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[christy]

Hello all im looking for help from more experienced people,, iv had my 2 chinchillas just over a year now they where about 9 to 10 weeks old when i got them,, i was told they were both male and things have been going great until this morning,,
Turns out one is actually female cause she gave birth to one little one, i was in such shock and totally unexpected,,
I really need advise on care and what i should be doing,,
Iv still got all together, mum seems to looking after it well, keeping it warm and feeding it, dad hasnt taken any notice all day but now its getting evening hes being a little agressive, not loads but some,, do i seperate him?? i have no idea i was not expecting any of this,,
Anyone with as much advise possible please i would be so grateful thank you
Christy

[GrayRodent]

I have to admit I have no experience but I do know what is recommended.
You should separate mom and dad. The female will be in heat and they may breed again and can trample the baby.
The baby should be put into a cage that has only one level with bar spacing no greater than 1" x 1/2" squares.
There really aren't any special requirements for the baby. There can be multiple births though. How does the mother look? Could she still be in labor? Also cease dust baths for the female's cage for 10 days.

[christy]

She looks fine, she deff only had the one as its been 12 hours now,,
I did wonder to seperate them but will they be ok to be put back together?? iv read i can get the male neutered,
I would like to keep them all together if i can, but im not sure you can do that??

[GrayRodent]

Sounds good. The male can be neutered but it is a dangerous and painful procedure. You can find posts from other members who have done this and some would advise against it.

Perhaps you can wait for the kit to mature, keep a same-sex pair (if they prove to be compatible) and rehome the other.

From what I understand 8 weeks is about the time a chinchilla can become breeding age.

What condition is the kit in? Are both of its eyes open? Is it nursing okay? Are there any signs of injuries or defects?

[christy]

thank you i was wondering if it was safe to have him neutered or not, being so small and all,,
The Kit seems really well, both eyes are open, s/he seems all complete, runs about and tries to climb the cage bars,,
Iv seen him nursing a lot, and mum seems to be happy to do it,, i also weighed it it was 39 grams

[GrayRodent]

You're certainly welcome. There are highly knowlegable breeders who frequent this board. If you have more questions feel free to ask. Sounds like everything went well for your kit. There may be a slight possibility your female may be pregnant again. Most breeders try to separate parent prior to birth to prevent this. Gestation is 111 days avg.

[christy]

Yes its a lucky kit considering i had no idea at all that mum was a she not a he and was pregnant,
Will my male be ok on his own in another cage?, im worried he will get depressed as at moment hes not himself at all, hes normally the friendly one out of the two but now he wont even come to my hand, normally i open the door he jumps on my arm, now he runs from me i even offered him a raisen he took it but spat it at me, hes NEVER done this...
As for my female ohh my goodness i hope shes not pregnant again, surely this wouldnt be good for her,, gosh what a worry,

[GrayRodent]

He'll do fine. Just put the cages in the same room where they can see each other. Keep a minimum 2" separation distance between cages though. He may be acting strange because of the heat and the commotion. Chins do not like changes like that in general and it could take a few days for him to get accustomed to the new setting. Also make sure he doesn't go off his food. If he doesn't start eating by tomorrow you may need to hand feed. I never knew a chin could spit food at you. That's very interesting. I wouldn't worry about it too much. It's common practice.

[christy]

thank you so much for your advise today you been a great help, i now have removed the male and put him in another cage,, only thing is i have no room to put the cages next to each other so hes going to have to go across the otherside of the room,, hes not looking all that bothered to be honest hes more interested in his new surroundings,,

[chinclub]

If you want to get them back together after the baby is weaned you need to keep the cages side by side.  Even if this means moving both cages to another location. Otherwise you will have a heck of a time getting your female to take him back.  However, if you don't want babies it is safer to leave him in his own cage rather than having him fixed.   Have you checked the baby yet to see if it is a boy or a girl?  Here is how:
http://www.huggablepets.com/huggablepets/sexing.shtml

If it is a girl you can just leave the two together and keep the male it his own cage forever.  If it is a male you will need to wean him BEFORE he turns 3 months old to be sure he doesn't breed back to mom.

[christy]

Thank you iv just done that and i think it looks more like a girl, as it looks more joined and slit in each side, i will check again in a week or so to see if its become more clearer but its certainly looking like a girl,,,
As for the male, no i didnt want to have any more babies, sad i cant keep them all together but if its safer to not get him fixed then i would rather keep him how he is, how ever do i still keep the cages together or do i move them away from one another??  Re homing is not a option cause i just love them both it would break my heart to see either one of them go..

[GrayRodent]

There is no good reason you shouldn't keep your male.

Sometimes if you have two males in the same cage together they may fight when a female in the same room goes into heat. Having two females together is ideal when you have a male in a separate cage in the same room. The male might get excited when that happens but it's harmless.

The only thing you should not do is put them in cages in an arrangement where they can reach each other through the bars. They can injure each other like this. Having them in the same room is fine.

It is not safe to neuter a chinchilla. There is a possibility it can die from complications from anesthesia or the surgery itself which is way more likely to occur than for a cat or dog. In my opinion this should not be done to a chin you really care about. However there are several chins I know of that have come through just fine after the surgery.

[christy]

Thank you so much you have been such great help, i have decided to keep him seperate in another cage next to them, i had another look at the baby today and she is deffinately a girl so that helps a lot,, i feel bad that Pepsi will be on his own but i guess he will adapt to it and least he will still see them both,,, i will make sure the cages are apart enough so they can't reach each other,,