By Appointment
512-763-0304
Austin, Texas
FAQ
Contact Us
Close
Data protection matters

Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Hill Country Gerbils (“we,” “us,” or “our”) respects the privacy of our users (“you” or “your”). This Privacy Policy describes the types of personal information we collect through our website (https://hillcountrygerbils.com) and how we use and disclose that information.

2. Data Collected

When you contact us through our website’s contact form, we collect the following information:

  • Name
  • Email Address
  • Phone Number 
  • Inquiry Details (e.g. message content)
Additional Information Through Conversations

In addition to the information collected through our contact form, we may collect additional data through ongoing conversations via Gmail and Facebook Messenger. These conversations are saved within the respective platforms and may include details such as:

  • Gerbil care and advice questions
  • Gerbil adoption inquiries
  • Information about your gerbils (e.g., breed, age)
  • Educational topics related to gerbils
  • Appointment scheduling details (date, time, location)

These conversations are saved within Gmail and Facebook Messenger, which may have their own data retention policies. We recommend reviewing their privacy policies for more information on how they handle your data.

We do not record conversations in any other way (e.g., audio or video recordings) without your explicit consent.

2. Data Storage

We store your contact information using two methods:

  • Email: We securely store your email address in our Gmail account (hillcountrygerbils@gmail.com) for future communication regarding your inquiry. 
  • CRM Software: We also store your contact information in our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software called Kintraks.
3. Embedded Content

Pages on this site may include embedded content, like YouTube videos, for example. Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if you visited the other website.

These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website. Below you can find a list of the services we use:

Facebook

The Facebook page plugin is used to display our Facebook timeline on our site. Facebook has its own cookie and privacy policies over which we have no control. There is no installation of cookies from Facebook and your IP is not sent to a Facebook server until you consent to it. See their privacy policy here: Facebook Privacy Policy .

X (Twitter)

We use the X (Twitter) API to display our tweets timeline on our site. X (Twitter) has its own cookie and privacy policies over which we have no control. Your IP is not sent to a X (Twitter) server until you consent to it. See their privacy policy here: Twitter Privacy Policy .

Youtube

We use YouTube videos embedded on our site. YouTube has its own cookie and privacy policies over which we have no control. There is no installation of cookies from YouTube and your IP is not sent to a YouTube server until you consent to it. See their privacy policy here: YouTube Privacy Policy.

Instagram

We use the Instagram to share images on our site. Instagram has its own cooke and privacy policies over which we have no control. See their privacy policy here: Instagram Privacy Policy.

4. Cookies
This site uses cookies – small text files that are placed on your machine to help the site provide a better user experience. In general, cookies are used to retain user preferences, store information for things like shopping carts, and provide anonymised tracking data to third party applications like Google Analytics. Cookies generally exist to make your browsing experience better. However, you may prefer to disable cookies on this site and on others. The most effective way to do this is to disable cookies in your browser. We suggest consulting the help section of your browser.
Necessary Cookies (all site visitors)
  • cfduid: Is used for our CDN CloudFlare to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address and apply security settings on a per-client basis. See more information on privacy here: CloudFlare Privacy Policy.
  • PHPSESSID: To identify your unique session on the website.
Necessary Cookies (Additional for Logged in Customers)
  • wp-auth: Used by WordPress to authenticate logged-in visitors, password authentication and user verification.
  • wordpress_logged_in_{hash}: Used by WordPress to authenticate logged-in visitors, password authentication and user verification.
  • wordpress_test_cookie Used by WordPress to ensure cookies are working correctly.
  • wp-settings-[UID]: WordPress sets a few wp-settings-[UID] cookies. The number on the end is your individual user ID from the users database table. This is used to customize your view of admin interface, and possibly also the main site interface.
  • wp-settings-[UID]:WordPress also sets a few wp-settings-{time}-[UID] cookies. The number on the end is your individual user ID from the users database table. This is used to customize your view of admin interface, and possibly also the main site interface.
5. Who Has Access To Your Data
If you are not a registered client for our site, there is no personal information we can retain or view regarding yourself. If you are a client with a registered account, your personal information can be accessed by:
  • Our system administrators.
  • Our supporters when they (in order to provide support) need to get the information about the client accounts and access.
6. Third Party Access to Your Data

We don’t share your data with third-parties in a way as to reveal any of your personal information like email, name, etc. The only exceptions to that rule are for partners we have to share limited data with in order to provide the services you expect from us. Please see below:

American Gerbil Society

In the event that we do not have gerbils available to meet your needs, we may, with your explicit consent, share your contact information (name, email address, phone number) with other gerbil breeders who are registered with the American Gerbil Society (AGS). This is done solely for the purpose of connecting you with a breeder who may have gerbils available.

We will obtain your verbal or written consent before sharing your data with any third-party gerbil breeders. This consent may be given during your initial contact or confirmed through a follow-up email.

While we will only share your initial contact information with AGS-registered breeders, any further communication with them may involve you sharing additional personal information. It’s important to be mindful of what additional information you choose to share with any breeders we refer you to, and to review their privacy policies before doing so.

7. How Long We Retain Your Data For

When you submit a contact form, add a comment, send an email or message via Facebook, its metadata is retained until (if) you tell us to remove it. This includes your name, email address, phone number, and any inquiry details you submitted. Additionally, we retain data on gerbils purchased/adopted by you, including registration information, date of birth, and genetic lineage information. We use this data so that we can recognize you to provide future support and address any questions / concerns you may have.

If you register on our website, we also store the personal information you provide in your user profile. You can see, edit, or delete your personal information at any time (except changing your username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.

8. Security Measures

We take the security of your data seriously.

We use Cloudflare and the SSL/HTTPS protocol throughout our site. This encrypts our user communications with the servers so that personally identifiable information is not captured/hijacked by third parties without authorization.

We utilize an additional combination of security measures to protect your information, including:

  • Secure storage on Gmail
  • Virtual Private Network (VPN)
  • Antivirus and Anti-malware software
  • Two-factor authentication (2FA) on our Google account

In case of a data breach, system administrators will immediately take all needed steps to ensure system integrity, will contact affected users and will attempt to reset passwords if needed. This notification may be sent directly via email or posted on our website.

9. Your Data Rights
General Rights

If you have a registered account on this website or have left comments, you can request an exported file of the personal data we retain, including any additional data you have provided to us.

You have the right to request that we erase your personal data. This includes your name, email address, phone number (you provide for us to contact you), and any inquiry details you submitted through our contact form. In addition, upon request, we will permanently delete all email conversations associated with your inquiry from our Gmail account (HillCountryGerbils@Gmail.com).

To request erasure of your data, please contact us at HillCountryGerbils@Gmail.com. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe.

There is one exception to your right to erasure. We will not erase information related to gerbils you have purchased or adopted from us. This information includes:

  • AGS Registration Number
  • Call Name
  • Date of Birth
  • Genetic Information

We retain this data to provide future support and address any questions you may have about your gerbils.

Please be advised that, in the event you request the erasure of all your data, including past email conversations, our capacity to provide future support or other product-related services may be significantly restricted.

GDPR Rights

While Hill Country Gerbils strives to comply with all applicable laws and regulations, it’s important to note that we do not currently conduct business in the European Union (EU). This means we do not sell or adopt gerbils to residents of the EU. As a result, GDPR regulations regarding data processing and user rights may not fully apply.

However, if you are visiting our website from the EU, we still respect your privacy. We process any information you provide through our contact form (name, email, inquiry details) based on our legitimate interest in responding to your inquiry (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). You have the right to access, rectify, or erase your data by contacting us at HillCountryGerbils@Gmail.com. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe.

California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants California residents certain rights regarding their personal information. However, it’s important to note that Hill Country Gerbils does not currently conduct business in the state of California, as owning and selling gerbils is illegal there. Therefore, we are not subject to the specific requirements of the CCPA, including the obligation to comply with opt-out requests for the sale of personal information.

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

Our website is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and you believe your child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete the information from our records.

10. Third Party Websites
ThemeREX may post links to third party websites on this website. These third party websites are not screened for privacy or security compliance by AncoraThemes, and you release us from any liability for the conduct of these third party websites. All social media sharing links, either displayed as text links or social media icons do not connect you to any of the associated third parties unless you explicitly click on them. Please be aware that this Privacy Policy, and any other policies in place, in addition to any amendments, does not create rights enforceable by third parties or require disclosure of any personal information relating to members of the Service or Site. AncoraThemes bears no responsibility for the information collected or used by any advertiser or third party website. Please review the privacy policy and terms of service for each site you visit through third party links.
11. Release of Your Data for Legal Purposes

At times it may become necessary or desirable to Hill Country Gerbils, for legal purposes, to release your information in response to a request from a government agency or a private litigant. You agree that we may disclose your information to a third party where we believe, in good faith, that it is desirable to do so for the purposes of a civil action, criminal investigation, or other legal matter. In the event that we receive a subpoena affecting your privacy, we may elect to notify you to give you an opportunity to file a motion to quash the subpoena, or we may attempt to quash it ourselves, but we are not obligated to do either. We may also proactively report you, and release your information to, third parties where we believe that it is prudent to do so for legal reasons, such as our belief that you have engaged in fraudulent or illegal activities. You release us from any damages that may arise from or relate to the release of your information to a request from law enforcement agencies or private litigants.

Any passing on of personal data for legal purposes will only be done in compliance with laws of the country you reside in.

Go to Top