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[Jo Ann]

What is meant by the term lethal factor?

It does NOT mean there will be still born kits.

It means that a percentage of the eggs that would normally be fertilized and developed, will not be.  The percentage is usually about 25%.

This does NOT mean it is OK to breed them if you do not want large litters.  They are mutations and breeding mutations to mutations constantly (for more than 2 or 3 generations), will often give you a genetically weaker kit/kits.

Whites to whites and TOV to TOV are lethal combinations.

Standard to standard, beige to beige and ebony to ebony are not normally considered Letha factor combinations.

If you are in doubt ... match it up with a good healthy standard gray ... this should give you stronger healthier kits.

 
Jo Ann 

[Misskitz]

Jo Ann I remembered you saying that a standered Grey is like flour in a cake so go crazy mixing different ingredients.(it means standred Grey are like flour and different chinnie colors are like different ingredients.

[Jo Ann]

Hi MissKitz,

    Flour, in most recipes is the main ingredient (you use more of it than any other ingredient) when making bread, cakes, cookies, dumplings, biscuts, rolls, etc. ... 

Standard Gray is the main/original color of all chinchillas and has the strongest healthy genes, as a rule. There fore standard gray is and should remain the main ingredient when breeding. 

    When baking, if you mix to much of the other ingredients (salt, sugar, yeast, butter, cinnamon, fruit, etc.)  without the flour, it ruins the finished product (what you are trying to make or produce), and it does not turn out right ... usually not even eatable.   

When you mix (breed) to many mutant colors to other mutant colors, or to many generations of the same with out adding back in the standard gray, to strengthen the genes, you end up with smaller, weaker kits and drab colors that never look like they should.   

There are only 7 colors that are recognized by the major breeder organizations at this time.  Standard Gray, Beige (includes tans), White (includes white mosaic and pink whites), Black (Black Velvet or TOV), Violets, Ebonies and Sapphires.  Anything else is a mix of two or more mutations and usually will not carry the true color.

You want only to breed for the best results you can get, for the future of all chinchillas.  

 If you can not do this, you need to keep your males and females separated, or you will only be making things worse for the future of all chinchillas.   

You may think that is coming on a bit strong, but it is the truth. (Ask any of the major breeders, that have been in it for years, that are seeing people make chinchillas smaller and weaker with each generation.)   

Now, I'll get off my soap box. 

 
Jo Ann

[Misskitz]

thanks Jo Ann for making that clearer and i was trying to say that!