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[kathye512]

     I work for a pet store and as a side effect have adopted a lot of animals that people no longer wanted.  I adopted my first chinchilla about 7 months ago, she was 2 and a half.  I bought another one about 3 months ago he was 6 months old.  I thought she needed a play mate a read that they would have to be opposite sex or 2 males to co-exist.  Well I just read today that you can introduce 2 females, which brings me to my newest adoptions.


     I got a phone call from another location that 2 chinchillas were abandoned at their store in a box.  They had no where to keep them and didn't have any chinchilla food as this was mainly a grooming location with dog and cat supply.  They knew I already had some and asked if I would take them.  It turns out it was a mother and a babby.  I will be giving the aby to his new home soon but still have mom.  I want to know if it would be possible to put her in with the other 2?  I have had them in separate cages next to each other for a month and the male is interested but the female is indifferent.  She ignores them and he reaches for them.  If my female is not being hostile toward them is it a good sign they will get along.

     The cage is more than large enough.  It is 4ft tall,by 4ft long,by 2ft deep.  It has 3 shelves going the width of the cage in a staircase fasion.  Plus it has a hammock t the top and several leaping ledges.  So given this information, do my odds look good?

[chinclub]

So you want to put two females and a male in a cage together, right?  Sorry, but it won't work.  I would also highly suggest that you don't put the male and the female together.  Since you have no history on these chinchillas you don't know what they could be carring genetically and breeding would be a very bad idea.  You could try getting the two girls to live together, but introducing any two adult chinchillas can be tricky.  Keep in mind that if you put them together too fast they can and most likely will fight to the death.  Its best to put them in wire cages side by side for a week or more to let them get used to each other through the cage bars.  Then you can try letting them out to play together in a small safe area.  If you see any fighting separate them immediately and try again in a few days.  Sometimes it helps to put them in each other's cage for 45 mins before you let them out together to give them a chance to get used to the other's smell.

[kathye512]

Thank you for the addvice.  I have already had the Male and female together for  about 3 months and they have a lot of fun bouncing around the cage and are so cute together.  they groom each other and are almost always next to each other.  I was hoping to be able to have all 3 together but I guess that won't work.  I hadn't planned on these last two chinchillas they just fell into my lap.

[chinchillagrl06]

I would maybe try introducing the 2 females together and taking the male out to his own cage. Or leaving the male with the current female, but not until he is fixed.

[Jo Ann]

Hi Kathye,

   I second that emotion!  Please do not breed chins that you do not have backgrounds on.  

    There is, of course the possibility that the female that has been with the male for the last 3 months is already pregnant  ... in which case, she needs to be in a different cage than the one you have her in (I think you described it as a cat cage with 1" x 4" bars on the other post).  Personally, I too, think you should get the girls to make friends, if you can, and put the male in the cage you now have that has wires much to wide for the safety of any possible kits that could be delivered.

   Also, IF the female is already pregnant, you will need an additional cage for her to deliver in and raise her kits until they are ready to be adopted.  A second female in a cage will sometimes kill the kits of the other female. 

   Chinchillas are relatively new to the pet world and very few vets know very much about them.  An exotic pet vet is needed ... one that is familiar with treating chinchillas.

    Due to the fact that chinchillas do not react well to any surgeries, I would not have a male chin neutered, unless his life depended on it.   It's much more simple, safer and more economical to cage them separately from the female/females.   Note: You do not want to cage two males together (not even within the same family) when you have females in the same room or even on the same floor.  When a female chin goes into season, two males (survival of the fittest) will often fight to the death over a female that neither of them can even get to. (it's a male thing)

     
Jo Ann

[kathye512]

I have not been on in a while, my connection was wonky.  I just rad your responses.  I tried to get the girls to like each other and had their cages next to each other for a while.  I was shocked to discover one day when getting mom out to clean the cage that one of her fingers were gone and another had a cut.  It was nearly all healed when I found her.  I called the vet and got her some antibiotics she is OK.  So now I definitely know I can't have the girls together.  My pair did have a kit and she is almost 6 weeks old now.  I am hoping when she is bigger that I can put her with mom so they have companionship, but I don't want her dad to breed with her.  I am going to remove her when she is 12 weeks old that's what the book say to do.  I actually did know my first chin before I adopted her.  I worked for the store tat sold her.  We had her for 8 months before she sold.  Only 1 year later the Little girl it was for felt bad she didn't have as much time for her with all her school activities so she gave her to me.  I would have bought her before but lived in a use with no ac, and in Texas it gets hot.  Anyway I ended up putting a plexi glass wall up around the base on the outside of the cage to keep thebaby in and she is doing very good.  As for the dad I bought him from the breeder that suplied my girl to my store and am planning on buying an ebony soon.  Thank you for your help and tips.

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Hi Kathye,
I agree with all that has been said so far, but have to add that 12 weeks is a little long to leave the female kit with the Dad I think.
You can leave a female kit with Mom for life, but most of us take the kits out at 8 weeks.
It's not common but a female kit could start heats at 12 weeks, and I would think it a bit late for Dad to still be with her.She couldn't deliver safely so I wouldn't chance it.Some of the more experienced may feel different, but I like to be safe
If you have their papers and are planning to breed, you can never have too many cages, and will always need a spare.
Remember you'll only get kits, as healthy as the lines you use, so to get the best, breed the best. Things will go wrong anyway, we try to help new breeders avoid some of the hearts aches, and the loss of beloved pets.
Oh and fingers are a common loss when chins don't get along. If they can reach each other cages, or a cage can be reached while they are out side, they will chop them off each other.They usually heal up just fine with your basic first aid.

What books do you have?

[Jo Ann]

Hi Kathye,

   Any time you put a male and a female together, they are considered "in breeding".  Chins being related means nothing to the chins, they will breed within their own family, which is not good. 

Just to make sure I have this right, you have:
1 female that should be about 3 years old now. (from the pet store)
1 male that is about 9 months old now. (purchased from a breeder that supplied the first female to the store)
1 female mom ... age unknown  (was abandoned)
1 male kit ... age unknown, but young .... as of June 20th 06 (was abandoned and now re-homed elsewhere)
About 6 weeks ago, the first male/female pair had a female kit.  Right?

Question: Was Daddy chin in with Momma chin when she delivered?  If the answer is yes, and if the new kit is about 6 weeks old now .... she's probably pregnant again and would be due about 9 or 10 weeks from now. (around Thanksgiving) Females go into season as soon as all kits are delivered and if a male can get to her, she is usually pregnant again.  If she is, she has been what we refer to as "back-breeding" ... this is very hard on a female(nutritional drain), the kit she is nursing (not enough calcium and nutritions in the milk they are getting from momma),and the kits she carries that are trying to form (they are also shorted on nutrients and calcium).
      One big cage is great ... if they were all the same sex and all got along ... but, this is not the case with your chinchillas.    Soooooo ...
You need need several cages: 
1 for mom and her new female kit, (I'm with Debbie when she said she would not leave the daddy in with the female kit that {12 weeks} long.)
a 2nd one for the male,
a 3rd one for the single female (the one that was abandoned) 
AND if you did not adopt the little male kit out, you need a 4th cage.
And if the new momma chin is pregnant again, you will need cages for the new kits once they are weaned.
Kinda adds up fast, doesn't it?
   Please keep in mind that a male as young as 10 weeks old can successfully impregnant a female ... they start trying as young as 8 weeks of age.  They can and will breed within their own family ... this is a no-no.  The male kit belonging to the female that was abandoned, could also be pregnant by her son (the one you said you were going to find a new home for).  So, you could have 2 pregnant moms right now!  

   I can not stress enough NOT to breed a chinchilla that you do not have the family history on them.  Medical/physical genetic problems could be present that you do not see or know about and they will probably show-up in the kits also.

Anyway I ended up putting a plexi glass wall up around the base on the outside of the cage to keep the baby in and she is doing very good.

     You are very lucky the kit did not come out of the cage if there is a ramp to any of the other floors of the cage.  Kits usually climb the cage wire all the way to the top within 24 to 48 hours after birth. They can not climb down, so they just turn loose and fall to the bottom.  How high is the plexi glass?  If it goes over 1/3 to 1/2 of the way up, it is almost like putting them in an aquarium ... no natural air flow can carry away the fumes from their urine, this can be very detrimental to a chin, especially a kit ... they really need cages that are 1/2" x 1" wire on them.
      I have seen many books on chinchillas that were written by someone who has never even had a chinchilla ... there is so much miss-information out there!   "The Joy of Chinchillas" by Lani Richey (a researcher on chinchillas) and "After 40 Years" (also a researcher and breeder) by Alice Kline are the two best books you will find anywhere.  You have to go on the internet to find them.  Check with CAChins for first one and "After 40 Years" can be found at: http://www.mutationchinchillas.com/general_store.htm
     

As for the dad I bought him from the breeder that suplied my girl to my store and am planning on buying an ebony soon.

  Can you get the information on the female you bought at the pet store from this breeder, since it came from his herd?  Are you going to get a male or a female ebony?  Do you plan on breeding it?

 
Jo Ann