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[sashasmommy]

Well Sasha and Sophie were in the cage together when we found one baby, however the baby didnt survive..it didnt quite seem very well formed either. And on top of that my room mate apparently opened the stop between the boys and girls and apparently one of the girls.. (she cant remember which...) was breeding with one of the boys.. (again middle of the night and she doesnt remember which..or why she even let them get near each other!)..so basically one of my girls had a baby who didnt survive and the other is very well pregnant. Ugh...any advice on the stillborn baby...and the pregnant momma? I have calf manna and a whole grain supplement that lonestar puts out and both my girls are on it right now...and I am keeping track of weights now to figure out who is pregnant...

[chinclub]

So you have two girls in one cage, right?  If you decide one of them is still pregnant you need to separate them. Many times when one female gives birth the two no longer get along and the baby is killed.  Since you weren't there to watch there is no way of knowing if the first baby was truly still born or if it was trampled after birth.

[sashasmommy]

No it was definatly still born...it didnt look formed completely...the toes werent formed and the facial features didnt look right at all

[ABC Chinchillas]

Chances are it is the same female that gave birth who go bred last night. they go into heat and can get bred right after giving birth. You should easily be able to tell who it was by looking at their genitalia, a female who just gave birth may have a bit of blood and will be swollen. Be careful giving calf manna to a pregnant female there si some debate that using too much can cause kits to grow to large to be safely delivered.
   And you really should check your female to be sure she doesn't have any more stuck in her. Feel her bell gently for lumps.  If she is bonded with the other female it should be safe leaving them together. My colonies are left together and often the other females help care for each others babies

[Jo Ann]

   You might want to let the vet check out both females ... one to make sure the 'not-so-pregnant-looking' chin did deliver the 'preemie' and that there are no more kits left inside ... but ... I would especially have the "very pregnant" momma checked ... she may have had a miscarriage and could possibly be having problems delivering the other kit/kits.  If this is the problem, you could lose both mom and remaining kit/kits.  

Chinchillas have 2 uterus and can be pregnant in both at the same time. Normally, but not always, when they deliver a kit or kits on one side, the kit/kits in the other side are delivered at the same time.  

If one of the males were breeding with a female last night ... count 111 days and mark your calendar.

I would invest in separate cages for each chinchilla. Leaving two males in the same cage with females near by can cause the males to fight over who gets to breed the female in season ... even if they can not reach her. Males have been known to live together for weeks, months or even years and be friendly ... but ... as a rule ... sooner or later, there will be a female that they both want ... usually you will find one or both males severely injured or even dead due to a fight when this happens.

   Jo Ann

P.S.       You might want to find a new roommate, too.    

As Jamie said (and I agree):

Many times when one female gives birth the two no longer get along and the baby is killed.

 The 'very pregnant female'  needs to be in a separate cage that is not touching any other cage.  Other chinchillas have been known to be able to kill a kit through the wires by biting their face or taking off a paw or leg. Personally, I would not want to take the chance that the other female may or may not kill the kits of the other female.  If this happens both adult females could end up in a fight and you could loose one or both of them.  Best to be safe and not very sorry if it does happen.  This soon-to-be-momma needs to be in a whelping cage for the safety and health of herself and the kits.   

The same things/practices do not always work in the same or similar situations.  To air on the side of caution is usually best.  Remember: No two chins are exactly alike and they can react to a situation differently!

[VenusTheChin]

What is a whelping cage?

Joann, I think you meant err instead of air?

To air on the side of caution is usually best. 

[Jo Ann]

 

   Yep, I meant err ... that's what happens when you type to fast, then depend on the spell check.   

A whelping cage is also known as a birthing cage.   It is usually about 24" x 24" or 18" x 24" and is no taller than 15".  The reason for the short height is because the kits are born with eyes open, fully furred and are usually playing within an hour or so after birth and within the first 24 to 48 hours, they will usually climb to the top of the cage.  They can climb up, but not down ... once they reach the top, they turn loose and fall to the bottom (an extra helping of nice soft bedding is good to land on).  If the kit happens to hit something on the way down, it can break a leg, back or neck.  Same thing possible in a taller cage when they hit bottom.  Also, many young/first-time moms, or moms with more than two kits in the litter, get very sore (from the kits nursing the teats) and will get up on top of a hut, a shelf or a leaping ledge to get some relief/'alone time'.  This alone time for mom can be dangerous for the kit/kits ... they can chill easy at this age and starve if not feed enough and frequently.  Mom can adjust to the uncomfortable feeling better than the kits can do without mom.

    Jo Ann

[sashasmommy]

Ok maybe I should clarify....when I said very well pregnant..i didnt mean...very pregnant...I mean..possibly mated and possibly pregnant. (Guess thats what I get for writing after a long shift a work..lol) And I do have them in a whelping cage. Also...the supposed mating happened before the premie baby was born.  I have felt both their stomachs yesterday and today and it doesnt feel like there is anything stuck. It was definatly Sasha that had a baby though..I did look at her genitalia and it was a bit more swollen than usual which does seem to have gone down now..its been 5 days since she had the baby and appears to be doing well. Eating well, drinking plenty of water, pooping and peeing like usual..she did drop a few grams, but I would assume that would be normal as she no longer is pregnant.
As far as my boys, they dont even acknoledge the girls being under them unless the cages as open to each other. (They are way more interested in each other...lol)
I do have another cage for my ladies though..not baby proofed. Sasha just seems to like the baby proofed cage more..but I will be putting her back into their other cage soon..figured I needed to give her some time to heal before then..and she just prefers the other cage..more hopping space without the ramps and ledges I guess..

Hopefully this makes more sense...

But anyways....what changes to Sopie's diet do I need to make, if any since she is possibly pregnant?

[Jo Ann]

   Much clearer!

...my room mate apparently opened the stop between the boys and girls and apparently one of the girls.. (she cant remember which...) was breeding with one of the boys..

...when I said very well pregnant..i didnt mean...very pregnant...I mean..possibly mated and possibly pregnant...

When (the date) was it that one of the females was seen breeding with one of the males?   (Unless one of them are sterile, she is probably pregnant.)

Yes, the drop of weight after the birth of a kit is normal.  Just remember, it should not be below her normal weight prior to getting pregnant, or the pregnancy has been a strain on her and she will need some R & R time before being allowed to get pregnant again.

As far as my boys, they dont even acknoledge the girls being under them unless the cages as open to each other. (They are way more interested in each other...lol)

            

Now, to be serious ... they may not acknowledge the girls at this point, but, there will probably come a day (when one of the girls is in season) that they both want to breed the female in season.  At this time, there can be a very tragic fight between them, injuring the both and/or killing one or both.  I had a father and son together for 7 months, they got along great ... then one day I found the son almost dead due to the fight ... a female that had been in season many times before, had come in season again. 

Please read: "Housing Male Chinchillas Together ...  When Females are Present ... Yea or Nay?"   

Warning!  The pictures are graphic.  This shows the damage that can be inflected in a matter of minutes.  It is graphic, so if you are squeamish, do not look.
But, IF you are housing males together, or plan to, with females present, you NEED to look.  It takes only minutes to inflict severe damage, sometimes resulting in death.

You can find this article at:  http://www.geocities.com/jobernstein1949/

    Jo Ann

[sashasmommy]

It was lst tuesday..so the 24th of mar that they were seen breeding

[Jo Ann]

   OK If that breeding was successful, you should have one or more kits on or around July 13th.

And I do have them in a whelping cage.

"Them" as in the two adult females?  What is the size of the cage they live in?

What size is the cage the boys are in?

Can you post a picture?   

   Jo Ann

[sashasmommy]

no camera right now, so i cant post pics...the cage the girls are in right now is about 3 ft wide and long and a foot and a half deep. their other cage is identicle to the boys, 4 ft by 4 ft, by 5 ft. the wire on all 3 of my cages is 3/4 inch openings. my husband made all three from steel wire i think.the two identicle cages lock together and the other cage sits beside them

[sashasmommy]

i hope that made sense!   

[sashasmommy]

i forgot to mention that i'm about to put sasha back into her normal cage...gonna wait a few more days..i would assume even though the kit was still born that she can still have "breed back"...so gonna wait for that..plus it gives her time to heal...also my husband says the whelping cage is 2 foot high