Breeding and Pregnancy

Breeding and Pregnancy

Getting a breeding pair and introducing mates

Finding the perfect breeding pair is most important. You need to know all the back ground of the chins before committing to breeding them. If you have holes in the pedigree, they could pass on genes you didn't even know they had. There could also be health issues that may be passed on to the kits. DON'T Breed pet store chins or rescue chins. Get any breeding chin from a breeder who has a full pedigree on the chin. Once you have a match, accounting for the fact that there could be lethal genes (breeding a white to a white, ect.), and that the pair you have chosen will bring out the best in each other genetically, you are ready to introduce them.

Male and female chins need to be placed in cages side by side for a minimum of 2 weeks. This allows them to become familiar with one another's smell and get used to each others presence. You should allow them to play outside the cage together while being supervised by you! If any aggressive behavior is shown you should place them apart immediately!!! This may tell you they need more time apart to just gaze at one another. Try again in 2 or 3 weeks. If aggression continues, you may not have a compatible pair.

For starters I would place the female in the males cage and see if they do well. The reason for this is because the female tends to be more territorial and putting a male in her territory will only threaten her and she will become aggressive and spray him. Try her in with him first, let them romp around. They will jump on each other and chase each other. But as long as you don't see blood shed or serious attacks, they should be ok. But I wouldn't let them alone just yet. Separate them again and the next day do the same thing, maybe for a few days until you are comfortable leaving them alone in the same cage together.

Mating

Females come into heat every 25-38 days. This will begin as early as age 6 months but can start as late as 8 months. 6 months is too young to breed however. They should wait until they are at least 10 months to a year of age. Chins have been known to become pregnant earlier than 6 months. They usually breed during the winter/early spring months. The average chin can mate up to 3 times a year

Unless you actually witness the mating there is little evidence that will tell you the event took place. There is something called a "mating plug" that can be found around the cage. It is waxy, white and about the width of a pencil, and 1 1/2 inches long. This is expelled after mating. Another sign could be tufts of hair spread out around the cage indicative of the two romping around. Mating usually occurs at night due to the instinctual habits. They do this to prevent predators from killing their young.

Pregnancy

A litter can consist of anything from 1 to 4 kits, possibly even up to 6 but its pretty rare. Pregnancy on a chinchilla can be hard to detect especially during the first 3 months. If your chinchilla is not used to being handled its best to leave her alone if you suspect she is pregnant. Stress can cause her to abort the babies. Signs that will tell you she is pregnant include:
*Weight Gain

*Change in eating habits

*Thirst usually increases by 30 to 50% in the last 24 to 36 hours before labor

*Laying on her side, seems uncomfortable

*Tires quickly

*Stretches a lot

*Constantly cleaning herself

*Increased attention by the males in other cages and by her mate

Gestation is between 109-120 days, on average 111 days. After the 90 day mark you will start to notice the females nipples getting redder and longer. Almost as long as her fur by the time of delivery. She will have 6 nipples. She will be gaining weight, the most during the last 4 weeks. Her belly will become rounder and firmer. First time mothers may have smaller kits and single births. A chin carrying multiple kits will obviously look larger. As the female gets closer to her delivery date you may be able to see the babies move.
The development of the chinchilla inside the womb during the 111 days.

At 30 days it weights .1 gram.

At 45 days it weights 1 gram

At 60 days it weights 10 grams

At 80 days it weights 25 grams

At 100 days it weights 40 grams

At 111 days it weights 45 grams

What to do if you suspect your chin is pregnant. Definitely feed her lots of fresh hay, fresh water and pellets. Feed her supplements like animax, calf manna, calcium (tums) and vitamin c. Take the exercise wheel out. Don't give any dust baths about 2 weeks prior to her due date. It could cause infections in her vagina. Provide her with plenty of exercise outside of the cage. Don't handle her too much, don't feel for the babies, excess handling can cause abortion.

Female chins will become pregnant within a 3 day period after giving birth if they are not separated from the male. This is what is known as a "breedback" and is not recommended. Some say female chins will not allow this to happen unless they are healthy. Sometimes you cant help it if you don't get to her in time but I highly don't recommended. It does not give the chin time to rest or time for herself. Not to mention she will be nursing one set of young and pregnant with others.
See the Gestation Chart to estimate the due date of your chin.

Preparing for Babies

You have to baby proof the cage. Anything larger than 1/4 by 1/4 wire spacing, you could wind up with an escapee! No wire floor, their tiny legs could get caught and break easily. Closing any upper levels would be a good idea. Kits are mobile when they are born and will attempt a climb, but without certainty of distance, will jump and could hurt themselves terribly. It is also a great idea to place a smaller house in the cage small enough that mom cant fit in, this will give babies a place to hide while mom runs around. This way they wont get trampled. Kits have been known to die from this.

Delivery and Birth

The majority of chinchillas will birth their babies during the early morning hours but they can deliver any time of day. Birth is a very natural thing and your female should be able to handle everything on her own. But do have an exotic's vet on hand just incase there is an emergency, if she has gone hours without delivering a kit that you know is inside still. When she is in active labor you may notice her huddled up in an awkward position.
,br> Chinchilla's may grunt and groan during the delivery. Labor usually only lasts about 30 minutes but could last a few hours depending on the number of kits born. If she is giving birth to multiple babies she will go back into labor again. Its not uncommon for babies to come as much as 45 minutes apart. When the mother is delivering the next kit, the first of the litter is left alone and wet so it is important that the room be a comfortable temperature with no cool drafts.

The mother will clean the babies off as they are born and will eat the afterbirth. This gives them nutrients that they have lost. Many chinchillas will nibble at the afterbirth, which is rich in protein, but they should not be permitted to eat the entire thing. Chinchillas are vegetarians and therefore can not digest meat. Eating too much of the placenta could cause impaction and other digestive problems. There is very little blood during delivery.

Unless, the mother has had so many babies that she cannot get to each one to dry it off, the kits should be fine. If she is not able to get to them fast enough you might need to intervene and warm the chinchilla by blowing on it. If not it will die from hypothermia. As soon as the baby(s) are dried off you can immediately place them back in with their mother. To make sure all babies are out, you can palpate her abdomen and feel for anymore kits. If you are unsure you can always take her to a vet to double check, but bring the babies with her, they will need to be nursing a lot.

Kit Care

Kits are small when they are first born. Chinchillas are Precocial, meaning that their babies are born with hair, eyes open, ears open and are mobile. They will already be walking about and trying to nurse. A healthy kit normally weighs between 35 and 60 grams at birth. Or course the weight will be less per kit depending on the number in the litter. If there is only one kit, its weight will be great. It there are 3 or 4 kits, each of their weights will be a bit lower.

Make sure each kit (if multiple) is getting adequate milk from mom. If she is rejecting any of the babies, separate the rest and give it some alone time with mom. If its still not eating you need to step in and supplement, goats milk, baby cereal with ground up pellets, kitten/puppy milk formula supplement, anything like this will work. Weighing the babies everyday is important to make sure there is no weight loss. Weight loss for a kit is very alarming and should be dealt with immediately. It means it is not getting enough milk and could eventually die.

Kits should not be fed treats as they have very sensitive digestive systems and cannot handle the sweetness of the treats. They need to develop more before being given a treat. They should also be handled from the first day of birth. This will give them human contact early and will make the difference later on whether it will be a nice chin or a very shy, timid and scared chin. Handling them everyday is a must!

Weaning the young can begin at about 8 weeks of age. If they are girl kits, they can stay with mom as long as dad is not in the cage. He will mate with the daughters, chins have no concept of relatives and will interbreed if the female kits are left in the cage with him. If there are boy kits, they must be taken from mom around 8 weeks as they will impregnate mom. Taking the kits from mom helps wean them from her milk. They will start eating pellets very young, but will still nurse. Don't be alarmed with this. It is ok for them to snack on the pellets. It helps get them used to the food they will be eating once off moms milk.

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