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[nikandshirley]

Hello, i wonder if anyone out there can help us?
Our chinchilla has just given birth to three babies, but all three of them seem to have varying degrees of damage to their tails. It looks like their tails have been bitten, is this a normal occurrence for first time mothers or is it something that we need to keep an eye on?

Many thanks for your help.

Nik, Shirley and Layla

[GrayRodent]

Although I'm not exactly sure how to answer your question it might be useful for those in the know to provide some details. My initial thoughts are that it is not normal and injuries to the tail are potentially dangerous. If the kits are attacking each other they may need to be rotated for nursing. It is possible the mother is not producing milk at a rate fast enough to supply three all at once.

When you say damage are you talking about missing or chewed fur or is there bleeding or evidence of damage to the skin? If there is bleeding and extensive damage a vet visit may be recommended.

How are the kits housed? Your profile shows you have 5 chinchillas. Are both parents in the same cage? It is always best to separate the parents to prevent breed back and to prevent injury to the kits in post-partum heat.

Note: See following posts. Apparently this is not uncommon

[nikandshirley]

Hi, thanks for your help.

As far as we can tell this happened during birth, one has almost no tail at all and the other two just have nips on the ends. The kits are not fighting amongst themselves, yet.
A vet suggested that it might have been her inexperience with child birth and biting them instead of the cord.
We were just wondering if anyone else had come across this?

[GrayRodent]

Although I've never bred chinchillas I do know this does happen and if that is the case you are blessed that the damage was limited to the tails. Perhaps others will comment soon on if additional care is needed. Chances are you'll just have to watch and wait. Unfortunately this does pose a threat of infection until the wounds close up. I know some people put ointments on the stumps for this kind of injury but usually the chinchillas lick it off and can get sick from it. If there is no sign of scabbing or roughness to the skin on top it may be a birth defect instead. I am sorry you are having such a rough start.

[chinclub]

It is very normal for a mother chinchilla to bite off parts of the baby during birth.  It does happen more with first time moms but even my seasoned mothers do it from time to time.  I have seen everything from tips of tails, bits of ears, fingers and toes, to full tail removal and an entire arm.  Amazingly each time the babies heal with little to no complications.  Even the one that lost his whole arm healed up without need for stitches since the limb was so small and the bite was clean. (no jagged bones).

[nikandshirley]

Thanks for your advice, we shall stop panicking about it