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[spbsabq]

Our family bought 2 Chinchillas from a local woman who was going to college and needed to sell them.  We were told they were brothers because I think that is actually what she thought.  Long story short, we woke this morning to 2 new additions that were not expected.  We want to do the right thing and had no intention of becoming breeders.  We have a 6 foot 4 level cage I made that has lots of room.  We have separated the female and babies from the male by dividing the cage in half.  We have cleaned out the cage where the female and babies are and put in a box, food, and water.  They seem to be doing fine right now but any help from knowledgeable people about such a thing would be great.

Thank you,
Tim Reitz

[Jenova]

Surprise babies are the best kind of babies.

Well so far you have done all the right things. Make sure the mum has lots of water and lots of fresh hay as well as food (I guess that goes for the dad too). I like to make sure they have cuttlefish too for extra calcium during nursing. You can buy it from the bird section of a pet shop. Everyone has different theories on this. You can cuddle the babies, mums don't generally mind but it depends on the nature of your chin. Just watch to make sure both of them are nursing and one of them isn't being bullied or anything like that.

I'm not a massive expert I've only had babies for about two months now and only had chinnies for about two years. Some others will probably have better input. And don't be afraid to ask questions. Also you might want to get an expert to sex the babies so you can be sure what you have. If the chins were supposed to be brothers it's likely they are brother and sister which is not good for breeding so you'll want to ensure they don't breed again. Hopefully your babies will be fine though.

I wish you all the best.

[ChillinChinchillas]

What is the width of your bars? Babies can easily escape. You need to get some 1/2" x 1/2" mesh wire to wrap around your cage in order to prevent escapees. You need to get a scale that weighs in grams to make sure they are properly gaining weight. You need to have formula on hand to give in case they are not getting milk from mom and are not gaining weight. You need to have an extra water bottle with half apple or cranberry juice (make sure it is 100% juice and not a cocktail) to help mom's milk to come in. And since you found mom and babies after delivery, you need to be prepared for a breedback. You need to get a supplement to have mom on to help her regain weight while nursing, especially since there is a chance that she may be pregnant again.

[spbsabq]

Thank you for the input.  We wrapped the cage last night in 1/4" mesh because they were already looking to get out.  So far they seem to be doing fine but we will start weighing them to make sure all keeps going well.  Thanks again for all the good advice.