Hi all. I joined this forum to connect with other chinchilla owners, as I had a terrible experience yesterday and I was hoping some of you can help me understand what went wrong and what I can possibly do in the future.
My female was pregnant and had her babies, and none of them survived. It was a bizarre discovery. I came home to find a beautiful fluffy white baby laying dead on the floor of the cage (my female, Goodie is a hetero beige and the male, Coal is a standard grey). I checked around the cage to see if maybe she had more babies, and when I put my hand inside their hut, I pulled out another dead grey baby with it's scalp missing. This grey baby wasn't even cleaned when it died; it was half dry/half wet. It was so traumatizing and I couldn't sleep last night because of this discovery.
Later on that evening, Goodie gave birth to conjoined twins and when I discovered them, I noticed that both of their heads were partially eaten. I know this is disgusting to think about, so you can imagine how I felt seeing it.
Has anyone here ever experienced anything like this? Does anyone have any advice? I've had experience with breeding chinchillas and have already gotten an earful from a chinchilla breeder, she thought that I was a troll because my story is so bizarre, and believe me, I know it sounds crazy. This breeder told me that it sounds like I bred a chinchilla that should not be bred. Do you agree? Why on earth would she do this to her babies??? I guess with the conjoined twins I can kind of understand why she didn't allow them to live, but the little fluffy white baby looked perfect to me, and the grey baby looked healthy too despite it's missing scalp.
Background on Goodie: I got her from an out of town breeder (I think they're just hobby breeders) and paid $80 for her. She is a hetero beige and will be 2 years old next month. She is very active and playful, but doesn't like to be held or even pet that much. Despite her ordeal, she is recovering nicely in her cage and is eating a bit and drinking.
Please, I am only looking for advice and online help. Please don't condemn me because I feel terrible enough as it is. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks!