Dwarf chinchilla?

[Chinchilla63]

A thread in the chat section was asking about small sized adult chins. Rocky (aka Rescue Girl) is tiny, I always assumed underweight. She was 485 gms when I rescued her, 455 after her URI. She's up around 500 gms now and looks positively chubby. She's on a healthy diet (Oxbow pellets, Timothy and alfalfa gay to try and put some weight on her).
What is the difference between a small standard chin and a dwarf? Are there any health issues associated with dwarves? Rocky is 9 yrs old, btw.

 

[Stackie]

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34371&highlight=dwarf

 

[chechinchillas]

A dwarf chinchilla has a different look and weighs about 350 to 450 grams. They have a larger head compared to their body size than a normal chin; shorter legs, shorter feet, shorter bushy tails, wide hips and their faces don't protrude out as much. I think they look adorable, but haven't ever bred them because I was told by a breeder who specialized in them that they have more rectal prolaspes. I have also read that they just have the same health issues as a normal sized chin from a different breeder. It's a recessive gene also. Dwarf babies are the same size as a normal sized baby so it isn't safe to breed a female dwarf, it can kill her during delivery because the baby will just be too big for her. You can breed a dwarf male to a dwarf carrier female or a dwarf carrier male to a dwarf carrier female. I have had a kit born from 2 normal sized chins that has all of the dwarf characteristics and has stayed small. I do not know if she is a true dwarf.

 

[Chinchilla63]

Thank you for the responses. She seems healthy and isn't going to be bred, so I guess it doesn't really matter...I'll call her petite!

Lee