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[prettyinpunk77]

I recently got a second chinchilla and the guy said she could be pregnant, I went out and got goat milk and baby rice just to be safe. So yesterday (March 1) she had her 3 babies. Baby 1 and 2 seem to be twins(gray), while baby 3 is black and a little bigger. I think the first 2 where premature because one was a stillborn and the second came out with her eyes shut, and not being able to balance very well. I weighted them today and he small gray one was 44g and the larger black one is 50g. Which I read is good but at that weight the gray one should have her eyes opened. So I put a warm damp cotton swab on her eyes and she opened them on her own. There was no sign of infection or anything but shes still a little wobbly but is much better then before. I also had her out to feed today because her sibling seems to be pushing her out of the way. I'm going to start them on rotations so I don't have to hand feed, but i wanted to make sure she had something in her today since I wasn't sure if she got anything yesterday while her eyes where closed, and I wanted to let mom do what she needed with them without interfering. I am going to check there weight again tomorrow to make sure they are gaining. So my question is, is there anything else I could be doing to help with the little one? And am I doing everything right?

Oh and mom seems to be taking care of them just fine! Sorry for being all over the place, I just want to make sure they are doing good!

[GrayRodent]

Congrats on your new kits. If the one with shut eyes has survived and the eyes are still shut you will need to get them opened. This is not normal for chinchillas and will cause damage to the eyes if left that way for days on end. I'm sure you have read that but I'm reiterating in case someone else is reading this. You can use a damp rag or cotton swab. It is also a sign of immature birth and a sign of poor health, and with the failure to nurse on its own top of that there probably isn't a lot you can but encourage rotation and see if the kit continues to nurse. The other two kits will probably do just fine. Sounds like you're doing well.

[prettyinpunk77]

Thank you for your reply! She seems to be doing well! I got her eyes opened about 10 minutes after I made the forum! She lost a 3g on the 3rd day and was at 41g, So I started feeding her more frequently. Then 2 days ago I saw her drinking from mom. I stopped hand feeding her, now shes gaining a few grams everyday shes now at 51g! She is still a bit wobbly, but is running around playing with her sister like a normal chinchilla.

[GrayRodent]

Excellent. I'm so glad to hear about things going well. I still think it's too soon to tell as it is still not right. I think it's really neat it's made it this far though. How are the others doing? Also what kind of hay are you using? I recommend mixing in alfalfa while the kits are nursing to give the mom some extra calcium for milk production.

[prettyinpunk77]

They are now 2 weeks old! The little gray one is gaining 2 grams everyday and seem to still be doing good! She runs around playing with her sister and climbing on mom just fine. Still she's a little off balance. She is still pretty small compared to the black one shes 65g and the other is 106g, but I'm assuming that's because she wasn't drinking from mom for the first few days. I feed mom timothy hay but shes on oxbow pellets that have alfalfa hay in them. But I will definitely go buy alfalfa hay now that I know! Both babies are now eating hay and some pellets! As for the other baby she is doing great, yesterday she gained 6g! Shes growing like a weed! Also they had there first dust bath last night and didn't really know what to do, when do they usually learn how to dust? I tired doing some research on it but couldn't find anything on it.

[GrayRodent]

I'm very glad you're having success. Obviously you're taking excellent care of them. I recommend you stay guarded. What you are seeing is still abnormal with that one kit.
You should be able to dust them now. Just not for more than 5 minutes at time, about two times per week. Kits can overheat very easily and exertion can be dangerous for them so make sure do that only when it's cool and keep a close eye on them. Chinchillas don't always know when to stop.

You need to get ready for weaning at 6 weeks 8 weeks absolute maximum, and the small one may need that. Be sure of their genders and do not combine genders or they can impregnate each other, including the mom.