Questions from a new Owner

I just adopted 2 Chins today. It's been 10 yrs since I've owned a chinchilla
I was told they had to go together and unfortunately 1 is male and 1 is female. She may be pregnant. They are 4 yrs old
So Question #1 Do I seperate then immediately? I don't want to much stress but she may already be pregnant but if stress he isn't I wouldn't want her to be. So what do I do? If I seperated them will they be ok alone???

#2 They are loosing tuffs of fur. Like shedding? Is that normal? I have them setup in a good cage and gave them dust bath which they are constantly in there. Do I brush out the loose fur?

#3 What Colors are they? The male is a Mosiac. I'm not sure if the girl is a Brown Velvet or not? Previous was unsure. She though Lavender but I don't think so.
I can't get it to upload my photod so I'll work on that....

Separate them. Tufts of hair may be them fighting. Also. you don't want a breedback. Try looking up a photo of a brown velvet online and compare. Btw, It's violet, not lavender.

1. Yes separate them immediately, but you can keep the cages near each other so they can still see and chat with each other, but at least 6 inches apart so they can't mate. Also the cage the female is in should be kit safe, meaning bar spacing no bigger then 1/2 inch. Then watch her for 120 days to make sure there are no kits.

They will do fine alone, if you want you can get (or make) them each a cuddle buddy, basically a fleece pillow, to cuddle with. They will be upset at first, but they will get over it. It's much better to have them upset for a little bit then to risk the female's life being bred over and over.

2. Loosing tufts sounds like fur slipping, which can be a sign of stress and/or fighting. When a chin sheds it's more little wisps not whole tufts. Oh and the dust bath should not stay in the cage, they can get dried skin, pee in the dust, and/or end up with respiratory issues from constantly breathing dust. About 5-10 minutes is all they really need a couple times a week.

3. The forum here has issues with uploading photos, so it's best to upload to another photo share site then link the photo to your post. A violet is a blueish grey color, so if she is brown that wouldn't be it.

definitely want to separate them. And if the cages are next to each other, keep them at least 6+ inches apart. They can breed through the bars.

Your girl could be pregnant already or not. Tho its likely. With out knowing, it means she could give birth tomorrow, or a couple months from now. The general period is about 3 months. So momma should be placed in a baby proof cage asap. Which means bar spacing less then 1/2" wide. Anything more and kits can escape the cage.

Smaller is usually better for kits. You dont want momma to be able to get away from them. No ledges. Kits are clumsy and could easily injure themselves trying to use them.