chinchillas in 4-H

I grew up studying and practicing animal husbandry by way of 4-H and chinchillas seem like a very practical, economical and progressive 4-H project for children and teenagers to get into.

For those who are not familiar with 4-H it is a program whereby youth raise crops, breed and raise livestock and do educational, artistic, or practical projects usually culminating in a week long event called a county fair where livestock shows, art shows, and various exhibits created by the students are displayed and offered to the public.

Essentially we'd be using chinchillas to teach animal husbandry instead of cows. The reality is many families aren't farming anymore because its not practical, and city kids miss out entirely due to space limits, but chinchillas don't require a bunch of space, and all of the same educational opportunities that exist in breeding and managing horses, cows, pigs and goats exist in breeding and managing chinchillas.

What do you guys think? Has anyone ever done this or heard of it being done? One major concern would be an air-conditioned situation at the fair( exhibit festival) as these are usually held during the summer and fairgrounds generally consist of barns that aren't air conditioned.