How to tell if Chinchilla is in estrus

[Takuraktty]

How do you tell if a chin is in heat? If you have a male in with the female, and hes humping her is that a good sign? (I mean he doesn't connect there's no plug left but he's still mounting her) Or do males often do this? I am not yet breeding but I saw this question on another website and was curious as no one knew the answer to it on the other forum.

 

[RDZCRanch]

Male's will mate a female when they feel like it. Some males will only mate with a female when she's in estrus but a lot of males "miss" and leave sperm and semen on the females hind end. So, no, mounting does not mean a female is in heat or will become pregnant. A male humping a female is a just a sign that he knows how to hump, doesn't mean he can or will reproduce with that female.

You can tell a female is in heat when her vaginal opening is swollen and open, sometimes it can even become a brighter pink colour. When they are not in heat, the vaginal slit will be closed very tightly and there won't be any evidence of swelling.