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[DylanJ97]

I picked up 2 3 year old chinchillas (black velvet & standard grey) on New years so my current male (mosaic) can have some companions. Well after many trials and failures to get them all acquainted, i decided to dig a little deeper, in the process i figured out my new black velvet is a female.. Not another male..

Can anybody give me some things to look out for.. Tips.. Any other helpful information.
Like "courtship" behavior... How to tell when she is in heat.. Can the male stay with her and the future kits.. Things to look out for..
Im currently doing more research on everything as well.

[GrayRodent]

If they are not bonded yet it may be best to keep them separate. I don't suggest breeding them unless you know their lineage, are sure they are not from the same parents, and that they both come from reputable breeders who are apt to remove animals with genetic defects from their lines. Inbreeding can cause serious defects that may not show up until your customers have obtained your kits.

If they don't meet this criteria I recommend that you house them separately and don't let them physically mingle. If you would like to breed I strongly suggest searching for reputable breeders in your area with the highest quality stock that you can afford.

Breeding requires a special cage for when it is time for littering with very small bar spacing to prevent the kits from escaping. You should know what the proper dietary requirements are for the pregnant and lactating female. The male should not be present during littering. You must be emotionally prepared to deal with complications and their management, and fatality of the breeders and their kits as well as it does not always turn out well. Not everyone is suited for this kind of work.

There are youtube videos you can find if you search for them that documents chinchillas copulating and their peripheral antics. I can recommend some educational resources for you if you are still wanting to proceed.

[kageri]

The 3 year olds have been together and are opposite gender or are they all new and have only been together during supervised introduction attempts?  Most of the time you don't notice a female is in heat or pretty much any other sign.  You have to be around your chinchillas a lot or be randomly lucky to either see the male trying to breed or find the mucous plug the females have.  Never seen one.  I have seen mine attempting to breed on 2 occasions and I'm home all day.

Males raise kits fine but if they are left in the cage they will breed the female again and you will have very close together litters.  This is bad for the health of the female.  Also like GrayRodent said it's not really the most responsible thing to breed chinchillas with no pedigree, not knowing any health problems in their relatives, and not knowing if the chins have good characteristics.  After health you want to breed for the proper shape, coat type, and color.  Getting a good coat on them is what makes a chinchilla.