First off I have to say I'm no show expert! I am not able to travel to the USA (where most of the shows are). However the NCBC held it's first Ontario show in many years, and I was able to attend. Chinchilla shows are very different from traditional animal shows in that no actual 'handling' of the animal occurs. The chinchilla is placed in a small viewing cage which allows for the judge to pick up and examine the animal without disturbing the fur. Chinchillas are viewed under white show lights on a white back drop to make sure there is no outside influence of colour casting on the fur. The judges also wear white lab coats to prevent any of their clothing from affecting the colour. For pictures from the NCBC Ontario chinchilla show, visit the Ontario Chinchillas site.

Another thing many people misunderstand is the grading of the chinchillas. At a show there are 1sts, 2nds, 3rds, 4ths and 5ths. But these are not places. It is a grading scale of 1-5. Five being incredibly poor, low quality animals that most would be embarrassed to present. At most shows you will usually see 1, 2 & 3rd grade ribbons being handed out. Most show goers recognize the lower quality animals and won't even bring them. A first ranked animal is one with excellent confirmation and fur. Something everyone wants in their breeding program. And Second ranked animal is one with a fault or two that with proper breeding can be worked on. A third is an animal with several faults that an experienced breeder may choose to work with. A fourth ranked animal is one with many faults that should not be bred. A fifth ranked animal should never be bred. Within the firsts category there will also be awarded 1A and 1B. These will be the top 2 animals of all the firsts in their colour category. Depending on how many chinchillas are at the show there could be many colours broken into phases and by sex and age. So you will notice people stating their chinchilla is 1A, dark colour phase standard male adult champion or variations of. Once all of the chinchillas have been graded all of the 1A's will be pulled and compete against each other for grand show champion (GSC) and reserve grand show champion (RGSC). Should the owner decide to sell these chins, expect to pay a mint!