Advice with newborn kits

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ArmyWife

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Sep 13, 2011
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My female chinchilla gave birth to twins yesterday morning. I separated the male and female prior and baby proofed the cage. When I went downstairs yesterday afternoon I saw two little kits walking around. They were all dried, eyes open and very active. The mommy has always been a very active chinchilla. She's eating just fine and running around the cage. I'm getting nervous though because I notice that whenever I go to check on them, she's usually on top of the box with the kits inside it. I'm not sure if she just gets anxious when I come near them? I have seen her stop and allow them to nurse but she will then just run around again. She will lay in the box with them as well though. I weighed them yesterday and They weighed 52 and 56 grams. I just weighed them again tonight and it looks like they each lost a gram. Is this normal? I don't believe that her milk production has started yet. Should I be supplementing at all? They are still very active and it looks like their tails are starting to curl some (I read that being a sign of adequate nutrition). Whenever I open the cage door though they usually run over to me, I don't know if they're just curious or if they are looking for food from me? Is it normal for them to be making little noises when trying to nurse?

I'm sorry for all the questions... I just want to do the very best to help keep this kits healthy.
 
It usually takes a day or so for mom's milk to come in so loosing a couple of grams is normal. Just keep weighing them daily to make sure they begin to gain. Don't start supplementing right away otherwise that will hinder mom's milk flow from starting naturally. The sheer act of the babies trying to nurse stimulates mom. The noises are normal. Chins have a very long pregnancy so when they have their babies they seem more grown up compared to other types of animals like having open eyes and being very mobile etc. Hope this helps!
 
Pookinaround said:
It usually takes a day or so for mom's milk to come in so loosing a couple of grams is normal. Just keep weighing them daily to make sure they begin to gain. Don't start supplementing right away otherwise that will hinder mom's milk flow from starting naturally. The sheer act of the babies trying to nurse stimulates mom. The noises are normal. Chins have a very long pregnancy so when they have their babies they seem more grown up compared to other types of animals like having open eyes and being very mobile etc. Hope this helps!
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Very helpful! I've been contemplating running out to the grocery store right now to buy goats milk and baby rice cereal but I will wait till tomorrow after I weight them again. Is it normal for the mother to not sit with babies all the time and be by herself?
 
Mine do that sometimes but as long as you also see them trying to nurse as well then they should be fine. I came home this morning to find 2 new kits myself and they were sitting on the other side of the cage away from mom and they just looked at me like "hi here we are" (lol) then later on I spied them several times attaching themselves to their momma...
 
Pookinaround said:
Mine do that sometimes but as long as you also see them trying to nurse as well then they should be fine. I came home this morning to find 2 new kits myself and they were sitting on the other side of the cage away from mom and they just looked at me like "hi here we are" (lol) then later on I spied them several times attaching themselves to their momma...
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Alright good to hear... -sigh of relief- I'm going to have my husband weigh then again tomorrow while I'm at work. Hopefully by tomorrow her milk will be coming in more. If I were to touch one of her nipples, should it feel wet? Should some of the fur around her nipples be wet?
 
I have never noticed that...I judge it by the kits weight gain. You'll know if her milk isn't coming in if the kits don't start to gain weight as they should. 50+ grams is a healthy weight so they should be ok loosing a couple of grams the first day or so.
 
Pookinaround said:
I have never noticed that...I judge it by the kits weight gain. You'll know if her milk isn't coming in if the kits don't start to gain weight as they should. 50+ grams is a healthy weight so they should be ok loosing a couple of grams the first day or so.
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Thanks for all your advice. Hopefully tomorrow we have some weight gain! :)
 
Either turn the house upside down or take it out. If she's a first time mom, she may be freaking out over having new kits and not sure of herself. If you remove the house she won't be able to get away from them.
 
tunes said:
Either turn the house upside down or take it out. If she's a first time mom, she may be freaking out over having new kits and not sure of herself. If you remove the house she won't be able to get away from them.
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I tried that and it seemed like she started to panic even more.

Also, is it normal for the mother to clean her kits genitalia a lot? I notice that every time they come over and try to nurse
 
Yes it is normal for mom to clean the genetailia. It stimulates them to eliminate and she is also cleaning up after them when they do.
 
The mothers clean the genitals to stimulate pottying. It's perfectly normal as long as the genitals aren't getting raw/sore looking. THAT would be a problem so keep an eye.

As far as her house being removed, I never have houses in with mothers for several reasons. One, gives mommy a place to escape to, too frequently. Secondly I've heard several stories of kits being killed by houses. If she's used to the house of course she'll be stressed...for a LITTLE. If the cage is in an active area, move it to a less active area. That'll help with her anxiety. Like mentioned, you could also try turning it over depending on what type of house it is.
 
I really think you need to take the house out or turn it over. Do you have baby wire spacing of 1/2x1/2 inch or less? If not they will escape outside and freeze or starve to death. Next just leave her alone as much as possible, it sounds like she is really overwhelmed.
 
If she's that stressed out when you remove the house, tip it over and put it against the back corner of the cage with the solid wall facing out. She can still hide behind it, but she can't get away from the kits. They need her, not only to feed them, but to keep them warm.
 
addictedtochins said:
I really think you need to take the house out or turn it over. Do you have baby wire spacing of 1/2x1/2 inch or less? If not they will escape outside and freeze or starve to death. Next just leave her alone as much as possible, it sounds like she is really overwhelmed.
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Yeah we attached hardware cloth to the whole cage so they are safe
 
tunes said:
If she's that stressed out when you remove the house, tip it over and put it against the back corner of the cage with the solid wall facing out. She can still hide behind it, but she can't get away from the kits. They need her, not only to feed them, but to keep them warm.
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My husband just went downstairs and took the house out and she began to freak out and run around while knocking over the babies. I'm really nervous about their safety if I take out the house but I'm also worried they aren't nursing enough. I'm gonna have my husband frequently check on them through the day. This morning they weighed 55 and 56 grams
 
If she is that nervous, do you have a different house? Something she can hide under but that she can't get away from the kits? How old is the female? Where do you have the cage located? Sound like the kits are gaining which is good so I wouldn't supplement them unless the stop gaining. I never have my mothers in cages with a ledges or houses for just this reason. When I seporated them from the male they get a open floor that way they adjust before babies are born.
 
Dreamlite said:
If she is that nervous, do you have a different house? Something she can hide under but that she can't get away from the kits? How old is the female? Where do you have the cage located? Sound like the kits are gaining which is good so I wouldn't supplement them unless the stop gaining. I never have my mothers in cages with a ledges or houses for just this reason. When I seporated them from the male they get a open floor that way they adjust before babies are born.
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I only have one house but I can purchase a new one. She is 4 years old. It's located in the basement away from everyone and all the activity in my house. I got rid of all the ledges but kept the house because I read about keeping a house in for the mother to give birth in and be with the kits. It seems like the babies usually are inside the house and she is either being active outside the house or just sitting on top of the house. I don't want to take away the house because of her anxiety when it's gone and because the kits always stay together in their.

Can someone suggest a different house, pictures/links would be helpful.

I'm sorry if I'm talking in a circle here but I am just really anxious about keeping these babies safe and healthy along with keeping my momma calm and happy.
 
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