today - many pieces of research into health issues were carried out by ranchers and vets.

It's also worth remembering that the culture in the US is different from ours in the UK and probably from yours in NZ. Whilst at times that can create some friction, it can also be refreshing and act as a springboard into different ways of looking at issues. I don't take part in any of the pelting discussions since I have my own strong personal beliefs about it but I do enjoy the health discussions where some of the ranchers share experiences with different problems etc.

Back on topic - it is worth joining CnH and having a mooch about through the various threads - if you like what you see and can cope with the whole "pelt neutral" concept then it's a great place to learn and share. If you don't like it then you've lost nothing by joining and you can always walk away. Also you never know something might catch your eye another time. :)

[menagerie]

I have to agree with Claire here. I've learned many things from the knowledgeable people on CnH and what was formerly cnq. I am strictly rescue so I don't agree with what a lot of the breeders are doing, even those that don't pelt. But that's a whole different issue.

Like in all things in life, you'll find good and bad wherever you go. You just need to weed them out.

[NZ_Chinnie_Owner]

The best things I learnt have been from rescues - not breeders at all. But yup - learning to weed them out is needed as well as an excellent weed killer lol ;)

Although I did have a giggle - I just remembered there was another forum (it since closed down) and someone asked where I was from in NZ as they heard about the country and I said Christchurch, then I was very politely told that 'religous' things weren't discussed, everyone laughed when I explained it is the name of the city I am from.

This post has been edited by NZ_Chinnie_Owner: 02 March 2009 - 11:45 PM