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Chinchillas Anonymous Meeting 8pm, Room 100 As I walked into the room filled with giddy laughter and excited conversations, I felt my heart beating so loudly. The butterflies in my stomach were working overtime and my knees felt a little shaky. The meeting commenced with the main speaker asking if anyone new was in the audience tonight. I cautiously rose and he invited me to the front of the room. I quietly squeaked into the microphone, "Hi, my name is Amanda and I am addicted to chinchillas (the disease is better known as chinitis)". The audience bellowed back at me in a monotone sound, "Welcome Amanda, please tell us your story". The silence in the room before I began my story heightened my tension, but I soon felt at ease describing the events that led me there to that meeting. "It all began early in 2002. My fiancé (boyfriend at the time) and I had been dating long distance for nearly 3 ½ years and he had moved to Blacksburg, VA, where I was attending graduate school. At the time I owned two pet rats and Darren didn’t feel a connection with either of them. He started to do some research on the internet about other pets that might suit our lifestyle. He knew the rats were not leaving but maybe he could persuade me to expand my family. He discovered chinchillas one day and began to research them as pets and their care. I didn’t pay much attention to his conversations about owning a chinchilla because I thought we had agreed that we would wait for the rats to pass before we invited more animals into our apartment. I did like the sound of owning a chinchilla and I thought they were adorable. They did sound like great pets to own but I left it at that. One night in March 2002, Darren (my fiancé) started talking about a chinchilla breeder he had found in Vinton, VA which was only an hour away. He continued by saying that he had been in touch with her and she had a young beige male chinchilla for sale. I was so taken back and stunned that he had been pursuing pet chinchillas and I didn’t even know about it. I explained to him again that I preferred to wait until the rats had passed away, they were getting old, and I thought the subject matter was dropped. The next day I log on to our computer only to find the cutest beige face staring back at me. Darren posted a picture of the beige male chin on our screen background so every time I used the computer, I would see the irresistible face. Needless to say, it didn’t take me long to fall head over heals for that baby face. Darren was in constant contact with the breeder and we decided that we wanted two chins, so they would have someone to snuggle with and play with at night while we slept. Once I knew it was definite and we were to pick up Joey (beige male) and Roo (silver male) at the end of April, I started to read everything I could about chinchillas. As we purchased the cage and all the supplies, my excitement grew and grew. I couldn’t wait to meet these little fellows. Even though I had never held them or even seen them in person, I knew there was a bond there already. The day finally arrived when we were going to pick up Joey and Roo. Darren and I got up early because we just couldn’t sleep….the excitement was too great. It felt like a lifetime driving to Roanoke and waiting to meet the breeder. Finally the moment had come….we met JoAnn and Bill of Luv N Chins and we met Joey and Roo. I got to hold Roo while Darren had to handle Joey. Thank goodness I had Roo, he was less squirmy. I was so nervous holding Roo, scared I was going to hurt him or that he would jump and get away at the PetsMart, where we met them to pick-up Joey and Roo. We talked to JoAnn and Bill while we held our new bundle of joys….I can’t really tell you what we talked about while I was holding Roo. I was so focused on him and so excited that anything could have been happening around me and I wouldn’t have known. I will never forget that day….I still get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it. We brought the boys home and loved them so much. Darren had bought a sign before we even got the boys that read, "Spoiled Rotten Chinchillas, not responsible for lost treats or hearts". I should have known that would be a sign to me of what was to come." "Joey and Roo grew up so fast and each day I felt closer to them. It took them a good month and half to accept us as their parents and the first day that Roo jumped up on my lap and tickled me with his nose was so awesome. On September 11, 2002, JoAnn sent me an email of her latest arrival….Joey’s parents, Eileen and Cotton were the proud parents of two male white mosaics, Boomerang and Little Bill. She sent pictures along with the announcement and I automatically fell in love with them. I knew that JoAnn was keeping Little Bill but it was still undetermined if she would keep Boomer or not. In November 2002, JoAnn told me that Boomer would be for sale and I jumped on the chance. The first day that he would be available would be the day that I picked him up. As you can see, in only a matter of a couple of months, my chinitis was getting worse. On November 10, 2002, I met JoAnn and Bill (with brother Joey and Roo in tow) to pick up Boomer. Boomer was so tiny compared to his older sibling and I remember he just sat in my hand the entire time I held him. Boomer never squirmed or jumped. He was an amazing little boy. Unfortunately, Roo did not feel the same way. Roo was not about to let this "white" boy or any other chinchilla come into his house without letting them know who was boss. Joey and Boomer got along great together, as brothers should. After two months of trying to introduce all three boys with no success, we just decided that Roo would have to live by himself and Joey and Boomer would be housed together. At the end of January 2003, JoAnn introduced me to a beautiful standard gray female named Sydney. I held her and once I did, I didn’t want to let her go. Roo needed a friend and he wouldn’t live with other males so we thought we would try a female. It took Roo and Sydney only a week to fall in love with each other. My family was complete…or so I thought. Every time I met new chins or got updates from JoAnn, my chinitis continued to get worse. I started to feel bad that Joey and Boomer didn’t have girlfriends like Roo did. In June 2003, we picked up Cassie (Standard gray female) and Raven (homo ebony female). Here were two more little fuzzies that had two more distinct and fun personalities to fall in love with. It didn’t take anytime for Cassie and Raven to fit into our lives and get into our hearts. So here I was, only a year later from when I started with two chins and now I had 6 chinchillas, and everyday my disease was getting worse. All I could do was think about chinchillas, take chinchilla pictures and talk about chinchillas to anyone who would or would not listen to me. On July 11, 2003, Sydney gave birth to our first set of twins. Wally and Maggie were so precious and I found myself in the basement with all the chinchillas from the time I got home from work, until I went to bed. I couldn’t get enough of them. They were all inventing new ways of getting attention and watching the babies grow was an amazing adventure. I kept telling myself that I would find new homes for both Maggie and Wally. I tried, I really tried and I did find an excellent home for Maggie...with JoAnn of Luv N Chins. I couldn’t think of a better place for my baby girl to live and grow up. However, with my chinitis getting worse and the more time I spent with Wally, it was decided that I would keep him. And since I can’t leave Wally alone, I have to get him a friend right????? So on October 18, 2003, we brought home chinnie #8..." My voice trickled away as I stood at the podium and I hung my head. A million thoughts ran through my head like these people are going to laugh at me and think I am too far gone for any help and they are probably going to forbid me to ever come back to one of their meetings. The silence seemed to last for many lifetimes and then all of a sudden, from the back of the audience, I heard the rhythm of two hands coming to together. Then there were two and then three and before I knew it, the whole audience was coming together and applauding me. I cautiously looked up and saw the room filled with smiling faces. I was so confused…did they just not hear me tell the long and sorted story of my demise and how my chinitis is getting worse? What was going on? The main speaker of the meeting approached me and put his arm around me. He must have known I looked confused because he settled down the audience and began to explain things to me. He said, "Amanda, you have come to the right place and thank you for sharing your story with us. You see, being addicted to chinchillas is not something to be ashamed of or something you need help for. Having chinitis is a special gift that only a unique group of humans possess. We applaud you for realizing you have this special love of chinchillas and we want you to share your stories and your passion about these magnificent animals with us and others. So do, as you first did when you approached the podium, but this time, say it like you mean it." And so I did, after clearing my throat and with a huge smile on my face, I said most enthusiastically, "HI, MY NAME IS AMANDA AND I AM VERY PROUD TO BE A CHINCHILLA OWNER AND CHINCHILLA LOVER. I WILL NOT BE ASHAMED FOR DEDICATING MY TIME, MY ENERGY AND MY LOVE TO THESE SPECIAL CREATURES. I HAVE CHINITIS AND I AM PROUD OF IT. Thank you." |