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[sarahlydear]

Ok so I realize that I have no idea what chinchillas look at the diffrent stages on their life. Such as a day old, a week old, a month old, ect. Im pretty sure I know what an adult chin and a new born baby but I'm fuzzy about the sizes inbetween. So if anyone could help? Also if you would be so kind as to include some photos, I work best with visuals :p and I can't find any sites telling or giving me photos of what the "body structure" is, and what each stage needs most, like food wise and what not?  So please help!
Thanks;
Sarah

[jmdebb]

 i don't have any pics cuz my pc crashed and i lost everything.  but weight wise they are all different.  some are big some are small.. on the food, what they need is quality food, not sold in pet stores for the most part, but some do have oxbow and mazuri.  other quality foods you can buy online are tradition, purina show rabbit [not all rabbits foods are safe only some are] and i have some others listed on my site, sorry, i'm so tired.  also another important part of their diet is timothy hay.  some other hays to use which are safe and good to help the back teeth are broome, oat, or oat, wheat and barley, meadow, botanical, to name a few.

always, give items to chew on because their teeth constantly grow so they need to wear them down.. make sure they are chin safe, most items at pet stores that say chin safe really aren't so if you arent' sure which to use please ask. 

sorry for not writing more, but i'm beat, and i'm sure other people will have some great advise too.

jean

[1newChinmom1]

I would love some example too. As everyone is sick of hearing, our Mommy chin was a surprise acquisition, not really planned. She arrived with absolutely no background information. We have been wondering if there is any way to decipher her age. Other than delivering a healthy son since she moved in with us (so we know she is an adult) I have no clues.
Is there anyway to tell how old our ChinMom is?

The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know

[ABC Chinchillas]

even with life stages photos there is no way to tell the age of an adult... if your chinchilla came to you pregnant and delivered she is likely an adult and there is no way to tell

[ABC Chinchillas]

Next baby I have I will take a weekly photo and label it

[1newChinmom1]

Next baby I have I will take a weekly photo and label it

That would be great!  Maybe monthly after the first year?  Thanks!

The more I learn, the more i realize how little i know

[ABC Chinchillas]

After they finish growing at around 8 months there is no change in apperance with age until they are geriactric. There is No way to look at a chinchilla and tell how old they are even as a kit.

[1newChinmom1]

I see. Thanks Starleomach! I wish I knew more about our little Mother's history, even her age would be good to know!  She is so very sweet, and getting sweeter every day.  Someone must have loved her a great deal. I still wonder what could have happened to cause a loving chinMom or chinDad to give up such a beautiful baby  .
Guess I will never know.

The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know 

[ABC Chinchillas]

I understand your desire to figure out what age she is but honestly without a birthdate you will never know. There is no way to tell

[Jo Ann]

   

The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know  

  And so it is with the best of us!  We are all learning new things every day.  Chinchillas are fairly new to the pet world.  For this reason, they are still a mystery in their own time.  We know lots about them, but never as much as we need to know.

The two chinchilla kits shown below are the same age, born the same day, within minutes of each other ... and to the same mother ... they are littermates ... brother and sister.  The size difference is due to superfoetation/superfetation.  The brother was conceived before the sister, each in it's own uterus (horn).  Female chinchillas have two uteri and two separate sets of teats.  Good ole mother nature!  You might want to check out:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superfetation for a more indepth explination.

You state:

our Mommy chin was a surprise acquisition, not really planned. She arrived with absolutely no background information. We have been wondering if there is any way to decipher her age. Other than delivering a healthy son since she moved in with us (so we know she is an adult) I have no clues.

Haven't been on for a while so, I don't know the background ... how was she a "surprise acquisition"?  
Where did you get her?  A friend? Add in the paper? Pet store?  
How long did you have her before she gave birth to her son?

Actually giving birth to a kit does not mean she is an adult.   "Adult chinchilla" usually means 1 year or older. Female chinchillas have the ability to get pregnant at 3 1/2 months of age (not a safe or smart thing to do, but possible).  About 110 days to develop the kit/kits + 3 1/2 to 4 months of age = 7 to 8 months of age for the mother ... IF she got pregnant as soon as it is possible for one to do so.

Warning! Male chinchillas, at the tender age of 10 weeks, have the ability to impregnate a female.  So, her son should be caged separately by the time he is 9 weeks old.  Chinchillas do not make a difference as to who they mate with ... even if it is another family member.  Mating within the family is/can be double trouble for the kits.

Weight ans size of a chinchilla will not give you it's age ... that, unfortunately , is impossible to know without getting the information from the Breeder.  Most adult chinchillas loose that "baby look", but, as is the same with humans, some adults retain that 'baby look'.  {In most chinchilla shows, chins are shown when they are considered in their prime - between 9 months and 2 years old. I attended one show, being judged by a seasoned judge that almost chose a chin to be #1 in it's class, but this chin was over 5 years old - some chins can fool the even the best! }  Wish I could help your more there, but without the original information, it's impossible.

Most chinchillas need the same things ... good quality food, plenty of hay, fresh water daily, clean cages, a routine and lots of love ... the last listed is almost as important as the first.    

For my herd, with hay, Timothy hay is the norm after the age of 6 months ... UNLESS, it is a female in breeding.  I give my breeding females 1/2 Timothy and 1/2 Alfalfa hay.  When nursing, I give them all Alfalfa ... the same with new kits until they are at least 3 months old, then I change them over to a 1/2 and 1/2 mix until they are 6 months old ... at 6 months they get all Timothy hay.  The one thing about hay ... above anything else is that it is fresh, free of mold and does not have a sour smell to it.   If in doubt ... throw it out!  { & buy new fresh hay}

  She is so very sweet, and getting sweeter every day.   Someone must have loved her a great deal. I still wonder what could have happened to cause a loving chinMom or chinDad to give up such a beautiful baby   .

Maybe someone handled it to roughly and it bit them in self-defence.  If the one bitten was a child ... maybe the adult didn't know it was the child's fault and they got rid of the chin thinking it was dangerous.  Maybe the owner passed away.  Maybe the owner just didn't have enough time to give the chin proper time and love and gave it up for that reason.   You never know.

Hope this helps a little ... remember ... if the male kit is still with it's mom after it is 10 weeks old ... he can get her pregnant, please house them separately before he is 10 weeks old.

Keep us posted!

   Jo Ann

[1newChinmom1]

You state:

our Mommy chin was a surprise acquisition, not really planned. She arrived with absolutely no background information. We have been wondering if there is any way to decipher her age. Other than delivering a healthy son since she moved in with us (so we know she is an adult) I have no clues.

Haven't been on for a while so, I don't know the background ... how was she a "surprise acquisition"?  
Where did you get her?  A friend? Add in the paper? Pet store?  
How long did you have her before she gave birth to her son?
Well, my daughter had been doing research (and ritual begging) for months when on of her friends bought a 'mated,bonded pair' from a pet shop. The shop gave him zero information on them. (We've been back to the shop, and gotten none also). Within a week they had urinated at the parents to such an extent, that the poor kid had to find his chinnys a new home. That is where we came in. My daughter met them on a playdate, and the rest, as they say, is history. She gave birth to her son within a week.
Actually giving birth to a kit does not mean she is an adult.   "Adult chinchilla" usually means 1 year or older. Female chinchillas have the ability to get pregnant at 3 1/2 months of age (not a safe or smart thing to do, but possible).  About 110 days to develop the kit/kits + 3 1/2 to 4 months of age = 7 to 8 months of age for the mother ... IF she got pregnant as soon as it is possible for one to do so.
Oh gosh, I hope she was old enough! 

Warning! Male chinchillas, at the tender age of 10 weeks, have the ability to impregnate a female.  So, her son should be caged separately by the time he is 9 weeks old.  Chinchillas do not make a difference as to who they mate with ... even if it is another family member.  Mating within the family is/can be double trouble for the kits.

We took Little Sir out at 8 weeks. He was born June 4th. His Dad passed away the day after he was born, so we only have Little Sir, and Little Mother now. 

Weight and size of a chinchilla will not give you it's age ... that, unfortunately , is impossible to know without getting the information from the Breeder.  Most adult chinchillas loose that "baby look", but, as is the same with humans, some adults retain that 'baby look'.  {In most chinchilla shows, chins are shown when they are considered in their prime - between 9 months and 2 years old. I attended one show, being judged by a seasoned judge that almost chose a chin to be #1 in it's class, but this chin was over 5 years old - some chins can fool the even the best! }  Wish I could help your more there, but without the original information, it's impossible.

That's a shame, I wish we could figure out how old she is.  

Most chinchillas need the same things ... good quality food, plenty of hay, fresh water daily, clean cages, a routine and lots of love ... the last listed is almost as important as the first.    

We have the hay, food, water, pine shavings, treats, etc worked out. After 7 months we had better,lol . And as for love, well, I can't imagine our family without those two!

  She is so very sweet, and getting sweeter every day.   Someone must have loved her a great deal. I still wonder what could have happened to cause a loving chinMom or chinDad to give up such a beautiful baby   .

Maybe someone handled it to roughly and it bit them in self-defence.  If the one bitten was a child ... maybe the adult didn't know it was the child's fault and they got rid of the chin thinking it was dangerous.  Maybe the owner passed away.  Maybe the owner just didn't have enough time to give the chin proper time and love and gave it up for that reason.   You never know.

Your right, I just can't imagine ever leaving this little armload of Sweetness behind. 

Keep us posted!

Thanks, I will. I am mostly done running around with my hair on fire. But I still come back every now and then with a moronic question or two 

   NewChinMom (actually GrandChin)

The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know! 

[Jo Ann]

    9 out of 10 times a pet store has no idea of how old a chinchilla is.   Allot Most of them don't even know the sex of the chin.  As a general rule, pet stores get their chinchillas from a distributor, the distributor gets them in large numbers from breeders ... little to no information goes with them once they leave the breeder.  Distributors do not take the time to keep up with the information, and if they did, the pet stores would distroy the information because they do not want you buying direct from the distributor or the breeder ... pet stores are in business to make money.

The reason she was spraying the first owners was because they were doing something that made her fear for herself and/or her kit she was carrying.  Mom-to-be chins and chin moms, can get down right protective of their kits.  Chin moms are usually good moms.     If she bit one of them, most likely it was their fault ... if they yelled or hit her for doing it ... it only made the situation worse.  Females rarely spray without reason and spraying is one of the 'warning signs' they give you to ask you to leave them alone.  Actually, she was being nice in warning them to stay the heck away ... she was trying to tell them she would bite if they did it again.  For not actually biting them and spraying allot ... they are lucky she has lots of patients.  Most females will only spray once or twice then the next time they will bite, if they fear for themselves or their kit/kits.

Body structure is basically the shape of the body.  Good quality chinchillas will have a body that, if viewed from above or from the side, should look like the shape of a brick.  No skinny necks or pointed noses (eventhough that does not affect the love-ability of the chin) ... in the chinchilla shows there is a strict standard by which the chinchillas are judged.  The fur of the chinchilla and the size of it, will usually give you a good idea about the quality of it.  But ... if you have never attended a show, you might think your chins is 'perfect' ... I know I did ... but after attending a few shows ... I saw what real high quality chinchillas look like.  If you do not plan to show or breed, her age is not that important. You might want to look up the Empress or M.C.B.A. chinchilla websites for those rules ... I also believe Jamie has some listed here on her sight.

Keep in mind ... due to the fact you have no background on the chinchilla and it's family, please do not breed it ... you never know what you might be gettins yourself into.  Breeding without the facts and the knowledge is irresponsible. 

   Jo Ann

[1newChinmom1]

1st, don't worry, we won't be breeding either of them. We have adopted (and adored) too many rescue pets to bring more chinnys than we can reasonably care for into this world!

2nd, For the record, our Littel Mother never sprayed anyone here, surprisingly enough. She has always just reached out with her little hands and moved us out of her way. Granted, I have always been attentive to her responses when handling her, or her hutch, but I am a very touchy-feely, huggy person, normally. I guess I have a VERY patient Chinny! Even now, when I insist on carrying her to and from the playroom, she is very sweet about the whole thing. Never bites or sprays. I know she doesn't like it, because she tries really hard, to move my hands, and puts her teeth around my fingers, as if to bite (but she never does).

Lastly, just so you know, Persephone (the littel Mother) and Cerberus (littel Sir) ARE perfect in every way.  Just in case you haven't figured that last bit out yet.

Thanks for all the info. You are great Jo Ann!

The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know