Baby fur?

[Whimsy]

Can anyone tell me at about what age a chin loses their first coat?
I've got a 7 month old that I swear must still have his baby fur. It's very cottony looking and still hasn't changed over since I got him back in July.
Thoughts?

 

[AZChins]

The chin could be taking his time to grow in an adult coat. Or, that could just be what his adult coat happens to be like. At seven months most chins have a much more adult coat, but some of them seem to still be a little cottony...usually in a couple months they are different after that.

 

[alli713]

What color is the chin? If it's a white, some are prone to the more cottony fur even as adults, which isn't a good trait in a breeding chin, but for a pet it's just fine.

 

[Riven]

Many people show and show very well by six - seven months of age, I'd say it's probably just cottony fur.

 

[AZChins]

But there are SOME little chins that are late bloomers! I'd give it a chance...even though it probably is just cottony fur.

 

[Whimsy]

What color is the chin? If it's a white, some are prone to the more cottony fur even as adults, which isn't a good trait in a breeding chin, but for a pet it's just fine.

Actually, he's a homobeige handpicked by Gary Neubauer. I have high hopes for the little guy, but his fur is rather strange.

 

[Riven]

But there are SOME little chins that are late bloomers!

This is true, I guess personally as a breeder with a goal I want to reach, if they aren't "looking good" by around 9 months, with the exception of minor flaws ( out of prime, a little down on size, etc. ) I seriously rethink keeping them for breeding because this is ideal age for showing and breeding, I don't want to wait two years to see if it's something I want to breed because chances are it will pass that to it's offspring, and then I'll have to wait 2 years to see what they're really like and so on. I'm not saying it's not worth breeding eventually, I just prefer to not have to add another year or more to evaluate, at that rate it would take me at least twice as long to reach my breeding goal and I'm also feeding and caring for an animal longer, and it's always harder to pet home an older animal...

 

[aznmexaggie]

Do you have a picture of the little guy?

 

[Whimsy]

Here he is.
*and a special thanks to my daughter for uploading and inserting this pic*

 

[aznmexaggie]

Is he for breeding or is he a pet?

If he is for breeding: At 7 months now in December, that means that when you got him in July he was only 3 months old. 3 months is too young to evaluate a chinchilla as they have not yet gone through their first prime and are not showing all their genetic potential. When buying a young chinchilla, it is always a waiting game to see how they turn out once they reach adulthood... and a bit of a risk. This is one of the reasons I only buy adult chinchillas for breeding. Young chins can change so much, you don't know if they will end up looking better, if they'll stay the same, or if they will get worse. I do have many chins from Gary and they are all beautiful animals but then again, I was able to choose them when they were adults. Even my chins from my best pairings, sometimes you'll get one kit in the litter that, as an adult, surpasses the quality of their parents and the other kit that just didn't take on all the good qualities of the parents... but you just have to wait and see how they turn out before making any breeding decisions. You may want to take him to a show this winter season to see how he does.

If he is a pet: I wouldn't worry about it! He is a cutie no matter what and his fur doesn't contribute to his personality!

 

[Whimsy]

Thanks for the input.
He's for breeding with the promose to Gary that I would show him.
He's 9 months old now and weighs in at 601. When I purchased him, he was 4 months old. Sorry for the confusion on the age.
As far as plans for him go, he's being paired with a female with good strong dense fur. So hopefully she'll compensate for his funky fur. Time will tell.

 

[aznmexaggie]

That's good that you are going to show him. Just make sure you show him before you put him in breeding. Males tend to lose a little weight and condition when they are in breeding and won't show as well.