Mutation Chinchilla Breeders Association Home

MCBA, Inc. is an international organization of chinchilla breeders with chapters and clubs spread throughout the world. Its function is to provide instruction on the humane care of chinchillas in their production and to help commercially market and promote all types of chinchilla pelts and products. To achieve these goals and purposes, research is carried on, market surveys are made, publicity is released, publicity funds are set up in preparation for the market, and a general orderly plan is followed.

Quality standards for all variations of chinchillas are set with emphasis on increasing and maintaining a high standard of excellence in the industry. Regularly scheduled seminars and show competitions with experienced judges are held to educate the breeders and compare their animals with others throughout the country.

Genetic articles and research is done to further information for chinchilla breeders and veterinarians to help maintain the health and well-being of our animals. A newsletter is published periodically to educate and guide our membership.

Membership drive

We currently have 174 members, all of whom we are very thankful to have as a part of our organization. Our membership has been dropping the last couple of years due to several factors. The economy has had an impact on all of us in one way or another. Some of our older ranchers are retiring and selling their herds. And of course, there are always the folks who join for a year or two and find that chinchillas aren’t for them. A smaller membership, however, is tough on our chapters as well as the national organization. We all know how much work it is to put on a show and we can all use all the help we can get. But a smaller membership also means less money coming into the organization on the national as well as state level. It takes money to put on a show and to create and send you the newsletter, and while things have seemingly turned around and are looking up for MCBA’s national finances, and hopefully for your chapter’s finances as well, a discussion of trying to increase membership was brought up at the Board meeting after the National Show on March 20, 2010. Some chapters already charge more for registration of non-members, but it was discussed and decided that the National Board would request that all chapters charge more for show fees to non-members of MCBA and sister organizations. Most chapters currently charge around $4-$5 per animal for registration for members and slightly more for non-members. The National Board is suggesting a rate of $10 for non-members. Registrants would be able to sign up for membership at the shows and then get the member registration fee. This would help your chapter out by having more members, in turn meaning a higher rebate for membership, and help the national organization by keeping our numbers up for the newsletter, as we need to send out 200 newsletters each cycle to keep and use our bulk mail permit.

If you need any membership applications for your customers or for at your shows, please let me know. There is always an application in each newsletter that you can use and makes copies of, or I would be happy to send you as many copies as you like. There is also an application link on the website. Please be sure you or the new member prints and fills out both pages from the website, and both front and back sides from the page in the newsletter. Jim always puts applications in the show books he makes up, and suggested that the chapters do the same, if they are not already doing so.

All in all, this is basically a membership drive. If you know of anyone who owns chinchillas and may be interested in MCBA, sign them up! If you have any questions about memberships, please let me, or any board member know. And if you have any ideas on how to boost our membership, please drop me a line.

Brenda Walter
MCBA Membership Director
bwalter@mhtc.net