Please keep in mind that all rules do not apply to all chinchillas, but,
for safety sake, it is best to follow the rules. If you do not mind
taking a chance of finding one of the females or kits mangled, then ignore the rules. (Sometimes the females will even turn on the male.)
Rules to go by:
#1 Females have the ability to breed (get pregnant) at the age of 3 1/2 months, but their birth canale is not big enough for them to be able to safely deliver the kits ... in this case the momma chin and the kits all usually die. Female chins should be 8 to 12 months old or older before they are put into a breeding situation, in my opinion. (Anytime a male and a female are put together they are in a breeding situation, regardless of age or family members. This includes, but is not limited to, living in the same cage or even just playtime together outside the cage.) Females must be removed from
any male chins before she reaches 3 1/2 months old. Some of the rarer colors, such as the ebony, the violet and the sapphires, I will not put them into breeding until they are 12 to 18 months old ... depends on health and weight.
#2 Males have the ability to breed at the tender age of 10 weeks. This is why a male kit
must be removed from the momma chin before it becomes 10 weeks old, to avoid insest.
#3
As a general rule you do not want to place two or more females in the same cage with a male. Females have been known to kill the kits of the other female and/or fight with the other female. Females tend to be more territorial than males. As I said before, not all rules apply to all situations, but I would rather be safe than sorry.
#4
I am a little bit confused because I know others who have their males and females mixed and they have had babies and there is no problems.
You may not "see" a problem and the breeder might "think" there is not a problem ... BUT, there is definitely several possibilities of problems. ... When more than one male has access to the same female(s) ... Who's the daddy?
To be a responsible breeder, you need to know and keep record of each kits' parents and blood lines. Are these males and females of the same family? If so, then they are breeding within their own family ... this is called incest ... not a good thing.
#5 A female chinchilla goes right back into season soon after the kits are born, if any male is with her, she will probably get pregnant immediately. If this happens it is called breed-back. When this happens the momma chins is trying to produce good healthy milk for her kits
and at the same time trying to nurture the new unborn litter she is carrying. This is to much of a strain on the momma's system and to little of the good things she can give her nursing kits as well as her unborn kits ... all suffer.
#6 Two males in the same cage (even if they are
not in the same cage with a female) have been known to fight to the death for the right to breed a female in season ... even if they can not get to the female, they will often fight over her. Even males of the same family. I learned this the hard way. A father and son lived together peacefully for 9 months, never even the sign of a little squabble between them, then a female in a cage near them went into season ... the father almost killed the son to assure himself the right to be able to breed the female, should the circumstances arise. Had I not found him when I did, he would have died.
Just because one person/breeder does something, it does not mean it is OK to do it, it just means, so far they
do not know of a problem by doing it. (Of course there is probably lots of thing they don't know.) Unfortunately, they may not know until future generations, when the problem will become evident. Rules/guide lines are made by people/breeders of long standing and experience for a reason, not just because someone decided 'they' know what is best. It is learned over many years of trial and error. I know breeders that have been breeding over 50 years and they often have thousands of chins at a time.
Two books I find to be the most know ledgable and full of correct information for chinchillas are "
The Joy of Chinchillas" written by researchers at California Chins at:
http://www.cachins.org/ and "
After 40 Years Alice Kline Talks About Chinchillas", by Alice Kline. This one can be found on the M.C.B.A site at:
http://www.mutationchinchillas.com/ under Genera Store. Both books may see a little pricey, but not when you consider all the information that is within them.
Most females that have never been in breeding by the time that they are 3 years old, have been known not to allow a male to breed or are usually slow breeders. Now, if she has been in breeding but never produced any kits, she could be sterile, OR the male she was with could have been sterile, or things just may not have clicked between them.
I have two pair of chins that have never produced any kits and they have been together almost 10 years. But, they are happy, so they will stay together. None of the four would accept a new mate, so I put each pair back together.
I tried one female with 3 males over 5 years before she produced kits. (She was just particular who she wanted to be the father of her kits, I guess.)
And I have a pair that have been together for 12 years ... they produced their one and only kit after being together 7 years. This one kit has produced several litters, but the parents have not produced any more kits ... I guess they figured one kit was enough.
As far as how to let them bond ... place the cages close together (but at least 3 inches apart). They will become accustom to the other's smell and sounds.
After they become use to you, you can allow them time together outside of the cage, but only with close supervision!
It would be best if there is a second person to help you ... just encase they decide to fight or decide to get together sooner than you want them to.
This should be in a small room with no place for them to hide (such as a bathroom). Two chins out of site for as little as 15 to 30 seconds can sometimes produce kits.
Keep a pillowcase handy to throw over one and catch it, should there be a problem and you need to separate them.
Hope this has helped.
Jo Ann
