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[Robyn]

I adopted a female chin from my friend who was moving away last month. she couldnt take both of her chins with her so I told her that I would take her female chin and she could keep her male chin. I thought that since I have a female chin they both could become friends. Right now the adopted chin "izzy" is in her own cage and is in a different room (Im QT her just incase). Now my friend deanna has only had izzy for a month before I adopted her. When deanna brought izzy home she just (for a lack of a better word) through izzy in with the male who has been living in his cage for over a year . Well I think izzy is starting to show a few signs of being pregnant. Shes sleeping on her side, eating alot more, her intake of water has increased, when I try to take her out for playtime she doesn't want to be touched but 3 weeks ago she would run and hop into my hands as if to say "lets go its playtime!" Izzy also has a hard time sleeping throughout the day. Could Izzy be expecting? If so what should I do to prepare? I know that giving birth can be hard on chins but if she is pregnant I want to do this right and make sure everything goes smooth. Thanks in advance for the help.

[chinclub]

Hi Robyn,
Its really hard to say for sure.  It is certainly possible that she is pregnant since she lived a month with a male, however, all of the things you listed could also be signs that she is getting more comfortable with her new home.  Chinchillas will sleep on their sides, on their backs, and all sorts of other weird positions even if they are not pregnant.

You could weigh her once a week and see if she is gaining, but if she isn't wanting to come out of her cage the stress could be bad if she is pregnant.  I would suggest keeping her in her own cage for 115 days from the day you got her.  (111 days is the average pregnancy but better to wait a few extra days just in case)   And be sure the cage is baby proof (wire opening no larger that 1/2 x 1/2 inch.  If the cage has larger openings you might want to attach some cardboard around the bottom to keep the babies from escaping, just in case.   You will have to alter the cage more if you have babies but some added cardboard around the lower half should keep them in for the first few hours and you will most likely find them by then and can do some more detailed cage protecting.

[Jo Ann]

   Hi Robyn,

Weighing her weekly is very important.  How old is she?  What size cage is she in now?  What size is the wire on the cage?

I would definitely keep the two females separate until you are sure one way or the other.  Sometimes a female will kill another female's kit/kits.

IF she is going to have kits there's allot to do in preparing for their arrival.
Using cardboard around the bottom of the cage is to help prevent the kit, should she have one, from climbing up the side of the cage.
Chinchilla kits are born with their eyes open and ready to play within hours. 
Usually withing 24 to 48 hours of being born, they will even climb to to top of the cage. 
They can climb up, but can NOT climb down.
So, when the kit gets to the top, it just turns loose and drops to the bottom of the cage.   
If the cage is to tall (over 15") and there is not enough soft bedding in the bottom, the fall could kill the kit.
Keep us posted!

  Jo Ann

[Robyn]

Thanks for the help! Izzy is 1 year old. The cage is 39 inches high with 1 inch gap between the wires. Looks like Im going to have to get a new cage. If she has kit/kits my boyfriend and I plan on keeping them. can they live with izzy when they get bigger or should they have there own cage? Ill have my boyfriend bring home some boxes so we can babyproof the new cage. I adopted izzy on april 4th or 5th so 115 days from then would be july 24ish. Can you reccomend any books or articles I should read on chin births? I have had my chin zoe since september and when we got her my boyfriend went and bought a book called "A New Owner's Guide To Chinchillas" but it dosen't have any info on birth or birthing.

[chinclub]

Female babies can live with her, although I wouldn't suggest putting her ang baby with your other chinchilla.  Any male babies need to be removed by 3 months old to prevent breeding back to mom.

Are you a Chinchilla Club or a Chinchilla Breeders Org member?  If so you can read a ton of great articles on EVERYTHING at www.ChinchillaMagazine.com

[Jo Ann]

   Robyn, the cardboard is just a temporary fix ... mom and kits can and will chew holes in it very quickly  (in a matter of an hour or so)!  Cardboard is an emergency fix, you will need to get a cage the proper height and with the proper wire size.   I would start looking now ... should she start being obviously pregnant ... I would get a proper cage/cages for mom and all the kits. 

  Jo Ann

   

[Robyn]

Update

Izzy is pregnant. She has gone from the size of a baseball to the size of a softball. I took her to my vet and he said that he could feel the little ones. My boyfriend and I are so excited Izzy started to do something new, When I tried to take her out for "play time" (as we call it) she bit me and drew blood!  I have left her in the cage for over a week now but every chance I get I'll go into her room, sit down and pat her. Sometimes we have the best conversations anyway Im picking up a new cage this weekend for her and once its all set up I'll move her in it. How long before the kits can be removed from mommy? I want to remove the boys (if she has any) to make sure there isnt any inbreeding.

[chinclub]

Don't feel bad about the bite.  Pregnant chinchillas are hormonal and probably just as miserable as we humans are sometimes.  Once the babies come and she get settled with them she will go back to normal.  Its best not to hold a pregnant girl anyway.  You need to keep the babies with mom for at least 7-8 weeks.

You didn't ask this question, but I am sure you are wondering:::: When the babies come they will be all wet.  Leave them with mom until they dry then you can pick them up.  During the first 2 weeks they are still learning to maintain their own body temp and spend alot of time underneath mom.  During these first 10 days don't hold them for more than a minute or two.  After those 10 days you will notice they are running around the cage more and more and you can keep them out of the cage a little longer.  Some moms can get a little angry when you reach for their kits so be careful., but most moms are happy for the break and will get out of your way to let you take them out. 

[Robyn]

Yes I was wondering about that. So mom will clean her kits once they are born? Now that you mentioned there body temp, its summer time now and as you know chins do not like the heat. I keep the AC on in her room to make sure it doesen't get over 70 degrees. How will this affect her kits? Should I leave the AC off? Thank you guys for all the help!

[chinclub]

Oh, no, keep it nice and cold.  The mother will keep the babies warm.  My chin room got down to 50 in the winter and we had a ton of kits.  Never lost one to temperature.  Mom will groom them and then sit on them much like a mother hen does.  Sometimes you don't even see the babies the first day unless you catch a glimpse of a tail sticking out from under her.  Usually its the sound of the babies that tips you to the fact that they have been born as they yell pretty loud when mom is cleaning them.  Also there will probably be a lot of blood in the cage.  Mom is usually covered in it from the chin down too because she gets it all over her fur as she is birthing and caring for the newborns.

If you are a chinchilla club member check out ChinchillaMagazine.com  There are two articles that show pictures at each step of a chinchilla delivery so you can see what to expect in case you are there.  Chances are you will miss the delivery so you will at least know what you missed.