chinchilla in heat?

I think my new female might be in heat? Can someone please tell me what to expect? Is there any discharge like in other animals, if so how much and what color/ consistency? Also, I don't have any males, so I didn't think it was possible for a female to go into heat? Sorry if my questions seem ignorant, but I just got my first chinchilla a few months ago. Her name is dusty =)

She will go into heat regardless of whether there is a male around or not. Luckily I don't see any appreciable difference in my girls when they are going through their cycle behavior wise, so that's a blessing!

You may see a heat plug in the cage (kind of a waxy looking white blob) but I've not found one in 9 years. She may also be a little more open with just a very slight moisture around her vaginal opening. You shouldn't see huge amount of discharge, but there can be some.

Do they get heat plugs? I thought those were only after a mating. I didn't know that they could get that...

Anyway, the discharge can be alarming sometimes if you see it when it is RIGHT there. Most of the time the female chins keep themselves very clean and you won't even notice. Sometimes they will have a heat that produces a lot of mucus and it is very noticeable, but that's maybe once a year. Mucus should be clear or just slightly cloudy when they are in heat. If you ever see discharge just pouring out, that isn't a normal heat. Green or yellow is not normal, neither is lots of white discharge.

With most girls you never even notice. Some girls can be a little musky. I have a couple that have that odor and I can smell when they are in heat...most are not like that though.

They can Susan, but like I said, I've never seen one. They look almost like the mating plug, but not quite. They are longer and skinner, and not quite as solid looking. I've only seen pictures of them.

Weird! I haven't seen one either. I've seen plenty of those nasty mating plugs...ick. Maybe I've seen the heat plug and thought it was a mating plug or just threw it out with some hay or something.

This is all good to know, our 11 month old is going through her 1st heat cycle, atleast that we've noticed. How long should it last? It's been almost a week for her and there is still a little milky moisture around the area. It's also a little irritated because she's been grooming more then normal. Does this warrant a vet trip on Monday or is this still in the ball park of "normal?"

just thought I should also mention, she's acting/eating normally. Just a little more grumpy, but I would be too if mom and dad were checking out my private parts everyday.

The swelling will go down in a day or two. It definitely could be just a heat cycle. With an infection where it would actually produce puss and come out of the vaginal opening there would be some changes in appetite and probably some lethargy.

Just a little discharge is normal. With infections there is normally a lot of sticky discharge that will come out when palpitate her abdomen a bit. If you push on her belly and you don't get a spurt of discharge, it is completely vaginal and normal. When there is a uterine infection there can be a lot of puss and when you are lucky enough for a chin to go into heat at just the right time that the puss can come out just a little squeeze can allow for it to come out.

It becomes very deadly when the infection is sealed up behind the cervix because often the only indication is lethargy or even death. Those sealed infections take down a chin very quickly.

In this case, it sounds like a normal heat cycle...maybe a little extended, but that happens sometimes with the younger girls. Heck, I see that happen with old girls at times! They will go for months without any indication of heat, then I pick one up and she's got a glob of mucus that gets all over my arm. Most of the time when the discharge looks a little milky, it means that the girl is going to close up pretty soon...things are sort of drying up, if that makes sense.

All this goes to prove that I spend way too much time with chins and examine them all a little too much.

We palpitated her abdomen and nothing came out Today the milkiness was actually dry and flaking a bit, so I think we're about at the end. We'll keep checking her for a few days, but I think we're doing well. Thanks for the info, it's good to know!

how do i tell when my chinchilla is in heat

hi i would like to kno how to tell when my chinchilla is in heat. also why she may be smelling her private it looks like lately is that a sign of in heat?