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[kneesaa]

Hi, I have been looking for a chinchilla forum for help of a while now. I belong to an alpaca forum and they have really helped me out. So I hope that I will have the same luck here. I have 2 chinchillas, their a pair right now. but I think the male might be to old to breed. I got him back in 2000 and was told he was 9 years old. So I don't know if I will get little ones or not. Thank you, Kneesaa

[QTPie61282]

So that would make him about 16 years old roughly.  Ive never heard of chins breeding this late in life.  It might be too late for him. 
Was it a breeder who told you 9 years old?  Did they give you a pedigree with his birth date on it?

How old is the female?

[kneesaa]

Hi,
He was giving to me.I don't know where he came from. He was owned by 3 other people before he got to me. He didn't have any papers. I think he might have come from Anchorage Alaska. We lived 4 hours away from there. He is trying to mate with her but she wont have him. The female is 14 months. She's an ebony. I bought her after we moved here. Thanks Kneesaa

[Sweetnessheart]

Hi and Welcome Kneesaa.....
I read your profile and it sounds like you had a van full of animals!

Are alpaca's fun?  My husband and I have thought about getting a couple, but they are so expensive.  They seem like they would be neat animals.

[Summer]

Welcome 

[QTPie61282]

I dont know, him being 16ish and all I wouldnt try breeding him.  Plus he has not history so you dont know what kind of lines hes come from.

She sounds beautiful though!  I love ebonies.  I have a few myself Im trying to work with.

[kneesaa]

Hi and thank you,
Alpacas are wonderful animals. Mine are gelded and I bought them at pet price. Go to Alpaca Nation for alpaca breeders in your area. I've seen fiber boys sold at $750.00. 
I wasn't planning on breeding, I was thinking of some one for him to be with. Silly I know. But he is very happy. She, my Pooka, grooms him and they cuddle and they do what chins do together.
Yes, the drive down here was fun. We saw lots of places. My brother and I saw Yellowstone for the first time. That was fun. Thanks again Kneesaa

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Hi Kneesaa,
Welcome to the club.
I have an older pair, well he's older. He's to old for the chase and just doesn't bother anymore.
But the you never know, out of the blue I have found kits.

There are a few people here in Newfoundland breeding alpacas.Very interesting animal.

[neeley]

Welcome Aboard,

I am a new member myself and I can already confirm this is the best chinchilla forum you will find.        I joined a few weeks ago because my little chin, Chewy was sick.  Unfortunately, he passed on this week, but I received alot of good advise and I plan to continue being a part of the club.  I am sure we will once again be chin owners someday.  They are so precious, you can't imagine living without one.

[Jo Ann]

  Hi Kneesaa.  Welcome to the forum!

All that know me ... get ready for a major shock ...

   Normally, I would be the first to chime in and say NEVER breed a chinchilla you do not have the background on ... BUT ... in this instance I might consider it.  I wish you knew who the male was origionally from and a little about his background ... of course, him living to be about 16 years old ... I would think he comes from some very healthy lines.  I don't think he is to old to allow to breed ... because of his health and age.  I would probably allow him to father one litter, keep that litter myself, allowing them to grow up and keeping a good watch on them for any health problems, then go from there.  I have heard of chinchilla males in their early 20s still in breeding ... maybe that's what keeps them going.           Of course, if the previous owners wanted kits and he did not give them any, that may be the reason they have passed him on to other people.  He may not be able to produce.  Do you know if the owner you got him from got any kits from him?

    You say the female is an ebony ... what color is the male?  What do each weigh?  These two questions have to be strongly considered before putting two into breeding.  I tend to not put the ebonies into breeding until they are about 18 months old.  Ebonies tend to be smaller than some of the other colors.

     A male chinchilla will often try to breed a female before she is completely in season, if that is the case, she will not give in to him until she is ready and in full season.  The females tend to make the males beg quite a bit before they give in.

     Is your male doing the "Swish, Swish Tail" dance?  If you don't know what that is ... it is a mating ritual.  The male shows his eagerness by facing the female and doing a little hop, hop then swish his tail from side to side, then another little hop, hop and swish swish.  It is cute as can be and sorta funny.  The male even has this "please, please, pretty please" look on his face.     This continues off and on until the female gives in.
     
     I wish I lived somewhere I could have an alpaca ... they are so cute, especially when they are little!

     How do your 8 dogs and your cats react toward the chinchillas?

     Keep us posted and let us know if anything happens. 

  Jo Ann

[chinclub]

I wouldn't put it past him to breed.  I have a female born in 1992.  2 years ago she had her last litter.  So that made her 15.  She was still a very good breeder, loved her babies, very active, but I took her out of breeding because of her age.  She is still here running on her wheel every night and just as active as a kit!

[kneesaa]

Hi,
As far as I know the chinchilla was a lone. No one tried breeding him. The people that first owned him thought he was to mean so they gave him to a lady that found she didn't have the time to take care of a pet, and the last people to own him before I got him were getting tired of taking care of him. As for the rest of the animals, the cats didn't care and the dog's didn't do anything but snerf at him. We did though have a black cat the would sit next to the cage and let his tail get close to where peeka was sitting and he would grab spooky's tail and bite it. It was so funny to watch. Peeka is dark like pooka, so I guess he is a ebony to. I first thought he was a standard color. I have already found a traveling vet that will look at chinchillas. I had 2 males when we moved down from Alaska, a few months after we got her I saw the other male had lost a lot of weight and when I found a place that would look at him she told me about the traveling vet. I have the phone number for that with my chinchilla records. 
I love my alpacas, but I only can have 2. So thats OK. They are easy to take care of. Cleaning up after them is real easy.
Also I wanted to ask when we were in Anchorage at a pet shop(I know that they can be spendy)they had a white female chinchilla with black circles around her eyes and they were selling her for $275.00. Would that be a normal price and how often does that type of chinchilla get born? I'm not looking to make money or to sell that kind at that price but I found her very pretty and different looking. I hope you all have a good weekend and thanks for your help. Kneesaa

[QTPie61282]

She sounds like a Mosaic chin to me, if shes white with black around her eyes.  But you never know.  If she is from a breeder she could be that much money.  I wouldnt pay that much for her at a pet store though.  Pet stores tend to increase their prices because they think they have something "rare" when infact its not.  At least in the one pet store that has just moved to my town anyway. 
As for the ebonies, to my belief I always thought that any ebony will have a dark gray anywhere down to a very light gray belly.  As long as its not white, then its an ebony.  But if their bellies are white then they are standards.

Am I correct in saying this everyone?
Anyway, its good of you to give him a nice home after hes been shipped around from home to home like that.  Poor guy.  Its a good thing hes found you.

[Jo Ann]

  A white chinchilla with black around the eyes is an unusual marking, but not unheard of in the chinchilla world.  But, I would not breed a pet store chinchilla ... with no background, you have no medical history for it and what it could pass on through the generations.

    It could be a regular mosaic with extremely dark gray around the eyes ...
it could be a white/black (come from a white mosaic or a pink white mated to a black velvet),
or it could be a white/ebony (comming from a white mosaic or pink white mated with an ebony).
Without the family history, you don't know what you are getting.

Jo Ann 

[kneesaa]

I didn't buy her. I couldn't afford her. I thought she was pretty and I was wondering what kind of chin it was. I would like to have one but later on down the road. Thanks Kneesaa