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[tinakris]

Hi, I'm a new chin owner(have had her for about a month now) and like a responsible pet parent I thoroughly researched chins before buying mine... but I ran into an unexpected surprise when I tried to give my male chinchilla a fur ring check... she's not a he!  I work at the place I got her from so I know she was housed with a male before I took her home, and I know you're not supposed to palpate or she can abort the kits but while I was checking her for fur ring I did feel a baby-like(at least it felt like what my show rabbits babies used to feel like in the tummy) lump a little bigger than the size of a grape.  So assuming she's probably pregnant and not wanting to feel for any kits again and hurt them, at what stage in development are the kits that size? I'm trying to figure out how long I have to make preparations and get something the babies won't be able to escape from.  I plan to take her to my vet soon to get her checked out anyway but the chinchilla specialist is away for a few weeks and I don't want to be caught off guard in the meantime.  Any help is appreciated, Thanks!

[GrayRodent]

This question should probably be answered by a breeder which I am not so I hope someone answers soon.

I do know chinchilla gestation average is 111 days. I also know that kits are quite a bit larger than a grape so you probably have a ways to go. A knowledgeable vet should be able to tell if the pelvic girdle is large enough to facilitate live birth and if the female is at a healthy weight. If she is not at least close to a year old there is a much higher risk of complications.

As far as preparations when it comes closer to time you'll want a cage with no larger than 1"x1/2" bar spacing that is all one level with no shelves. Most rabbit cages would do well for this. You can also ask your vet about calcium powder as a supplement since calcium deficiency is often an issue with chinchilla pregnancy.

I hope everything goes well with your new pet.

[tinakris]

Thanks.  I know she's about a year old already since she was at the store for quite a while before I got her.  She's pretty big but I'll definitely have them check that when I have her seen.  Her teeth are bright orange and I've been giving her parts of cuttlebone here and there but thanks for the that tip I'll be sure to ask them about that too.

[Snickerdoodlesmom]

How much does she weigh? My chinchilla is 2 years old, so he's all grown up, but he's only 325 grams (TINY for a male chinchilla). I got him from a chain pet store, so they didn't care if he was healthy or big... just about the money I think as a general rule, the bigger chinchillas are healthier. Or something lol

[tinakris]

I don't know how much she weighs because I don't yet have a scale that measures in grams. >< Also, she's been super grumpy the last few days and wants nothing to do with me so I'm only holding her to take her to the play room anyway and I doubt she'd sit still for a weighing, hehe.  She was the biggest chin in the store(even bigger than the other pregnant chin- we seem to have a sexing problem in the store so I've starting sexing them when we get a new one! No more pet store pregnancies!) and seems to be quite lively.  A family member is going to take the kit if she carries to term and I have a vet appointment now in two weeks so hopefully all goes well!  Have a cage ready if they confirm she's pregnant but don't want to move her yet and stress her out if it turns out she's not. Thoroughly enjoying her in the meantime though, and thanks again for your help!

[chinclub]

Here is an article on chinchilla pregnancy that might help http://www.lowcountrychinchillas.com/preg.shtml