Director`s Message 4 Market report 5 Annual
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Director`s Message 4 Market report 5 Annual
Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 BREEDER New 4-H members competing at the California Field Day Sarah Rivers, Abigail Arroyo & and Conchita Rivers Director’s Message 4 Market report 5 Annual meeting Report 8 Chinchilla dental disease 10 Mutation Genetics continued 11 Current research 14 President’s message for our Mexican members 20 Tiffany’s Chinchillas Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 Sullivan Fur Dressing SULLIVAN FUR DRESSING HAS BEEN PROCESSING CHINCHILLA PELTS SINCE 1956 We work because we were r We have the dressing process and finest finishing of Chinchilla fur available anywhere. We have had a long lasting association with CANCHILLA ASSOCIATES LIMITED Brent will schedule pelt buys here at our plant as he has done in the past as the supply of pelts becomes sufficient for a buy. The next Canchilla pelt buy is scheduled for January 2015 Call us for details and dates. Distributor for Blue Cloud dust and pelting supplies Don't settle for less than the best. Call Pete or Susan today! 435 477-1772 petesops@lightspeed.net Empress Chinchilla BREEDER Your National Directors Gary Neubauer, Director -at -Large President GHNeubauer@aol.com Co-Chair: Pelt Marketing Gene Adcock, Director at-Large 1st Vice President 906.282.9244 geneadcock@gmail.com National Show Chair Co-Chair: Internet, Co-Chair Fundraising & Advertising, Pelt Marketing Mike Lawrence, Region ll 2nd Vice President Co-Chair Fundraising & Advertising mcchins@hotmail.com P/fax 620.490.0325 Co-Chair Fundraising & Advertising Norra Horton, Director-at-Large Secretary/Treasurer 831.663.4154 Napplepie@aol.com Co-Chair Membership Chair: Positive Information Daniel John Jensen, Region lll 319.610.2638 Bluestarchinchilla@hotmail.com Chair: Hall of Fame Cara Beasley, Region l Scotts Valley, Calif Realhorseygirl@yahoo.com Chair: Research & Education Casey Craner, Director-at-Large 123 E. Pear St., Grantsville, UT 84029 801-651-5346 Cacraner@gmail.com Chair: Magazine Co-Chair: membership Wendy Torgerson - Adviser Ranch Certification Sumiko De La Vega, Advisor, Youth Development, Internet & Social Media General Manager Maxine Lynch 5525 Heidi St. La Mesa, CA 91942 619.825.6204 empresschinchilla@gmail.com www.empresschinchilla.org December 2014 The Latest from the General Manager Another year winding down and winter is well on it’s way. Christmas in around the corner. Excitement is filling the air. This all means that in the chinchilla world, the excitement and anticipation is for the new show season that is beginning. It is the culmination of another year of matings, and babies. The excitement of another years crop of young grown up . The anticipation of knowing they are better than last years crop but are they better than the competition? We will all soon find out! Support your branch with your show entries. They need your support to keep shows alive, you need the judges comments so your herd can grow and improve. We learned a lot from the Annual Meeting, some of the information is contained in this issue of the BREEDER. Other information and topics will be featured in future issues. I hope you take the time to read some of the latest information from people who are conducting the research and proving the findings. It is exciting to know that Dr. Mans and Cara Beasley, have the knowledge, the ability, and the desire to find answers to help us and our chinchillas. There is also more news of Lurlie Adam’s battle with PETA, as she tries to clear her name and show the unjust and abusive behavior of one of the largest nonprofit organizations in this country. Maxine Unauthorized reproduction or forwarding of this document is prohibited and may be cause for membership cancellation and/or legal remedies. Volume 70, No. 12 Information contained in this magazine, including any information about advertisers, members, addresses, phone numbers, e-mails, web sites, meeting places and dates, may not be reproduced without prior consent of the National Office of Empress Chinchilla Breeders Cooperative, Inc. This includes the internet site, empresschinchilla.org. Issn#175-860 The Empress Chinchilla Breeder, (founded in 1945 as the National Chinchilla Breeder) is published monthly by the Education, Research, Development Foundation of Empress Chinchilla Breeders Cooperative, Inc. Located at 5525 Heidi St, La Mesa, CA 91942. Periodicals Postage Prices paid at La Mesa Post Office 91944 and at additional mailing offices. This periodical is mailed to members and is available upon subscription to libraries, universities and, research personnel. Copyright 1991, Empress Chinchilla Breeders Cooperative, Inc. All rights reserved. Postmaster: Send address changes to Empress Chinchilla Breeders Cooperative, Inc. 5525 Heidi St., La Mesa, CA 91942 3 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 Director’s Report Director At Large, Gene Adcock I look back at the Annual Meeting and all I can say is WOW what an Annual Meeting! One of the best for content and accomplishment! A Huge Thank You to our General Manager Maxine for putting together such amazing programs and keeping everything running so smooth. What a pleasure to have Ann and Dan Harris in attendance and to get their perspective on the topics being presented. A joy to see Beth Ann. Add the experience of Jim and Amanda Ritterspach and Ralph and Barbara Shoots, and we had over 300 years of experience in that room. I was also pleased to see so many younger producers in the room, Ryan Chinn from Washington, Cara, Sumiko and Tabitha from California. Casey from Utah. I was especially impressed that Tiffany would drive 17 hours one way to participate. It is exciting to see these young people with a eye for quality raising quality animals. As I left the Annual meeting my mind was spinning trying to think of ways to top what we did in Wisconsin. I have some ideas for the judging seminar. With all the exciting news and ways to succeed in the chinchilla business - I left the Annual Meeting energized! Two weeks later I had the opportunity to judge at the California Field Day. I talked to the group about making money with chinchillas. Since I have always thought of chinchillas as an opportunity to make money it surprised me when I was informed that making money is not the goal of everyone. I was told that many people did not care if they made money in chinchillas or not. They loved the animal and they were fine not making any money. Too me this was a strange statement, foreign to the way I do business and think. As I thought about the statement over the following few days, at first it made no sense. But as I thought about it more, it dawned on me that while it is possible to make money in chinchillas, our membership is changing and many of the members don’t want or need to make money. While I may never totally understand it, the fact is, this is how many of our members feel. This just confirms that times are changing and Empress needs to change to meet the needs of all of it’s members. I am so glad that we have the youth of Cara and Casey on the board to help us make those changes. Sumiko has not gone too far either, she as well will help us transition. We have members like myself who will always think of chinchillas as a pelting business. Some members who do not consider it a business at all, but love the competition of showing. Other members who sell enough animals to pay the feed bills to support their hobby. We even have members who have a couple pets and are dedicated to providing those pets the best possible life available. The Directors realize Empress has to provide the information and direction for all these members. Your Directors are up for the challenge and ready for the task. But we need your help, if you feel we are not in tune with your interest - let us know! Stay in contact, hold us accountable. Empress is growing and changing to meet your needs. Change is not always easy, but working together we can make it happen. I look forward to making it happen with you! Gene 4 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 2G Market Report September 2014 Kopenhagen Report We offered 9,399 Standard Chinchilla at the September auction of which 8,352 skins were sold at an average of DKK 397. 5,296 regular skins were sold at an average of DKK 499 compared to DKK 452 at the June auction. 3,056 lowgrades were sold at DKK 219 compared to DKK 231 in June. The top price of this auction was DKK 1,300 compared to DKK 710 in June. VB3 and VB4 skins were not sold. There were many buyers in the auction room from Italy, England, Greece, Turkey among others. The demand for blue skins was strong, as usual, and especially for good qualities and colour. The size still obtains high prices just like the good qualities. In general, good skins increased and lowgrades declined in price. The mutations were in strong demand, but the problem is the small number of skins produced. However, we receive more skins especially of the type Violet. Kopenhagen Fur recommends that farmers produce more mutations. Italy was again the largest buyer followed by England, Greece, Turkey, Russia and Germany. There were no Chinese buyers in the auction room this time. The top lot was bought by an Italian buyer. Kopenhagen Fur believes that next season will be good as the number of skins of good quality is small on the world market. We receive more and more skins pelted correctly and of good quality. Furthermore, the dressing has been improved during the previous seasons. Standard Chinchilla Skins sold Regular 5,296 Lowgrades 3,056 Total 8,352 Violet Chinchilla Skins sold Regular 222 Lowgrades 62 284 Shadow Chinchilla Skins sold Regular 156 Lowgrades 63 219 Blue Diamond Chinchilla Skins sold Average DKK Regular 114 916 Lowgrades 134 228 TOTAL 248 544 Top DKK 940 400 940 Sapphire Chinchilla Skins sold Regular 28 Lowgrades 21 49 Top DKK 900 280 900 Average DKK 900 280 634 We thank all Chinchilla farmers for an excellent cooperation during the season. Stig Reinhold Here is the list of average prices: Beige $109 /pelt Whites $106/pelt Standards $84/pelt Violets $142/pelt Sapphires $151/pelt Blue Diamonds $150/pelt Top price on Shadows (variations of white) $216.96 It is encouraging that chinchilla prices are remaining strong. Additionally, that top quality standard and mutations, especially lighter shades, remain in high demand. This high market demand is expected to remain the same for the next sale as well. Again, Kopenhagen encourages and recommends ranchers to raise more mutations. This is exciting news for the industry. So let’s get those animals in breeding! Gene and Gary Need Christmas Gift Ideas? Average DKK 499 219 397 Top DKK 990 390 990 Average DKK 848 380 747 Average DKK 630 103 479 Very Affordable Most priced at $5-$12 plus shipping, for Empress members. Top DKK 960 400 960 Top DKK 1,300 120 1,300 Empress has a large selection of chinchilla roses for sale Choose from long stem roses, to pins, to hair combs, plus jewelry. Contact Maxine today to place your order 619-825-6204 5 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 Annual Meeting Report Friday night before the Annual Meeting even started we The topic at the banquet was, what a time to be raising had some wonderful karaoke thanks to Brenda Walter who chinchillas. No matter what your interest, you should arranged for the DJ. No matter if you sang or not, I think be making money in chinchillas! everyone enjoyed themselves! Sunday morning and we still had a bit of information to President Gary Neubauer opened the Annual Meeting impart before the delegate session. I brought out some dedicating the festivities to Director Dan Jensen who was 50+ year old pelts to show just how much improvement we have made! deployed to Iraq the week before the meeting. We bean with the judging seminar. The focus this year That was followed up with a report on how to stay safe was identifying a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place animal and giving in light of the recent PETA attacks in California and the meaningful comments. Gary worked one table with the 6 upper midwest. trainee judges focusing on pelts. At the end of the session Gary left the trainees wishing there was more time to work New Director Cara Beasley took over giving information on genetics and an exciting update on the strep bacteria. with him. I don’t want to give too much information here as Cara The folks from the Wisconsin Branch brought a nice is going to be writing articles on these topics for the variety of animals to work with. Gene and I got to work BREEDER. If you have a problem you believe to be with everyone else with standards, black velvets, ebonies, strep, contact Cara. She and Dr. Mans are working together to beat this bacteria. beige, sapphires and violets. After a quick morning of working under the lights, It was time to turn our attention to educational presentations. Dr. Mans hit a home run with his presentation on Dental Disease in Chinchillas. More information in an article in this issue. Dr. Mans and his team of 4 had the opportunity to collect urine samples all during the judging seminar. The purpose of this is to determine the the normal values of urine, that will help detect infections, kidney disease, and metabolic disease in his future work. We were glad to be able to assist him. Because his work is so fascinating and the many questions put us a bit over our schedule, but we kept pushing on. We have no election this year because only 1 person ran in each director position race. In Region l we thank Sumiko for her 3 years of service on the board and Cara Beasley is the incoming director. In Region lll, Gary Neubauer was appointed last year to fill the vacant position. Dan Jensen was nominated and is now the Region lll Director. With Dan going to a Regional Director position and Shahna Thomas not seeking re-election, that left two Director-at-Large positions open. Gary Neubauer was nominated and Casey Craner was nominated, there Wendy Torgerson and Gene Adcock presented on herd were no other nominations, so Gary and Casey are your management and line breeding, followed by Sumiko De La two new Directors-at-Large. We welcome Cara and Vega presenting on breeding recessive mutations. Amaz- Casey our two newest board members and look forward to their ideas. ing she has been so successful with such a small herd. 6 Gary was up next talking about Improving Production. Gary Neubauer remains our President This is a topic that more people should take more seriously Gene Adcock 1st Vice President as it is so important to our bottom dollar. Mike Lawrence 2nd Vice President Norra Horton Secretary/Treasurer As the seminar wound down and we converted the room in preparation for the banquet, some people cornered It is time for the delegate meeting. Gary at the pelt table again for some additional instruction. Empress Chinchilla BREEDER Report of Delegates Meeting & Resolutions There were three resolutions submitted ahead of time and one hand carried suggestion. Resolution #1 was submitted by the Washington Branch and proposed that regional directors be eliminated and replaced with directors. Allowing anyone from any region who receives the most votes be a National Director. Delegate vote 1 for, 7 against. The directors confirmed delegate action 4-0 Resolution # 2 submitted by the Washington Branch stated that national shows should rotate between a western location (such as California) and Denver, Co. The delegates voted 0 for and 8 against. The directors confirmed the delegate action 4-0 Resolution #3 was submitted by the Greater Kansas City Branch, stated that the Blue Diamond Color chinchilla should have it’s own subclass in the Sapphire and Violet classes based on judges discretion. The delegates voted 7 for and 1 against The directors discussed this and voted to defeat the delegate action 4-0. The directors modified the resolution and voted to add a Blue Diamond subclass in the sapphire class only. Motion carried Carried 4-0 The fourth item for consideration was an prepared statement and suggestion that the 2015 National Show should be held as a 1 day show. This opened up considerable discussion. President Neubauer invited everyone to vote on this issue, the vote was 1 for - 23 against. The directors voted 4-0 to uphold delegate action. In the board meeting there were some changes made to the National Show rules. Changes listed in the column to the right. There was additional discussion on how to make the National Pelt Show more enticing for smaller and younger ranchers. These changes are listed in the column to the right. December 2014 2015 National Show Rule Changes Animals do not have to be caged and entered Friday evening by 10 PM. Pelts and standard animals may be registered up until 8:00 AM on Saturday, March 7th. Mutations may be registered up until 8:00 AM Sunday, March 8th. Grooming ends at 9:00 AM each day. The Loyd Sullivan Award will be awarded to any rancher with less than 10 years in the business, and has the highest breeder points, who shows a minimum of 5 pelts (standard or mutation) and obtains a minimum of 25 total points. In both the mutation animals and mutation pelts, breeder award rosettes will be given to the rancher who scores the highest amount of points with a minimum of 5 in a color class and a minimum of 27 total points on those 5 animals/pelts. 1st place pelts will n o longer be stamped, allowing that pelt to be shown in a future National Show. It is hoped that this will encourage smaller ranchers to compete and allow them to build a pelt show string over multiple years if they so desire. In anticipation of chinchillas with alternate fur types (for example, long furs and curlies) to be show in the next few years, empress has designed this class for them to compete and obtain judges evaluations. At this time these animals will not count towards the 20 total entries nor will their points o toward breeder points. added to the white class. It is recognized that the recessive white is a different color from the whites and beige. They will compete against themselves in the class and compete with the whites for class champion. The Blue Diamonds will compete in their own class within the Sapphire class. The Blue Diamond will compete against Sapphires for Class Champion. 77 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 2015 ECBC National Show 62nd Standard Live Animal - 51st Mutation Live Animal 10th Combined International Pelt Show March 7 & 8, 2015 Eagles Hall, Lancaster, Ohio Judges: Gene Adcock, Maxine Lynch, Tamara Tucker. Alt: Brenda Walters NEW FEATURE - Mutation Show Breeder Awards given for each color section. Producer must show minimum of 5 animals or pelts in that color section. The points from the top 5 scoring animals or pelts will be added. The rancher with the highest score and a minimum of 27 points, will win the breeder award in that color section. 1 Award to be given in each color section. Entry/registration times - For 2015 National Show the Friday Night entry deadline has been waived. Animals or pelts may be entered up to 8:00 AM Saturday morning. Grooming concludes by 9:00 AM sharp. Mutation Entries may be entered up to 8:00 AM Sunday morning. Grooming concludes at 9:00 AM sharp! Update on the PETA attack at the Valley View Chinchilla Ranch I had the opportunity to talk with Lurlie Adams the other day. She and her attorney have met with the judge who will be hearing the case of her lawsuit against PETA. The judge is sympathetic due to Lurlie’s age and will be pushing the case forward without delay. Lurlie’s attorney has gone one step farther and has also filed a suit in Federal Court. This lawsuit deals with the fact that PETA filmed and recorded Lurlie and her employee without their knowledge, which is a violation. Additionally, they chopped the footage to distort the facts and ruin Lurlie Adams reputation. This misrepresentation caused undue stress and threats upon Lurlie’s life. This law suit also alleges elder abuse as a result of PETA’s malicious lies and distorted truth. I will of course be watching this case closely and report any progress as it happens. 8 Most people realize that our future is our youth. The future of Empress chinchilla industry may very well be our youth. There are two members in California working closely with 4-H kids who are interested in working with chinchilla. As this issue of the BREEDER goes to press, three new 4-H kids are attending their first show. Won’t you please consider sponsoring a 4-H kid. For $25 your can give them a 1 year membership to Empress Chinchilla. They will receive 12 magazines with valuable information to help them with their project throughout the year. That membership will also allow them to show animals and pay the reduced member entry fees. Your gift will get them started right. Your gift of $25 will help them succeed with their chinchilla project. This holiday season consider a $25 gift to ensure our future gets the right start in this industry. Empress Chinchilla BREEDER A Big thank you goes out to the folks in the Wisconsin Branch for their hospitality and hard work. Brenda Walter was phenominal! Wendy Torgerson a gem! It was nice to meet both of you. Thank you for all your hard work, planning, and the use of your equipment . The karaoke was a hit, thank you for the treats. I found out I LOVE cheese curds! It was a joy that as the festivities were about to begin,old friends started pouring in. What a joy to see Ann and Dan Harris - they haven’t aged a bit. I served on the board with Ann many years ago. As the 2 girls on the board wrangling with the boys, we had our work cut out for us on some issues keeping those boys in line! It’s been a year since I have seen Ralph and Barbara Shoots and Jim and Amanda Ritterspach. It always amazes me the amount of history and talent in a room when these folks show up. Then Beth Ann arrived. I haven’t seen Beth Ann in I can’t remember how many years, it was so good to see her. And thank you for all the books, it did help me complete the National Office library! I got to meet Cecil Featherston and his wife. This couple have raised chinchillas for 50 years. And like most chinchilla ranchers they are home grown good people, and it was a pleasure to meet them. December 2014 producers, Meg Mantyh and Kristy Morici, thank you for participating. To a long time members Dan Moulton, Patrick Graif, and Lynn Fairchild , I hope you all learned a lot. Your dedication is appreciated! To our board members, Mike Lawrence, Gene Adcock, Gary Neubauer, Sumiko De La Vega, you have been a joy to work with and we have accomplished so much. To the incoming board members Cara Beasley and Casey Craner, I really look forward to you joining the team and working with you. As I mentioned last month, this was my 20th Annual Meeting. I think I learned the most from this one. The judging seminar was great. Gary gave the trainees a workout like we have never delivered to trainees. Gene and I really enjoyed working with the trainees and ranchers and hopefully gave you something to think about. The educational portions were so informative. In the next couple months I will summarize the presentations (or twist the arms of the presenters) to write an article so you get the information. We are looking to Region ll for our 2015 Annual Meeting. Kansas City, St. Louis or St. Joe are the top choices, hope to see you in the midwest! A number of the younger ranchers who flew into Milwaukee and drove west, Sumiko, Ryan, Cara, Tabitha and Casey. The stamina of Tiffany Whitlow is amazing 17 hours of driving - one way - that is dedication! Thank you to the Klimpers for driving Mikayla from Colorado. Mikayla is Colorado’s youngest delegate and it was a pleasure to have her there! Our thoughts and prayers are with Calista and Maynard Beitz. Calista suffered from a stroke the weekend before. The reports are that her progress is coming along well, and we hope to see her up and around and running shows again very soon. Thoughts and prayers were also with Bpb Baar who is recovering from shoulder surgery and could not attend the meeting. Bob and June you were missed! It was also wonderful to meet a couple of our newer go out to the workhorse behind the Colorado Branch and Our thoughts and prayers are with both of you for a speedy recovery! 9 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 Chinchilla Dental Disease As reported by Dr. Christoph Mans from the 2014 Empress Annual meeting in Barneveld, WI At the 2014 Annual Meeting we had a good fortune of having Dr. Christoph Mans present to us on his research with chinchillas and dental disease. His work is fascinating. Dr. Mans works at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Dr. Mans stated that to properly, fully examine a chinchillas mouth, teeth and jaws for dental disease, it is best to anesthetize the chinchilla. He states that the knowledge and drugs that are available today make anesthesia a very safe procedure. To attempt to fully examine the chinchilla’s mouth without anesthesia causes to much stress for the animal and you really cannot effectively accomplish the task. Once anesthetized, Dr. Mans is then able to fully examine the mouth. He takes x-rays of the skull and jaws. The original work was to attempt to help maloccluded animals. Dr. Mans is able to temporarily relieve animals with malocclusion. But there is no cure malocclusion. The interesting point that has come out of his work is that chinchillas do suffer from gingivitis and dental decay just like we do. Chinchillas have 4 teeth on either side of their mouth, upper and lower. These are used for grinding food. Should one of these teeth start to decay, one might think the best course of action would be to remove the tooth. This works well in other animals. It does not work well in chinchillas because chinchilla teeth grow continuously. Without the opposite tooth to grid against the opposite tooth will continue to grow, causing problems. In chinchillas, the better course of action is preventative care through diet. Chinchillas need a high fiber diet. The fiber keeps the animal’s digestive tract flowing normally. But the fiber also keeps the teeth ground down. When high sugar supplements and treats are added to the diet, it raises the sugar content in the mouth, putting the chinchilla at a significantly higher risk of developing cavities, infection, and tooth and gum disease. Like with us, a good diet and exercise is the most important factors in maintaining good health. It is much easier to avoid poor health and disease by proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle! 10 Photos from Bill Booker’s collection of malocclusion chinchilla skulls Diet for Dental Health For optimum dental health in your chinchillas, avoid sugary treats such as: Raisins Fruit Berries Apples Carrots Sugared Cereal Better choices are: Hay Oatmeal Grains Wheat bran Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 Mutation Genetics Made Easy Update on chinchilla genetics via the Human Genome Project When I volunteered my 2008 chinchilla color genetics article to Maxine Lynch for the ECBC magazine published fall, 2014), what I didn’t know turns out to be vast, so vast that I just finished a MOOC (mass open online course) on “Useful Genetics” via Coursera that is turning my genetics knowledge on its ear. To put this in perspective: I am a 25+ years practicing physician, I majored in Biology/Genetics in college, I have been breeding chinchillas for about 15 years and Syrian hamsters for 5 years before that. All this has given me both technical and practical knowledge of the genetics of fur color, texture and patterns of two small furred animals. What I didn’t have was updated knowledge of molecular biology re: genetics, or genomics, the popular new name for studying the entire genetic makeup of living beings, and I sure do now. My genealogy-interested sister dragged me to a Family Ancestry symposium in Washington DC summer, 2014, and for those of you who do genealogy research you know that paper records (think of the family tree) have been augmented now by personal DNA testing. This conference gave me my first taste of SNPs and tandem repeats (I’ll come back to these) and that led to my signing up for a six week Coursera course on genetics/genomics. AND here is a plug for Coursera—coursera.org—they offer dozens, maybe hundreds, of courses online, for FREE, and I do mean FREE, and it seems like great universities are jumping on the bandwagon to offer Coursera courses at tremendous man and woman power cost—the grad students/PhD candidates answer questions, run the forums, etc. but the video lectures are all done by the professors themselves. I have taken 8 courses so far (one twice, it was so good), and haven’t had a bad one yet, nor have I been hit up for a dime, except if I wanted a statement of accomplishment for official purposes, which is totally unnecessary for most people. My courses were taught by professors at U Penn, Brown, Weslyan College and most recent course, U of British Columbia—on average, I spent several hours a week listening to video lectures, reading, doing assignments and taking quizzes but at my own pace and time. Because I’m a type A person, I also did the quizzes and assignments, but you don’t have to--you are free to audit the course without them. Honestly, I cannot think of a better way to spend your free time if you are feeling a little intellectually sluggish or just plain want to learn something new. (My first course? Greek Mythology.(Loved it!). Ok, you are thinking, how does this matter to chinchilla genetics? Turns out that strict “Mendelian” genetics, i.e. our concept of single recessive and dominant genes, is much more complicated for many phenotypic characteristics (phenotype: what is expressed/evident in a person/animal/plant, genotype: what’s genetically underlying it) even if the phenotype is genetically determined, meaning some phenotypic things derive from environmental influence, not genetics, or are a combination, like height in humans. And genes for color can, at least in vegetables, be from a lack of a regulatory gene somewhere in the pathway, as well as the final gene coding an enzyme that “makes” the color what it is. Sometimes mutant or variant color genes act in a “codominant” way and give a flower, the morning glory is an example, an independent color—not white or dark blue but light blue, and this conceivably could be the type of explanation for viophire/Blue Diamond, which seems pretty well established as a chinchilla color, and even beige violet, which I have a pair who are making every litter and the color is absolutely the same every kit—almost homobeige but not really (and one parent is violet so they cannot be homobeige), and without those very light red homobeige eyes. Perhaps Goldbar and other unusual chin colors involve multiple genes or gene products modifying each other, even though they have been assigned recessive or dominant designation for breeding purposes. But the main information available now is from the Human Genome project, which published the entire human genome in 2004, and its spinoffs. For those of you who might have been “off planet” for the last ten years, this project, which used computers all over the world working day and night, completely sequenced the base pairs of the human genome—all the DNA in all genes, all chromosomes—and now a number of other species have been completely sequenced as well (but, as far as I can tell, chinchilla isn’t one of them, although some animals in its order, rodentia, have been). Now, you might think that complete sequencing of the human genome might make things easier, i.e. to identify abnormalities and think about how to correct them, genetically, 11 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER but I think it has actually made things incredibly more complicated, and interesting. For some specific human genes, we do know that mutations change disease risk, like mutations in the BRCA gene that greatly increase breast cancer risk, or cause specific disease every time (mutations in the cystic fibrosis gene) but often what we have learned is that specific DNA sequences, or even single nucleotide base pair variations, are “associated” with a risk of a disease, or a trait. These single nucleotide base pair variants, shortened to “SNPs” (pronounced “snips” by genome folks) are so good at predicting phenotype (your expressed traits) that for $99 you can have your genome checked for a million SNPs and be given the results that you can use to predict your risk of, let’s say, Alzheimer’s disease. Amazing yes? These SNPs are not necessarily from or in the mutations that cause Alzheimer’s, and often your risk involves a number of different SNPs which can increase or lower risk, but they are somehow linked or near to or influence genes that do contribute to Alzheimer’s, in a reference population. AH, that is the important thing: your SNPS are particular to your ethnicity because without a control group, SNPs tell you nothing. Now how does this have anything at all to do with chinchillas? Well, because we need to, and will eventually, sequence the chinchilla genotype, and then specific chinchilla subtypes (angoras, curlies, beiges, whites, ebonies, velvets, violets, sapphires) to get a handle on what genes determine color or other fur traits (or at least what SNPs are associated with these things) and might get a better understanding of weird inheritance, like that of ebony and curly fur. But the other thing to know is that DNA often has tandem repeats, meaning you will have a run of, let’s say, ATAG in base pairs, that repeats 2, 3, 4 or more times, and the repeats can cause differences in phenotype (maybe they code for a protein that makes a pigment more common—more protein, more pigment—ah ha, sounds like ebony doesn’t it?). Tandem repeats are a VERY common occurrence, because of how DNA polymerase binds onto a chromosome as it is making a new chromosome (a repeat can cause a loop in DNA, leading to more tandem repeats). I am not saying I know this is the case with ebony, just pointing out that there are many intricacies of DNA and its replication that lead to expression in the phenotype so that simply thinking of traits as being the product of one gene that has alleles (different possible sequences in the same location) that are recessive or dominant doesn’t begin to tell the story. 12 December 2014 Are we doing commercial DNA analyses in animals now? HECK YES. Back in 2001, using what limited information was available then, The Jockey Club changed from blood typing to DNA typing for parentage verification in thoroughbred horses. Now, for many livestock animals, there is SNP testing available, and surprisingly cheap, for cows, sheep, pigs and others. As an example: Pfizer, a huge pharmacology company, has testing for hornless cattle (desirable), and coat coloration (black angus with two black genes are apparently much more valuable than heterozygotes) and at pretty reasonable prices (less than $50 to do both). You can get an entire “color panel” for horses for a few hundred dollars. And, of course, what is driving a lot of human genomic research and products offered direct to consumers, i.e. you and me, is ancestry or genealogy research. Test kits and analyses are a huge source of capital to all the commercial genomics companies (Ancestry.com, 23 and me, Family Tree are just a few) at $99 for complete somatic (non-sex) gene analysis, and more $ for Y chromosome testing (with different numbers of SNPs and regions included, depending on your pocketbook) and also mitochondrial DNA testing, which is a fascinating subject on its own. Whether you are male or female, mitochondrial DNA comes from your mom, and it is much more stable than nuclear DNA. Now, here is a fun fact: Syrian hamsters provided the mutation rate of this type DNA from samples (of poop!) sent from all over the world to one lab for comparison, because we know all Syrian hamsters in captivity are descended from one litter dug out of the desert near Aleppo, Syria in 1930 (ref: Seven Daughters of Eve by Brian Sykes). OK, back to chinchillas: to complete my addition to chin genetic lore, I hardly mentioned angoras, and didn’t mention curlies (also called lockens) at all in my 2008 mutation genetics overview. These are the only two fur-length/typealtering characteristics that have been identified so far in the chinchilla that seem to be genetically determined. I have bred curlies for several years and can tell you, as I suspect can Jim Ritterspach who has much more experience with breeding curlies than do I, that if I understood how to make a consistently good curly I would be a happy camper. He will tell you that if you lose ebony in the line, you lose the curly—there must be some interaction of gene products that once known will seem like a piece of cake to us. But even with plenty of ebony on board, whether the chin is curly as a kit and as an adult, or curly as a kit, straight as an adult, or NEVER curly at all is difficult to predict—same parents give me variable kits, several litters, and I have many now grown so know how they turned out. If this is not enough “brave new world” genetics information Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 for you, I know a breeder who tells me he has successfully done in vitro fertilization in chinchillas. Hmmm, think of the implications for rare and expensive chinchillas, like angoras and curlies, not to mention grand show champion animals. After 26 years of raising chinchilla, Rich and Jan Ryerson have decided to sell our ranch as we would like to retire and do some traveling. We will offer our entire ranch which will include our home and chinchilla barns on 5 acres. Also included are 8 semi trailers for housing and storage. Our goal is to sell out the equipment and herd in the next 2 years. Any interested parties contact Rich or Jan at lgroxy@aol.com or phone 4190-687-1071 Approximately 2000 breeders. Includes offspring and cages. . Includes 4 pelt drums, dressing knives, all tools, chemical vats and equipment needed. Help will be provided to get plant set up and into operation. that includes small 5 ton benchmaster press and 35 ton punch press. Punch dies for 3 piece collars, regular 2 piece collars, large 2 piece collars, jumphole dies and 20,000 collar rivits. Help will be provided to learn to operate all the dies and run the press operation. that includes metal sheer, corner notchers, bending machine, wire bending machine, wire cutters, spot welder, sheet steel cart, inventory of sheet steel and many miscellaneous tools. Package of complete ranch would include contacts for animal sales and over 20 University's for research sales. Interested parties may contact Rich or Jan Ryerson @ 419-687-1071 or email to lgroxy @ aol.com We will see the entire chinchilla genotype sequenced in the not too distant future. But even now, maybe we should be doing something proactively: we should get DNA “spit test” kits (cheek swabs) and do tests on chinchillas in shows that take top honors—color class champions and trophy winners—and keep them until we can analyze the data. (DNA is very stable). Are these not the chinchilla ideals and perhaps what we ought to be comparing everything else to anyway, phenotypically at shows and eventually genetically in labs? And, what is so helpful for chinchillas, as is also true for Syrian hamsters, is that all chinchillas in captivity are descended from a known founder population that Mr. Chapman brought down from the Andes Mountains and to the USA in 1923. Because we know where all current captive chinchillas’ DNA came from, i.e. we know their nearest common ancestors, there should be a lot of homogeneity in gene samples and we can then focus on the SNPs, tandem repeats and other places where the DNA is NOT identical to look for evidence for color and other new-since-leaving-the-Andes mutation genes. It would be a tremendous, far-seeing start in the chinchillas world if this gene testing were done—anyone got access to spit kits we can use without paying $99/apiece to Ancestry.com et al. to get them? So, we know a lot more about genetics and genomics in the last decade, thanks to the Human Genome Project and all the other species’ genomes sequenced, and studied, since then. Coursera, a web company offering free MOOCs, has courses on genomics that would help anyone interested in more information or understanding (probably you will have to wait until next summer/fall when Useful Genetics is offered again, but there are other courses year-round about genetics/evolution and many other related topics). I hope we attain full genome sequencing of the chinchilla in the near future and thereby better understanding of how, and where in the DNA, mutations change fur color and other features in this animal. Photo courtesy Tiffanys Chinchillas 13 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 Current Research At the Empress Annual Meeting in Wisconsin, Dr. Christoph Mans from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, gave a report on the types of chinchilla research he is conducting at the University. He has 4 assistants who work with him. His work is fascinating and we are truly grateful that he is performing the research. It will help the veterinary community around the world as they help us care for the animals we love. Dr. Mans acknowledges that much of the work he does will be utilized by the pet owners or hobbyists and is not financially feasible for the pelt producer, nevertheless, the research needs to be done, and we are thankful he is doing it. Project Pain Management - One such project is Pain Management. An attempt to discover what types of pain medication works best for chinchilla with the least amount of side effects. Documenting and measuring proper dosages. Smaller dosages compared to frequency of dosage. Further projects will be to try to find effective longer lasting pain medications. Also measuring the effectiveness of oral compared to subcutaneous. Project Diagnostic imaging – X-raying hundreds of chinchillas to establish the norm for organ size, appearance, and placement. This is done on both a CT scan and radiographs. This will help them determine if a sick chinchilla has an enlarge heart, for example. This information can be shared with other vets around the world. Project Anesthesia - This project is measuring the differences between gas anesthesia and injectable anesthesia. Measurements include the differences in depth, duration and recovery. Because it is so important to maintain a chinchillas active digestive system and appetite this study also measures the effect on fecal output and the animals appetite. Project Thermometry – determining the easiest way to get accurate temperatures on chinchillas. Rectal vs ear. In most animals the ear is easiest but it needs to be determined in a chinchilla. Project Urine Study – The importance of this study is to establish the normal values of chinchillas. It helps to detect underlying poor health such as infections, kidney disease, metabolic diseases. At the annual meeting we were so happy to help with this study. Throughout the judging seminar, instead of sopping up urine with a paper towel, we called for a vet who came running with syringe in hand to gather as much urine as possible to go into the centrifuge and then be testing and measurements taken. It is not surprising that Dr. Mans has ideas for future studies, those include; Long acting pain medications Safety of long acting antibiotics Safety of new drugs to treat Giardia Strep. Zooepidemicus We are excited to have a vet interested in learning more about chinchilla. The results of Dr. Mans research will be reported in future issues of the BREEDER. 14 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 EMPRESS Offers Educational Seminars Empress has a number of training topics that have been developed and we are now able to go to different areas and present educational seminars to chinchilla producers. Pictured here, Gary Neubauer is demonstrating to the Mexican Ranchers in Lerma, MX, the various fur qualities of the chinchilla. Showing how to choose and mate animals to produce desired qualities. If you would like to sponsor an educational seminar in your area, contact the National Office for more information empresschinchilla@gmail.com. More presentations are being developed all the time. Listed below are some of the topics currently available: Improving Production Water Quality Developing Your Prize Winning Herd Saving Babies What did the Judge Mean by that - Fur Terminology Maintaining a Healthy Herd Chinchilla Animal Husbandry Grooming Animals for Show Grooming Pelts for Show Choosing Quality Hay Recognizing Fur Qualities Air Flow Making Roses from your Pelts This Holiday Season …… Give the gift they will love…..All year long! For only $25 you can give a 1 year membership to Empress Chinchilla! Your recipient will receive 12 educational magazines about the animals they love, 1 for each month, delivered directly to their inbox Act today and your recipient will receive a special welcoming gift message with their first issue Magazine Advertising Welcome New Members Sarah Rivers - Northern California Branch Abigail Arroyo - Northern California Branch Jeff Chandler - Greater Kansas City Branch Give them a Hearty Empress Welcome! 15 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER Our day started bright and early at 3 AM on the morning of November 15. We loaded up my little Honda Accord, playing “Chinchilla Tetris” to fit all the carriers with our animals. Two of the 4-H members in the Calla 4-H chinchilla project group packed themselves into the car along with another prospective breeder who rode with us to the show. It was a tight fit but we made it work and Sarah and Conchita cuddled together with blankets to stay warm while the A/C was blasted to keep the chinchillas comfortable. Luckily, it was only a 2-hour drive to Salinas and we found a Starbucks to wake up with some food and warm drinks before arriving at the show hall. The facilities were very nice and everything was set up and ready to go when we arrived. The third 4-H’er, Abigail, met us there with her mother who was very interested to see what the shows were like. We got all our paperwork completed and immediately started grooming. The 4-H’ers had been practicing their grooming at our monthly project meetings so the chins had been roughgroomed well beforehand. They got to practice their fine grooming and lint-rolling skills at the show. I also had a few animals there that I was not planning on showing since they were sold but decided to enter them so they could get some extra grooming practice and entries in the new showmanship class. 16 December 2014 The show started with the baby derby for the “cutest” chinchilla and followed with the 4-H showmanship class, where the animals that they groomed were judged on their preparation and appearance at the show. The showmanship class was something new we wanted to try out with the CA group. The purpose was to encourage them to make their chinchillas look their best. Did they keep the cage clean at home to prevent pen stains and oxidation? Did they dust their animals? Did they trim tails? Did they comb their animals well and remove all the loose fur? This class was very helpful and encouraging and all who entered animals in showmanship received showmanship ribbons in addition to placings of the 3 best-prepared animals. Following were the mutation and standard shows. Conchita and Abigail volunteered to be animal handlers and all three each went up with Gene to “co-judge” a class. Sarah ended up winning 3rd Jr. Breeder and Conchita won RCC with her standard male. They came home with lots of raffle prizes and ribbons and had a great time. Thank you Cara for planning the event and to David and Sandy for assisting her – we all had a great time! Congratulations Calla 4-H chinchilla group on a great performance at your first show! Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 CA ECBC Fall Field Day Results November 15, 2014 Salinas, CA 9 exhibitors, 40 standards, 20 mutations Grand Show Mutation – Beige - Chinchilla Chateau Sumiko De La Vega Res Grand Show Mutation - Bg - Chinchilla Chateau Sumiko De La Vega White CC - PW - Chinchilla Chateau (Sumiko De La Vega) White RCC - PW - Chinchilla Chateau (Sumiko De La Vega) Beige CC - Chinchilla Chateau (Sumiko De La Vega) Beige RCC - Chinchilla Chateau (Sumiko De La Vega) Sapphire CC - Chinchillas QED (Cara Beasley) Black Velvet CC - Jinn and Ryan Wu Black Velvet RCC - Jinn and Ryan Wu Grand Show Standard - Chinchilla Chateau (Sumiko De La Vega) Reserve Grand Show Standard - Chinchilla Chateau (Sumiko De La Vega) Class Class Class Class Class Class Class Class 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 CC - Chinchilla Chateau (Sumiko De La Vega) RCC - Jinn and Ryan Wu CC - Chinchilla Chateau (Sumiko De La Vega) RCC - Conchita Rivers CC - Chinchilla Chateau (Sumiko De La Vega) RCC - Chinchilla Chateau (Sumiko De La Vega) CC - Chinchilla Chateau (Sumiko De La Vega) RCC - Chinchilla Chateau (Sumiko De La Vega) My First Show My Name is Sarah Rivers. I am 17 years old and just got started in breeding and showing chinchillas. The animals that were donated to me and the other members of my 4-H club has introduced me to the fun and learning experience of breeding and showing these beautiful animals. The new 4-H breeders attended our first show last weekend. We had a fantastic time and even took home a Reserve Champion Ribbon for my male in his class. I am looking forward to improving my Ranch and going to many more shows with the rest of my club. I also look forward to meeting many new friends in the coming months at the other shows we will be attending. Thank you to the Ranchers who donated animals to for the Calla 4H Club in Manteca. The 4H motto is to Make the Best Better we look forward to applying this motto to our new found hobby. Happy Holidays! Sarah Rivers Calla 4-H Club President and new Chinchilla Rancher Jr. Breeder Awards 1st place Jr. Breeder - Jinn and Ryan Wu 2nd place Jr. Breeder – XTC (David Walters) 3rd place Jr. Breeder - Sarah Rivers 4-H/FFA Showmanship Awards Conchita Rivers (1st and 3rd) Abigail Arroyo (2nd place) Sarah Rivers Baby Derby 1st place - Amber Gold Baby Derby 2nd place - Sarah Rivers Baby Derby 3rd place - Abigail Arroyo Congratulations All! A Huge Debt of Gratitude Sumiko and Sarah wish to thank the following people for being so generous. Their help has given the 3 Calla 4-H members a great start in the chinchilla business. For donated animals, thanks go to Dark Star, La Paloma, and Diamond Blue. Additional thanks go to the following people for sponsoring the three 4-H memberships Lill Chanett Olesdotter Andersen, Empress member from Norway, Maxine Lynch, and Gene Adcock. 17 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 The “Green Thing” Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the much older lady that she should bring her own grocery bags, because plastic bags are not good for the environment. The woman apologized to the young girl and explained, "We didn't have this 'green thing' back in my earlier days." The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation didn’t care enough to save our environment for future generations." The older lady said that she was right -- our generation didn't have the "green thing" in its day. The older lady went on to explain: Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the "green thing" back in our day. Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags that we reused for numerous things. Most memorable besides household garbage bags was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our school books. This was to ensure that public property (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribblings. Then we were able to personalize our books on the brown paper bags. But, too bad we didn't do the "green thing" back then. We walked up stairs because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But we didn't have the "green thing" in our day. Back then we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts. Wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new 18 Clothing. But that young lady is right; we didn't have the "green thing" back in our day. Back then we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief(remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But we didn't have the "green thing" back then. We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blade in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the "green thing" back. Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service in the family's $45,000 SUV or van, which cost what a whole house did before the"green thing." We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint. But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the "green thing" back then? Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 Keeping off the Holiday Pounds Many of us struggle with weight throughout the year but the holidays are even harder. According to the National Institutes of Health the extra pounds gained during the holidays accounts for half of the total weight gained all year. Remember that your hard work all year does not have to suffer because of a few weeks at the end of the year. Here are some calorie burn numbers for everyday holiday activities; Wrapping gifts or making crafts Bagging Leaves or grass Raking leaves Grocery Shopping Playing catch football Playing flag football Serious house cleaning Cleaning chinchilla cages Weaning babies 30 minutes = 60 calories 30 minutes = 60 calories 30 minutes = 90 calories 30 minutes = 60 calories 30 minutes = 60 calories 60 minutes =300 calories 60 minutes =180 calories 30 minutes = 70 calories 15 minutes = 35 calories Remember to stick to your portion control, limit fat whenever possible, and keep moving! There are a few dedicated ranchers that that deserve a big thank you. Each year when Jerry & Joanne Craner, Linda Lucas, Ann & Dan Harris and Maynard & Calista Beita renew their memberships they send in a donation. $1 for each animal they have sold throughout the year. Those dollars add up come the end of the year. It is dedicated ranchers like these that help Empress fund the educational programs and allow us to be able able to put out the educational information we do. It is with heartfelt thanks that I thank Jerry & Joanne, Linda, Ann & Dan, and Maynard & Calista for your donations. More good news, we have information that Calista is out of rehab and is back home. Calista, let the kids help with cooking for the holidays this year, and take it easy! From the Empress National Office; Best Wishes for a wonderful Holiday Season! May the New Year bring you Health, Happiness, Prosperity…… And lots of healthy chinchilla babies in all the colors you hope for! Maxine Tiffany’s Chinchilla 19 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 For our Spanish speaking members; Un mensaje a todos los productores de pieles: Cada criador de chinchilla quiere obtener el máximo beneficio por su producto. Nuestro producto, bien sacado y preparado, es un producto muy lujoso que demanda precios altos. Las personas que pagan altos precios por las prendas de vestir son muy exigentes y demandan un producto perfecto. Depende de nosotros el proveer a nuestro comprador con un producto bien terminado, una piel sin daños y manchas. ¿Al comprar una nueva blusa o camisa, pagarías mucho dinero por ellos si tuvieran agujeros o daños o manchas? Por supuesto que no. Enorgullécete de lo que haces y de lo presentas al comprador. En nuestro rancho, preparamos las chinchillas desde ahora para la piel futura. Los animales se han mantenido limpios y bañados en polvo regularmente. Empezamos a peinar con un peine a todos los animales que serán peleteados a principios de octubre. Estamos quitando el pelaje de verano muerto, así que el abrigo de invierno nuevo puede crecer sin bolas de pelo. Si hemos detectado bolas de pelo, las eliminamos y marcamos esta condición en la tarjeta del animal. Esta chinchilla no será revisada hasta después de cuatro meses. Esto permite el crecimiento de una nueva capa de pelo en el lugar de la bolar. El peinado no es un tipo de peinado como para concurso, es sólo un retiro del pelo muerto. Parece un montón de trabajo. Lo es. Pero te retribuirá financieramente. Recuerda que el 99% de todos los daños se producen en el rancho. Son las cosas que descuidamos y dejamos de hacer bien. No hay suficiente limpieza y baño. Una manipulación descuidada. Daños en el sacado de la piel. Pieles crudas almacenadas de forma incorrecta, etc. Estos daños no los ves en el momento de enviar tus pieles a la curtiduría. Pero tan pronto como las pieles se sumergen en el primer baño, todas las áreas de descuido o en donde hubo presión y daño liberarán pelo. Y la salida más fácil es culpar a la curtiduría. Debe ser nuestra meta para que el comprador venga a México, no porque puede comprar pieles de chinchilla, sino porque puede comprar pieles de chinchilla de calidad superior. Lo producido en México debe estar ubicado en la excelencia en el mundo de la chinchilla. Gary Neubauer Presidente ECBC 20 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 We all have very busy lives. But, as the year winds down it is time to consider all that has happened this past year. Acknowledge the things that hurt us. Reflect upon how it made us feel; the hurt, pain, sadness, anger, whatever those emotions were that got stirred up. Acknowledge those emotions, know that they were real, forgive if need be, and most importantly release those emotions and let them go. Now reflect upon the good things that happened this past year. The births, the good times with friends, the memories made with family, the chinchilla babies, the victories at shows, whatever your good things were this past year. Acknowledge the good feelings they brought to you; the joy, the sense of accomplishment, the happiness, the comfort. Acknowledge all those good feelings. Treasure those memories and feelings hold them dear to you, keep them safe in your heart. As we move forward into 2015, focus on those good things and build upon them. Make sure you honor those good things in 2015 by bringing the good feeling with you to comfort and inspire you to make you stronger as you move into the challenges of the new year. My wish for you is that you enjoy this holiday season to the fullest and make lots of good memories to carry you forward into the new year! Maxine Largest Chinchilla Ranch in Central Mexico ● Standards ● Beige ● Ebony ● Pink-White Blue Cloud © Dust Bath For quality breeding stock contact : Francisco Javier Bustamante Castillo Director de Produccion y Ventas Cel: 5530059349, 5530249787 www.premiumchinchilla.com Contact Cynthia Harris for Information and Distributors list: Blue Cloud © Mineral Company P.O. Box 800520 Santa Clarita, CA 91380-0520 bluecloudmineral@gmail.com (661) 252-7808 office 21 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 Three days before Christmas, and oh what a hassle! This funny Christmas poem sums up one reader's holiday experiences. Funny Christmas Poem by Betty Stearns Gilmore City, Iowa from Country Magazine New Feature CLASSIFIEDS ANIMALS FOR SALE Pink White, Beige and standard animals. Rufio is one of many proven breeders for sale. I can deliver to Washington and California Shows. Contact: Sumiko De La chinchillachateau@gmail.com 22 Twas a week before Christmas And oh how I struggle, With so much to do And no time to juggle. But we’re off to see Santa, To fight through the throng, Only to find out What I purchased is wrong. Cards to be sent And letters to write, Burning the candle Way into the night. The last days zip by Like you wouldn’t believe I frantically race toward The goal to achieve. There’s sewing pajamas For Susie’s best doll, And finishing touches On Grandma’s white shawl. And the night before Christmas, This is the scene: I’m calm and collected, You might say serene. The bike in the package Still needs a wrench— The one out of reach Behind the workbench. The house is in order. Even Santa won’t guess That one week ago It was simply a mess. The shopping is done, I wish I could say, But instead that’s a task For some other day. The tree isn’t trimmed As our family had planned, To make matters worse I can’t find the stand. There’s food in abundance And gifts piled high, Kids snuggled in bed Their thoughts in the sky. Three days before Christmas And oh what a hassle, No baking is done, No gift has a tassel. Then I turn my eyes upward And utter a prayer: “Lord, give me the strength To repeat this next year.” A pause in their doorway, I take one last look, Deciding it’s worth The effort it took. Vega - FOR SALE - standards, sapphires, sapphire carriers, violets , and beige. Prices vary. This violet male was born in 6/2014. He is one of the quality animals available. Contact Tiffany’s Chinchillas at tiffanyschinchillas@gmail.com SUPPLIES NEED COLLARS for growing chinchilla herd. New or used in good condition. Contact Maru Fraga Mexico marufragaz@hotmail.com CAGES FOR SALE - 3 and 4 hole cages for sale in New York. Contact David Harsma. Harz51@aol.com PRODUCTS CHRISTMAS GIFTS - order you chinchilla rose gifts today from the National Office. Long stem roses, pins, hair combs, etc. Prices range $5$12 + shipping. Empresschinchilla@gmail.com or 619-825-6204 Contact the National Office to submit Classified Ads requests. Ads will run for two months for $5. Arrange-ments can be made for longer term ads. Must be an Empress member to advertise animals for sale. Empresschinchilla@gmail.com or 619-825-6204 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 MAY 1, 1965, AT A FORMAL MEETING OF THE NORTHERN CALIFOR WASHINGTON BRANCH OF ECBC FIRST SANCTIONED SHOW DECEMBER 6, 2014 Message from the WA Branch President: The members of the WA State ECBC Branch are proud to announce our branch’s first sanctioned show. Members of our branch represent quality chinchilla husbandry in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Utah. We are looking forward to hosting this show and hope you can make it to the beautiful Pacific Northwest to show off your animals! We have a great venue reserved with a good amount of room. We welcome both established breeders and new breeders to join us for an exciting day of judging beautiful chinchillas! We look forward to seeing you at our first sanctioned show! ~Ryan Chinn Location: Comfort Inn - Kent 22311 84th Avenue South Kent, WA 98032 (253) 872-2211 *Ask for the ECBC Chinchilla rate!* (~$84-93/night) (NO animals allowed in hotel room!) Judge: Maxine Lynch with Tabitha Lindsay, Trainee Time: Judging starts promptly at 10:00am Saturday, December 6th Schedule of Events: Friday: 6:00pm: Show hall setup 7:00– 9:00pm: Animal registration and caging, not required if arriving Saturday morning. Show hall locked at 9:00pm. Saturday: 6:00-10:00am: Grooming, registration and caging 10:00am: Standard Live Animal Show 12:00-1:00pm Lunch (depending on show progress) 1:00-4:00pm Mutation Live Animal Show Registration: $7.00/animal for ECBC members (limit of 20 animals/string) $9.00/animal for non-members. No admission fee to attend the event Special Events: Raffle, 50/50 Drawing, Animal Sales (10% of all animal sales during show week end is payable to the host branch by the seller to help fund future shows) Awards: Trophies awarded for Standard GSC and RGSC & Mutation GSC and RGSC. Plaques for combined Breeder and Junior Breeder awards. Ribbons awarded for all other Awards. Contact: Ryan at ECBCWA@gmail.com for questions, showbook ads, raffle tickets or trophy 23 sponsorships. Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 Heartland Chinchilla Group ECBC Live Animal Show Burlington, Kansas Saturday, January 17, 2015 , Hosting Branches: Greater Kansas City, Nebraska, N. Illinois, So. Minnesota, & Wisconsin Type of show: Standard Live Animal & Mutation Live Animal Judges: Roger Clark & Rich Ryerson Location: Burlington 4-H Hall 625 South 3rd Street Burlington, KS Accommodations: Country Haven Inn, 207 Cross St., Burlington, KS 620-364-8260 Wolf Creek Lodge, 919 N. 4th, Burlington, KS 620-364-1454 Wyatt Earp Inn, 2745 HWY 75, Lebo, KS 620-256-6351 Townsman Motel, HWY 54 & 75, Yates Center, KS 620-625-2131 Entry Fee: $5.00 per animal - limit 20 standards and 20 mutations. Limits are for show animals only, not for silent auction. All animals must remain caged during the show. Animals may be entered and caged after 6:30 PM Friday. Entry and grooming 6:00 Am to 9:45 AM on Saturday. Caging available until 9:00 AM on Sunday Special Events: Silent Auction Show Committee: Mike Lawrence - Show Chairman - 620-490-0325 Vicki Merritt - Registration - 816-726-1542 Mike Lawrence - Awards Official ********************************************************************************** Silent Auction Rules: Owner puts bottom dollar price on any animals they wish to sell. Anyone interested in buying that animal may raise the price and identify their bid with their name with the auction chairman. Anyone else interested may raise the bid, etc…. A bidder may raise the bid even though he has previously bid on the animal. The owner may not withdraw the animal from the auction or raise his bottom dollar price. The owner can not bid on his own animal. Once a bid is submitted it can not be withdrawn. ********************************************************************************** 10% of purchase price will be retained by the Heartland group Anyone interested in show book ads - contact Cathy Kane at KCchins@msn.com 24 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 California Group 2015 Show Ventura Harbor at the Sheraton 4 Points 1050 Schooner Dr., Ventura 93001 January 24 & 25, 2015 ECBC Sanctioned Shows Multiple Ribbon Combined Pelt Show Standard Live Animal Mutation Live Animal 4-H Showmanship Class Judges: Show Chair: Rich Ryerson & Maxine Lynch with Trainee: Tiffany Whitlow Cara Beasley - realhorseygirl@yahoo.com Hotel: Sheraton 4 Points at Ventura Harbor Empress rate $99/night - free parking Features: Baby Derby 50/50 Banquet: Saturday night $35.00 Contact Maxine - 619-825-6204 For Show Book Ads, Trophy Sponsors and Door Prize Donations Show Book Prices Trophy Sponsors All door prize donors Full color $20 $30/trophy mentioned in show book Half color $15 Sponsors mentioned in show book ¼ page color $10 Special pricing for combination ads in both CA Show and National Show Books Our shows are always about education, camaraderie with friends, friendly competition and FUN! Come join us! 25 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER When: December 2014 Saturday, February 7, 2015. One day show. Location: Embassy Suites, 970-593-6200 4705 Clydesdale Parkway Loveland, CO 80524 For room reservations Use group Code C-ECB Rate $119, includes breakfast/evening reception. Room block released 1/21/2015. Show: 10 Class Standard Live Animal Show Mutation Live Animal Show Entries: 20 standard / 20 mutation Entry fees: $7 per animal for members $9 per animal, non-E.C.B.C. members Special fees: With entry of 20 or more total animals $6 members / $8 nonmember per animal Setup: February 6, Friday evening at 5 P.M. Entry: Friday after setup is complete Saturday morning 6 to 9 a.m. Judging Starts at 10 A.M. Saturday, February 7 Judge: Joe Butler, trainee Dan Moulton Awards: Ribbons for 1st-5th. Rosettes for class/reserve class champions. Trophies for Standard/Mutation Grand Show, Reserve Grand Show. Breeder awards 1st-5th. Special: 50-50 Drawing, Door Prizes. Dr. M.R. Howard Clair Frank Henry “Hank” Oldfield William Stovall Dale and Vi Look Gerald “Bud” Egging Maynard and Calista Beitz Dr. F. E. Button Howard Clements Candlewood Suites Holiday Inn Express & Suites Show Chair: John Suhr, 970-330-9140 Day of show 970-481-8650 (Calista Beitz) include Perkins, Nordy’s (BBQ), Palomino (Mexican), The Boot Grill. Qdoba, Subway, Carl Jr’s. Lunch on your own. Dinner Saturday evening (after the show). at The Summit includes bowling, laser tag, arcade, and Crossroads Tavern & Grill. at Centerra Promenade Shops and Outlets at Loveland. ALL ANIMALS MUST BE CAGED. I-25 North or South Take Exit 259, Crossroads Boulevard Exit to the East Make a left onto Clydesdale Parkway Hotel will be on your right 26 Colorado Branch ECBC Hall of Fame Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 BREEDER DIRECTORY CALIFORNIA COLORADO Diamond Blue Bill Booker Norra Horton 261 Paradise Canyon Road Salinas, CA 93907 831.663.4154 Napplepie@aol.com Mt. View Chinchilla Ranch Maynard & Calista Beitz 3527 E. Locust Street Ft. Collins, CO 80524 970.482.1834 fax 970.482.4837 Fur Ball Ranch Rod & Donna Read 14560 Boy Scout Camp Rd. Frazier Pk, CA 93225 661.245.1232 Rodread43@gmail.com donnareadsemail@gmail.com Ridge Chinchillas Shahna Thomas Paradise, CA 95969 shahna@ridge.chinchilas.com www.ridgechinchillas.com RDZC Ranch Tabitha Lindsay 714.745.0484 222 Sierra Vista St. Ridgecrest, CA 93555 MISSOURI Kansas City Chinchillas Cathy Kane Kansas, City, MO 64912 816.547.8721 Sirs Chinchillas John Suhr 2010 46th Ave. #8 Greeley, CO 80634 970.330.9140 suhrsirs@aol.com Blue Star Chinchilla Ranch Daniel & Megan Jensen 23513 Reap Ln Waynesville, MO 65583 319.610.2638 Cow Creek Ranch Lucinda Zeller 28350 RCR 43 Steamboat Springs, CO 80487 970.879.5811 CathleenMarieKane@msn.com Kansas.City.Chinchillas.org bluestarchinchilla@hotmail.com Double Chins 'n' Stuff Nancy McConkey 4601 Littlebury Drive St. Louis, MO 63128-2414 314.200.6185 winniemae@charter.net Cuddle Bug Chinchillas Cornellia Kern Chinchillas Amore! 4220 S. Andes Way Trina Davina Aurora, CO 80013 916-412-4332 ChinchillasAmore@gmail.com cuddlebug6035@aol.com cornellia@cuddlebug.dyndns.org www.4everchins.com Orangevale, CA 95622 FLORIDA Chinchilla Villa Danny Miller 530-305-0391 PO Box 150 Colfax, CA 95713 chinvilla@aol.com www.chinchillavilla.com Lyn’s Chins Lyn Sedwick Shuster Orlando, Florida Centralfloridachinchillas.com LASMD925@aol.com LA Chins Mike Attard Anza, CA 714.369.3505 Mike@la-chins.com M&C Chins Mike & Connie Lawrence 1175 Quail Road Burlington, KS 66839 p/fax 620.490.0325 mcchins@hotmail.com KANSAS MINNESOTA Tiffany’s Chinchillas moultonchinchilla@gmail.com Silver Spruce Chinchillas Roger & Kathy Clark 43188 Cottonwood Creek Rd Crawford, CO 81415 970.921.7231 Silverspruce228@gmail.com Fuzzyellf@yahoo.com www.facebook.com/chinchillasAmore Moulton Chinchilla Ranch Dan Moulton 976 14th Ave, SW Rochester, MN 55902 507.288.6334 fax 507.289.1275 Dan & Ann Harris 2210 N. North Ave. Fairmont, MN 56031 507.238.1177 dannah@midco.net NEBRASKA James R. Butler 210 W. Eighth Valentine, NE 69201 402.376.2755 Mark Miller Chinchillas Seward, NE 68434 402.641.5756 mmiller5243@hotmail.com NORTH CAROLINA Linda Lucas 1278 Mountain View Dr. Asheboro, NC 03451 336-403-3293 crittercagesnc@yahoo.com OHIO Ralph & Barbara Shoots 7960 New Albany Condit Rd Westerville, OH 43081 614.855.1762 shootschinchilla@aol.com www.shootschinchilla.com Ryerson Chinchilla Ranch Rich & Jan Ryerson 5067 New State Road Plymouth, OH 44865 419.687.1071 fax 419.687.6015 lgroxy@aol.com Royal Oaks Chinchilla Ranch Robert & June Baar 4843 New State Road Plymouth, OH 44865 P/fax 419.687.8362 JUNEBAAR@aol.com JT & C Chinchillas Jim Novel Coty May 893 Belden Ave. Akron, OH 44301 Jim # 330-205-4634 Coty # 330-289-7669 Chinchillas@jtchin.com Jim & Amanda Ritterspach 7754 St. Rt 103 Jenera, OH 45841 419.326.6985 Ritterchin@aol.com Hendryx Chinchillas Juanita Hendryx Morro, OH 45152 juanita@hendryx.org www.hendryxchinchillas.com Hummel Chinchilla Ranch Ron & Pam Hummel 3273 Hummel Rd. Shelby, Ohio 419.347.6790 419.571.9085 Prhumlchin@embarqmail.com Tiffany’s Chinchillas Tiffany Whitlow, Roxboro, NC A Warrior’s Gift - Chinchillas 336.504.3784 Coty May Tiffanyschinchillas@gmail.com 893 Belden Ave. www.tiffanyschinchillas.com Akron, OH 44310 330.606.1502 Coty_may@yahoo.com 27 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 OHIO Con’t Whimsical Chinchilla’s WIMZ Wendy Torgerson Leanne Huxtable WK’s Designer Chins Summit County, OH 2022 Coneflower Way 330-431-8611 Mosinee, WI 54455 Whimiscalchinchillas.whimz@g 715.370.0842 wksdesignerchins@gmail.com mail.com OREGON Dark Star Chinchillas Doug Griffith & Gene Adcock 541-688-2631 Darkstarchins@yahoo.com Darkstarchinchillas.com geneadcock@gmail.com TEXAS CCCU Tamara Tucker & Pam Biggers 3400 Tynedale Lane Amarillo, TX 79118 806.622.9473 fax 806.622.3110 TL.Tucker@sbcglobal.net UTAH Bobbie’s Chinchillas Bobbie Schultz 715-797-0402 NORTHERN CA P David Walter Chinchillasnhockey@gmail.com Wyllow@yahoo.com Bobbieschinchillas.com S - Jeremiah Stoker Halfstach1109@yahoo.com INTERNATIONAL SOUTHERN CA P – Tabitha Lindsay ARGENTINA Chinchillas Cinco Estrellas fuzzyellf@yahoo.com Vicente & Marina Morgione 714.745.0484 Info@chinchillascincoestrellas. S – Rod Read rodread43@gmail.com com CANADA BC Chinchilla House Kristine & Aaron Budlong Langley, BC CANADA 604.534.5391 chinchillahouse@telus.net PSK Chinchilla Ranch Pete & Sue Kiseskey P.O. Box 1722 Parowan, UT 84761 435.477.9144 pskchin@lightspeed.net C.T. Chins Cathy Teunissen Calgary, Alberta CANADA 403.238.3553 Artski1@shaw.ca WASHINGTON MEXICO Cascade Chinchillas Linda M. Clark 7022 Dibble Ave. NW Seattle, WA 98117 206.782.3218 C-206.909.2263 Cascadechinchillas.com Cascadechinchillas@msn.com Chinchilla Ximoco Patricia Perrin Apartado Postal 41 56900 Amecameca, Mexico 597.976.7464 wwwchinchillaximoco.com Chinn's Chilla Ranch Renton, WA (206)355-1212 www.chinnschillaranch.com chinnschillaranch@gmail.com WISCONSIN B&B Chinchillas Brenda Walter 4354 Hwy Y Dodgeville, WI 53533 608.235.2741 bbchinchillas@gmail.com 28 REGION l CALIFORNIA GROUP P – Sumiko De La Vega chinchillachateau@gmail.com 209.679.4736 S – Tabitha Lindsay fuzzyellf@yahoo.com informacion@chinchillaximoco. com Chinchillas La Paloma Agua Prieta, Sonora MX ghneubauer@aol.com lpchins@gmail.com WASHINGTON P-Ryan Chinn Ecbcwa@gmail.com S- Marty Hull WESTERN CANADA P -Kristine Budlong Ikbudlong@telus.net SREGION ll COLORADO P – Roger Clark rakaclark@paonia.com 970.921.7231 S- Calista Beitz HEARTLAND P – Mike Lawrence Mcchins@hotmail.com 620.490.0325 S – Connie Lawrence mcchins@hotmail.com 620.490.0325 GREATER KANSAS CITY P – Mike Lawrence mcchins@hotmail.com 620.490.0325 S – Bob Merritt rvdk@cebridge.net 816.934.2513 SOUTHERN MN P – Dan Moulton 507.288.6334 S -Dan Jensen bluestarchinchilla@gmail.com 319.610.2638 OKLAHOMA P – Bob Smith bobanddoviesmith@hotmail.com 508.497.2354 S – Dovie Smith bobanddoviesmith@hotmail.com 508.497.2354 REGION lll OHIO P – Ralph Shoots shootschinchilla@aol.com 614.855.1762 S – Barbara Shoots shootschinchilla@aol.com 614.855.1762 WESTERN OHIO P – Jim Ritterspach 419.326.6985 S – Jan Ryerson lgroxy@aol.com 419.687.6015 WISCONSIN P – Wendy Torgerson wksdesignerchins@gmail.com 715-370-0842 S – Brenda Walter bbchinchillas@gmail.com 608.235.2741 2014 The Year Of D Animals born in 2014 should have an identifying number assigned to them starting with the letter D then the animal number. Here is the list for the next couple years 2015 E 2016 F 2017 H Premium Chinchilla Francisco Javier Bustamante Castillo - Production Director Www.premiumchinchilla.com Info@premiumchinchilla.com Unauthorized reproduction or forwarding of this document is prohibited and may be cause for membership cancellation and/or legal remedies. Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 Educational Research and Development Foundation of Empress Chinchilla Breeders Cooperative, Inc. Application for Membership Name: ______________________________ Phone _____________________________ Address:_____________________________ ______________________________ E-Mail ______________________________ ______________________________ STEP 1 MEMBERSHIP TYPE (please check one) □ $75.00 Full Membership with hard copy Magazine Full voting privileges. Ability to hold branch and national offices. Receives hard copy of the monthly magazine. Ability to show at all shows. Receives membership discounts on supplies an at Empress events. □$45.00 Full Membership with Electronic Magazine and hard copy of the June show issue. Full voting privileges. Ability to hold branch and national offices. Ability to show at all shows. Receives membership discounts on supplies and at Empress events. □ $15.00 Associate Membership Ability to show at all shows. Must be a spouse or partner of full member. Receives discounts on all educational seminars and meetings. May hold office at branch level. Does not receive a magazine. □ $45.00 International Membership Receives electronic magazine. Due to the rising costs of international mail, our international members will receive the monthly magazine by electronic copy only. □ $25.00 4-H Membership Must be a 4-H or FFA member and sponsored by a by a branch. Has ability to show in all shows. Receives an electronic version of the monthly magazine. Cannot hold office at branch or national level. Has no voting privileges. Receives membership discount on supplies and at Empress events. □ $25.00 Introductory Membership. For NEW Empress members only. Receives electronic version of the monthly magazine only. Able to attend all shows and Empress events and receive membership discount rates. No voting privileges. Introductory rate may be purchased for up to 2 years at $25 per year. STEP 2 □ BRAND REGISTRATION – if you intend to show animals you MUST register a brand $5 Brand Identification Registration. Members who want to show their animals must register a brand. Please indicate you brand preference using a combination of three or four capitol letters or numbers (the number 1 and the letters I, O and Q are excluded). You may use a “_” or “/” in place or a number or letter. A brand is required to enter a show. BRAND 1st choice ________________ STEP 3 Please read 2nd choice __________________ 3rd choice __________________ ECBC Code of Ethics The Code of Ethics, formulated by the National Board of Directors and adopted by the membership, constitutes the guidelines of conduct for all members of the Cooperative. In applying for membership and with my signature here-under attached as provided, I subscribe to the full compliance of this code. § Do not orally or in writing do anything to bring Empress Chinchilla or the fur industry into disrepute § Do not misrepresent or exaggerate the quality or other characteristics of an animal or it’s offspring, or any product § Do not represent that any animal is free from ailments, conditions, or habits from which freedom cannot be definitely assured, and made the basis for a written representation § Do not offer a buy-back incentive as a sales inducement § Do not support a system, program, or policy in conflict with Empress § Do accept the rights of others to ranch chinchilla for fur production. Humane methods must be used in all aspects of ranching § Any user of the internet or other social media or cell phone must refrain from slanderous remarks toward any breeder or Empress STEP 4 Please read and sign Affidavit I hereby represent that I am a producer of chinchilla, or the products thereof, and as such hereby apply for membership in the Educational, Research, and Development Foundation of Empress Chinchilla Breeders Cooperative, INC., and agree to the following conditions; v To abide by the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Cooperation v To abide by the Code of Ethics of the Cooperative v To pay the annual fee, according to the membership classification provided and set by the National Board of Directors, herewith enclosed v Membership will be represented by only one person v I certify that I am not a member of, investigator for, or paid by any animal rights organization v I accept the rights of any member to ranch chinchilla for fur production v I understand Empress is organized and shall be operated on a cooperative basis to educate ranchers, and to promote, encourage, foster, and facilitate the economical, efficient, and orderly raising and breeding of chinchilla for the purpose of production and processing of chinchilla fur v If I can no longer support the goals and purposes of this organization, I will voluntarily withdraw my membership. If my membership in Empress is terminated by the Board of Directors, I will not challenge the termination. To be completed by Applicant, Under penalty of perjury, I hereby agree to abide by all the conditions, the Code of Ethics, and Affidavit requirements to become a member of Empress Chinchilla Breeders Cooperative, Inc Please complete, sign, enclose a check for the designated Signature: ______________________________________ Date: ________________ amount and send to ECBC 5525 Heidi St., La Mesa, CA 91942 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 Edstrom Automated Watering System Where we started: The concept of providing drinking water to animals automatically was born from creative thinking, engineering wit, and a desire to make a difference. In 1969 Bill Edstrom Sr., a mechanical engineer at an automotive company in Milwaukee and a chinchilla hobbyist, knew it was time for a change. And that’s when he invented an apparatus that would enable the automated delivery of clean, fresh water to animals living in cages. Bill Edstrom is a lifetime Empress members and recently attended the 2014 National Show. Edstrom Automated Watering System includes: ▪ Basic Pressure Regulator/Filter Station reduces incoming water pressure ▪ Flex -tube is easy to install; soft non-toxic PVC tubing ▪ Tubing Stand-off keeps Flewtube away from playful animals ▪ Original Drinking Valve and Mounting Clip for fresh water at any time ▪ Drain Valve flushes water lines to ensure clean water RDZC Ranch www.agselect.com 819 Bakke Ave., Waterford, WI 523185 Tel: 262.534.5181 800.558.5913 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 AngorachinchillasUSA.com Software for Chinchilla Breeders The Chinchilla Register prints full-sized and miniature pedigrees, family portrait pedigrees, cage cards, inventories, return address labels, business cards, show entries and more. It keeps track of winnings, litter data, buyers & sellers, mailing lists and financial data. There are many styles of pedigree printouts to choose from, the pedigrees print in color, and you may include a logo or the animal’s picture. The program stores and displays any number of generations of ancestors, with up to 7 generations visible on the screen at one time. Present program capacity is roughly 28,000 animals. Expanded capacity will be available in March 2013. This software was specifically designed with the computer novice in mind, and is very easy to use. Evans Software has been producing software for animal breeders for 23 years, and we provide unlimited free technical support. Our program requires an IBM-compatible computer with Windows XP, Vista or 7. Cost for the Chinchilla Register is US$69 by download, slightly more if ordered on CD. Visit our web site for complete details, and to download a demo version of the program. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or would like to receive a brochure with sample printouts. Order by mail, on-line or by phone. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, & PayPal. Evans Software Services Web site: http://evsoft.us Email: support@evsoft.us PO Box 1534 Lanesboro MA 01237 Phone: 413-499-0426 Empress Chinchilla BREEDER December 2014 Please rush this latest issue to: Pe ri odic al U S PS # 17 5-86 0 Email: Empresschinchilla@gmail.com Chinchillas La Paloma Sonora, MX Contacts: Bernice Teran Villalobos 480-737-1788 (Spanish & English) berniceteranv@gmail.com Gary Neubauer GHNeubauer@aol.com (English)