Breeding 411

[clarinuto]

So, as of today, I only have 1 pair of breeding chinchillas who had kits about a month ago now. Dad is in his own cage now and mama is with the babies. In addition, I have 2 girls housed together and 2 boys housed together. In a few months, once the current kits are weaned and everyone is of age (the boys are older since I've had them a while, girls are too young yet), I am going to bond each girl with a boy and cage them respectively for breeding. Just to clarify in case that was confusing, I'll have 3 pairs of breeding chins, or 6 chins total. I was considering adding 1 last girl to the herd and having a threesome in one cage-- aka 1 male, 2 girls. Has anyone done this? Is this a terrible plan?

I want to know FAR in advance of trying it and if it is even an accepted practice. I don't want anyone to fight or get jealous, but thought if one girl was pregnant, then I could remove her and the male would still have a mate. Whereas my current dad just seems sad about having no one while his mate is caring for their babies.

Whatcha think?

 

[threewingedfury]

How long do you mean by "a few months"? If you plan to wean the kits and stick them in with the males, absolutely not. They should not go into breeding until 7-8 months at the earliest. Risking a pregnancy any earlier is not worth it.

Also - considering you cannot even tell that these animals are breeding quality at this moment (due to their age), you should consider showing them at the proper age to find out if they should even be bred in the first place before you think about breeding them.

 

[clarinuto]

How long do you mean by "a few months"? If you plan to wean the kits and stick them in with the males, absolutely not. They should not go into breeding until 7-8 months at the earliest. Risking a pregnancy any earlier is not worth it.

Also - considering you cannot even tell that these animals are breeding quality at this moment (due to their age), you should consider showing them at the proper age to find out if they should even be bred in the first place before you think about breeding them.

Threewingedfury---- I'm a bit offended that you have made many assumptions and though I do not like it, I at least appreciate your concern for my chinchillas... However, it would be ridiculous of me as a breeder to believe I could stick very young chin girls in with hormonal, of age boys. I would never.

I am not referring to the kits at all. The six chinchillas I have are separate from the kits and I have not decided if I am keeping any of the kits at this point. My other six are breeder bought over the last 3 years... the only recent purchase was a violet male from JAGS. Furthermore, the girls that I am referring to are 8 months right now, but I don't believe in breeding them until they are a year old.

I agree, it is not worth it to risk a pregnancy earlier because I love them and want them to be healthy and strong and happy before I breed them.

Also, my question was regarding 2 of age girls with an of age male. What do you think about this?

 

[starleomach]

I agree 100% with Tiffany. I may keep babies back for breeding but I don'tactually put them into breeding until they have been evauated and they are waaaay to young. You can't determine breeding quality with kits.

 

[clarinuto]

I agree 100% with Tiffany. I may keep babies back for breeding but I don'tactually put them into breeding until they have been evauated and they are waaaay to young. You can't determine breeding quality with kits.

see my response to threewinged.

 

[lauralynne]

She's not talking about putting kits in w/ a breeding pair. She's talking about colony breeding. Yes, it is an accepted practice and many people here have experience doing it. Mine are in pairs, so hopefully someone else can further explain.

 

[threewingedfury]

Sorry, I read this wrong then. The way it was worded, it seemed as if you were going to stick the females in straight with the males as soon as they were weaned. Colonies are fine - I have only one of my own, but many breed only in colonies. I personally like to take my pregnant females out of the colony just for safety precautions, but others leave them in with no problems. This doesn't mean you won't have problems though.

 

[starleomach]

sorry we must have posted at the same time. And you did make it sound like all kits so that is where the quality assumption came from.

You can put 2 females with a male I breed in colonies where there is 1 male and 5 females and it works well for me. But sometimes there are issues to. You are much more likely to have fighting in colonies. and they can be a lot harder to get together as everyone has to get along.

 

[RDZCRanch]

Even with these chins being of age and coming from breeders, I would have them evaluated at a show before putting them in breeding. Just because an animal has a pedigree does not mean it should be bred. There are also different qualities you need to take into consideration and make sure you pair your males and females so that their qualities compliment each other. There is much more to breeding for quality and to better the species than sticking two pedigreed animals together.

That being said, yes you can breed in trios or larger colonies. I currently have a colony of 7, 6 girls to one male. One girl is about to litter but the group as a whole gets along so well that I don't want to remove her so I've provided small hiding areas for the future kits. In order to do colony breeding you REALLY have to know your chinchilla's personalities and temperament. You can't just stick any three together and hope for the best.

 

[clarinuto]

Thank you for the pointers and concern, I have guidance and help to pair for quality and improvement.

Even with these chins being of age and coming from breeders, I would have them evaluated at a show before putting them in breeding. Just because an animal has a pedigree does not mean it should be bred. There are also different qualities you need to take into consideration and make sure you pair your males and females so that their qualities compliment each other. There is much more to breeding for quality and to better the species than sticking two pedigreed animals together.

That being said, yes you can breed in trios or larger colonies. I currently have a colony of 7, 6 girls to one male. One girl is about to litter but the group as a whole gets along so well that I don't want to remove her so I've provided small hiding areas for the future kits. In order to do colony breeding you REALLY have to know your chinchilla's personalities and temperament. You can't just stick any three together and hope for the best.

 

[clarinuto]

sorry we must have posted at the same time. And you did make it sound like all kits so that is where the quality assumption came from.

You can put 2 females with a male I breed in colonies where there is 1 male and 5 females and it works well for me. But sometimes there are issues to. You are much more likely to have fighting in colonies. and they can be a lot harder to get together as everyone has to get along.

Thanks, maybe I'll just stick with basic pairs then for a while. No fighting wanted here!!!

Sorry, I read this wrong then. The way it was worded, it seemed as if you were going to stick the females in straight with the males as soon as they were weaned. Colonies are fine - I have only one of my own, but many breed only in colonies. I personally like to take my pregnant females out of the colony just for safety precautions, but others leave them in with no problems. This doesn't mean you won't have problems though.

Yea, if I did it, I would definitely remove her because I wouldn't want her or the babies to be harmed while the rest are romping around playing. Thanks!

 

[AZChins]

I like trios, they can be very easy because the moms will help take care of each other's babies. The problem is that sometimes the females get hormonal and start to hate each other. I've had to separate a few of them, but for the most part they get along and they make it super easy. Just be aware that for whatever reason the females all seem to litter at the same time! That means that they may nurse each other's little ones and that you have to really keep track of who is who with the babies.

 

[Riven]

I have more problems with fighting in my runs than with my colonies. I've had up to 5 females per male with no problems. It does become a problem if the females litter the same day though... LOL

If you chose to do a trio I recommend bonding the females then adding the male. If it doesn't work you can always separate them.

I also agree that your original post was a bit confusing.

 

[clarinuto]

I have more problems with fighting in my runs than with my colonies. I've had up to 5 females per male with no problems. It does become a problem if the females litter the same day though... LOL

If you chose to do a trio I recommend bonding the females then adding the male. If it doesn't work you can always separate them.

I also agree that your original post was a bit confusing.

Ooh, that is a great tip. I love the idea of bonding the females first and then add the male. Thank you. It makes perfect sense but I had not thought of it.

Also, I reread the initial post to see if perhaps it was worded in a way that might lead someone to think I was introducing kits to males... and I can see where the thought came from though of course when I read it I also read it the way that I meant it. No big deal other than I didn't want someone to think that I would do that. :thumbsup:

 

[Rickman]

I've also had very good luck with trios - one was a mother/daughter put with another male, another was a pair of Jags females put with a PCNW male.
Always make sure the females bond first, and watch closely the first week!