mating or heat plug?

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a.skittle.a.day

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Okay, so I was walking down the hallway yesterday and I heard one of the chins slowly squeaking/grunting a few times. I went in to check on them and it was the little girl making the noise. Her little face would seem to scrunch up when she would do it and she just looked overall uncomfortable. I went into preparing the travel cage for a vet visit and then I noticed what seemed to be a tiny puddle of pee, on the darker side, on the level above her. I proceeded to hasten in my getting the cage ready. Then when I went to go get her out I noticed on the top level an opaqueish little thingy and I remembered about the heat/mating plugs. Urgency level went way down by now. The male wouldn't move from her side, which he normally comes to great me when the cage is opened. She was a bit "leave me aloneish", kept pushing me away, etc.. I examined her and she seemed a bit swollen down there, but no discharge. Kept and eye on her, no more sounds and still a bit pouty like, but it was durring day light and they don't usually move around to much until evening. Evening playtime came, she was more hesitant than normal coming out of her cage, but once she did, everything seemed perfectly normal. Playing, pooping, eating. So my question is, how do I know if this was a heat plug or a mating plug? (picture attached) I'd like to know so I can go ahead and start keeping track of dates. Thanks!
 

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The easiest answer is you don't.

I really don't know that there is a difference. I think they are both terms for the same thing, a plug that is ejected when the female comes into heat, whether she gets bred or not.
 
Although it may be quite impossible to tell the difference, have you seperated the male and female?
Not sure if you meant adopted as in you got them from a breeder or somewhere that you don't have the background on them...
I just adopted my first pair of chins and despite much research I'm still a newbie to these wonderful little guys.
 
That looks more like a typical heat/oestrus plug to me. They tend to look "empty", are thinner, almost brown in colour, & are generally more wizened.
A typical mating plug is fatter, shorter, & is often white or cream in colour.

If she's dropped a heat plug & the male is being attentive then I'd keep an eye out for another plug (although they sometimes get eaten) & start counting off 111 days.
 
lauralynne - I guess I should have used the term "rescued" more so than adopted. A lady got them for her kids along with a plethora of other animals, including five chicks that had grown into chickens still being kept in a guinea pig cage inside because the lady didn't know they'd get so big..... She was just trying to downsize on her critter count as she was way in over her head, and unfortunately these guys were getting very neglected because of it. I just wanted to take them off of her hands and give them a better home. However, despite the lack of care they had received they're in remarkably good condition. She had gotten them from a lady who had bought them from a breeder as a breeding pair. Otherwise, I don't have much more information in regards to their background than that.

Claire D - I was leaning more towards a heat plug as well, just based on the fact that her attitude had changed a little bit. Just wanted to see if there was any other way of differentiating between the two. Could her grunting have maybe been from having little chin cramps? Poor little thing :/
 
you should seperate them immediately if you dont know there background..im not being rude but your about to get told this alot as soon as people read that you dont have pedigrees on them..
 
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