Also now if he's in this mood and we put him back in his cage and we stick our fingers in to pet him he sniffs then tries to nibble them.
Suggestions on how to deal with this?
You may want to get an anti fungus foot powder and add a teaspoon of it to the dust bath dust, just to play it safe.
i got them from an individual .. who got them from a pet store .. but she only had them a month before she gave them to me
I would check with the pet store, if possible, to see how long they had them. Most pet stores get kits about or under 2 months old ... if she had them a month and you've had them two months, that would probably put them at about six months old or under (unless the pet store had them for a long period or time). Both to young to be in breeding.
i think the female might be young and the male older because of how they behave ..and the size .. male(pinky) kinda big and dominant nd crazy lol and female(brain) shy but very curious and smart..and smaller in size.
What color are they? IF they are the same color, the female is usually larger than the male if they are the same age.
i checked her out last week because she looked like she was in heat a little more out there and pink ... thats why i thought it was ok to let her back in with him but he was like forcing himself on her nd she was hiding from him it seemed like
CAUTION At the tender age of
ten weeks old, males have the ability to get a female pregnant. At the tender age of
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 months of age, a female goes in season for the first time and has the ability to get pregnant BUT her body has not matured enough to be able to safely deliver the kits. The minimum safe weight for a female to become pregnant is 500 grams ... approximately 1 pound and 2 ounces ... but this is pushing the safety factor because her birth canal may not be large enough to deliver the kit/kits. I never put a male in breeding until he is 9 months old or a female in breeding until she is at least a year old ... personal preferences due to safety factors. This is with standard gray and most beige chinchillas ... some mutations, like the ebony, I will not put together until they are about 18 months old.
however he has cut back on calling out to her and was realllly active in his cage last night playing ..but did cry a little...
Males usually do a mating ritual known as the "Swish-Swish Tail" Dance ... he does a little hop, hop, then swishes his tail from side to side ... this is repeated often until the female is in full season and says "yes" to him. If you look closely, you may even see a smile or an eager look on his face. But, if she is not old enough, it could be the beginning of the end for her and any kits she may be carrying.
What I am about to say is not said to be mean or hateful, but as one breeder to
anyone who wants to become a good breeder.And from one person to another that does not want you to be heart broken at a bad outcome ...
A "breeding situation" is anytime a male and a female chinchilla is put together for 15 seconds or more {that is all the time it can take him to get her pregnant}.
A breeder is anyone who puts two chinchillas of the opposite sex in a breeding situation.
This does NOT mean the person is a good breeder or that it is a good situation. Knowledge, good breeding practices, and results are what makes the difference between a breeder and a good breeder and the difference between a healthy chin momma and kits or possibly dead ones.
Jo Ann
