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[marchevie123]

my chinchilla was lost for two days,now I don't know if she had her babies.

[GrayRodent]

Do you know when she conceived? Gestation is about 111 days for a chin.
Also listen for noises in the vent if you're not sure. Listen everywhere in the house again. Chinchilla babies are generally noisy.

[marchevie123]

shes the one lost in the vent,i don't know how far along she was,I only know she was pregnant cause her nipples were long I read that was a sign,since I just got her i didn't hold her alot to know how big her stomach was,I know with kittens you can tell if they've been nursing cause the fur will b wet and pulled out around the nipples,but I don't know how to tell with chinchillas,so now I don't know if I should keep her in her cage or let her out,if she had the babies i have to let her out to go back to them don't I

[GrayRodent]

No don't let her out. There are plenty of things that can kill her outside of the cage very easily. It is true that signs of nursing for chins include missing hair. The nipples will usually protrude beyond the fur line come birth time.

[GrayRodent]

I recommend you take her to the vet to have her examined and x-rayed. They can determine if there are any babies and if she may have ingested anything that is potentially unsafe.

[marchevie123]

OK there not that long yet and i had to search through her hair to find them and there is no sign of nursing at all.but her stomach does not feel round at all but I'm not sure it did before cause I did not hold her that much.

[GrayRodent]

Excellent. You should be able to tell later in her term with no question and the nipples should be easily locatable. She probably was a little rounder before she went without food and water for a few days.

[marchevie123]

Thank you so much,you have been so much help to me,I really appreciate it.I'm so happy shes back.

[GrayRodent]

You're very welcome. I am too.

[marchevie123]

Im worried she did have her babies she seems so much smaller then she did.I hope its since she went with out food and water,I just dont want to think the babies are somewhere and there hungry!

[GrayRodent]

I wouldn't worry too much about babies. A nursing chin will have very large nipples.
However I am worried that she has gone through a lot of stress with a recent move as well as being outside of the cage for a long time. This can cause her to back off their food and water and have intestinal trouble that can be fatal if not managed. Chins can drop weight very rapidly and die quickly. Make sure she is eating and drinking. I strongly recommend you take her to the vet as soon as possible for an exam. He may be able to give you some extra dietary supplements for her.

[marchevie123]

I talked to him today and he was very worried about that also,he thinks moving her again to bring her in would be a bad idea since she just got here and was in the car for two hours,but he has given me a list of things I need to do and get her,which makes me more worried for her i just hope she is OK,he said something about them being able to abort there babies if there in enough stress i really hope this is not true,I feel bad enough for all she has gone through.

[GrayRodent]

It is true that chins may abort the babies if they are stressed enough but I know of pregnant chins who get stressed and come out just fine too. As you know it's important to make sure she stays as comfortable as possible and that she keeps eating and drinking. It makes it especially difficult because you are still unfamiliar to her so there's not much you can actively do that will comfort her (like giving her attention, which she might not like too much until she adjusts to her now surroundings) so it's best to be as passive as possible and consistent as possible doing the same things the same way to avoid surprises.

It sounds like you have a very good vet who is more interested in the welfare of the animal than making money on your case. Sometimes it's difficult in a situation like this trying to weigh the benefit of the care vs the stress the care causes.

[AnnieHank]

I hope she's okay and the babies too.
My chinchilla had pneumonia towards the end of her first pregnancy. She didn't like being handled at all anyway but we had to give her an antibiotic twice a day for about 2 weeks. This meant holding her and trying to syringe it into her mouth twice a day. She was very wriggly and we were terrified that we were squeezing her too tight. She shed a lot of fur. There was also multiple vet visits (two hour trek each time on public transport). Despite all the stress, she was fine and gave birth to two healthy kits. Sometimes you get lucky. My fingers are crossed for you.

[marchevie123]

She seems to be doing very well shes playfull in her cage and yells at me any time I get near her,unless I'm giving her a raisin.My  vet did tell me to give her a small piece of dried mango or papaya to build up her weight the only problem is she will not eat them,is there any thing else i can give her as a snack once a day besides raisins,she will eat them sometimes but not often.