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[iSpi]

Responses with advice are needed ASAP!!

Back Story:
I had bought a female, standard grey chinchilla from a popular pet store earlier this year. She is very energetic, but I thought she would enjoy a friend. I had gotten a female white chinchilla about a month and a half ago off a local add and asked about her history and health. The two have never been caged together and the white one has been very territorial of her cage because she was unknowingly pregnant. She did seem a little rough when I first got her but she seems much more healthy. I went to clean her cage and my other chinchillas cage today, and when I picked up her tree stump, there was a grey and white baby chinchilla.

I was told that she had given birth before and that she was healthy. I called the previous owner later wanting more information because she was eating a lot more than my current grey chinchilla. He said that she might be pregnant, and after I expressed my frustration he said that she had been separated from the standard grey male he had bought from a pet store for 4 months. He then told me she has been pregnant on 3 separate occasions with kits and she is almost 2 years old. I realized that the chinchilla I had taken in was mistreated and very stressed at a very young age.

The white and grey one are in the same room, but the white one has a smaller cage that can only have one level if I take the attachment level out. I know I will need to weigh them and monitor their health, but I need some serious answers on how I can help these two. I know some general information from other websites, but I need some answers from breeders.

1. What should I feed the mother and baby?
   I currently feed her Oxford pellets and Oxford timothy hay. I give her an occasional dried strawberry treat by Oxford. She gets also gets a small tablet of Vitamin C every other day from a bottle that says "Daily C" on it. She had hay and water always. I'm just curious if the mother needs special vitamins and the baby need special food other than feeding off the mother.

2. Should I clean her cage and should I relocate her cage?
   The reason I found the kit was because I was going to clean her cage today. I don't know if moving her will stress her and the baby out. I'm also not sure if I should move her to a different room where the other female chinchilla can't see or smell her.

3. Should I let the mother run around outside the cage?
   She seems to want to come and and run when I go in the room. I just don't know if I should keep her in the cage for a couple weeks to focus on caring for her baby, or if she's allowed to come out with her baby, or what.

4. How can I make sure they are healthy in all ways?
    I read to weigh them and keep track of how much they eat. Make sure they are warm and active with clear eyes. I heard you're not suppose to give the mother a dust bath after 10 days of giving birth.

5. Should I visit a vet with the two of them, or will that be stressful?
    I'm not sure if I should get the checked out. I have a carrier, but I'm not sure if taking them this early on will be healthy for them knowing that they might be exposed to other animals at a vet.

6. What can I put in her cage that would be safe for the both of them?
    Right now there is a lava block with some wood chew toys and a tree stump that they can hide in. There is a glass bowl for food and a water bottle that is on the outside of the cage that lets her drink water from a little spout. She has Carefresh natural bedding. I also bordered the cage with thin cardboard so the kit can't slip through the bars.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I didn't expect this to happen, and I plan on giving this chinchilla the best care. She is very friendly towards people and looks a lot better from when I first received her. I would like to keep her with the baby, but if I know I cannot take proper care I will try to find an experienced chinchilla owner who can make sure she will live a healthy lifestyle.
Any other advice would be appreciated. I saw them at 12 PM.


(The picture is poor quality but that is the baby while the mother eats some timothy hay. I took the level above them out and there is a border so the kit can't crawl out of the cage through the bars.)

[kageri]

If the female is healthier now with no visible problems then she shouldn't need any help or a vet visit.  Healthy kits usually have more tail curl than unhealthy kits.  If they start dragging their tail and getting inactive you might have a problem.  Their weight usually drops as well so keeping weights on them will confirm a problem.  You can continue to feed them the same as long as they are healthy.  She will just eat more food and soon the kit will eat solid food so make sure her feeders are always full.  Take out any levels and houses that are light enough to be moved but heavy enough to crush a kit.  Usually the house is not much of a risk factor after the first few days but keep an eye out.

Clean the cage like normal but do not move it.  You don't want things to change too much.  If the kit is staying warm enough you can let the female run for a short time.  If it's rather cold in the room you need to make sure the kit doesn't get chilled.  After about 7 days you should put mom and kit in a dust bath.  It can sometimes take awhile for kits to understand dust baths so if they aren't getting enough dust on them you may have to sprinkle a bit on their backs.  They will start looking a bit scruffy if they aren't bathing right but it's not a major health problem.  Just keep introducing them to the dust and helping them if necessary.