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Q & A / Help my male turned out to be a female
« on: August 02, 2009, 11:40:38 AM »
A year ago I got my first chinchilla, a male, and a few months ago I got another because I wanted him to have a companion. Turns out that the chinchilla that the store assured me was a male was actually a female. So now I have a male and female who are genuinely attached and I fear that separating them even into separate cages might break their hearts. My current situation is also not optimal as both me and my bf are currently without jobs and so don't have much money in order to set up a whole new cage as the one we have now (equipt with large metal wheel, hammock, ledges, and toys). I'm seeking any kind of advice on what living situation would be best for them and things I should know now in having an opposite sex pair. I've read that it is really dangerous for a chinchilla to be neutured/spayed. Is this really true? I couldn't bear it if anything were to happen to them. Is it dangerous to keep them together now as I don't know exactly how old she is but I think she is young maybe 5-7 months and many people write that a female shouldn't be bred until she's a year old. Is it possible just to separate them when the female is in heat to reduce the risk of her getting pregnant? I mean it wouldn't be the end of the world if she did get pregnant but I'm not sure I could support it if she kept getting pregnant several times. Any advice would greatly be appreciated.