finally bought a gram scale and weighed everyone

[chinchillalover0927]

males
deuce-tov white vc-486 grams-may 13,2009
onix-dark ebony-500 grams-may 13,2009
nugget-medium tan-481 grams-september 2,2009
oreo-white ebony-537 grams-september 17,2009

females
pebbles-standard-560 grams-may 1,2008
lexi-medium tan-680 grams-may 29,2008
boosie-beige-436 grams-june 2,2009
coconut-standard-670 grams-july 9,2009
tinkerbell-black velvet-475 grams-august 1,2009
blizzard-tan-565 grams-july 10,2009
minnie-mosiac-653 grams-april 2,2009

are these good weights for there ages, i would like to experiences opinions

 

[Diamond Dreams]

They are all pretty small which is great if they're pets.

 

[chinchillalover0927]

they are all still pretty young thats why i posted there birthdays also

 

[aznmexaggie]

Most of those are pretty small for their age. They may continue growing although they don't seem to be gaining at a very fast rate.

 

[chinchillalover0927]

i heard that alot of chins fill out at about a year or so

 

[aznmexaggie]

It depends on the genetics. Some chins are very growthy from the start, some may always grow slowly and others may go through a growth spurt after reaching maturity. Diet also plays a role and a good diet helps a chin reach his genetic potential.

 

[RDZCRanch]

Nugget and Oreo are the only two I would consider average weights for their ages. The rest are small for their ages and should be larger at this point. Even my slow growers that hit their potential at a year and a half to two are larger than that at those ages. Don't hold your breath thinking they are all going to hit magic growth spurts at a year old. If these are your potential breeding animals I would seriously take a BIG step back, re-evaluate all your breeding animals and consider keeping them as pets or finding them pet only homes.

 

[jags]

They may be smaller for their age but it also may be their genetic background and they may just be average sized and never be overly large.

 

[chinchillalover0927]

i have them on panr .. should i try switching them to something else, and deuce (tov vc mosiac) i know is small but he is solid as a rock but i have noticed lately that he is just little...but im sorry if this sounds stupid lol but he feels like he is nothing but muscle...

onix (ebony male),tinkerbell (black velvet female),coconut (standard female) came from ronda, which if im not mistaken isnt a member but is known on the site...they were shipped down from her... nugget(tan male) oreo(tan male) lexi(tan female) came from spoof,lexi was shown, i bought nugget and oreo as babies from her...deuce came from nicole in new orleans which i feel i got ripped off by her because i paid 200 for deuce and i have seen his kind go for cheaper but he was one of my first chins that i purchased... the others came from a local breeder.. my boyfriend has a a ebony white male who was a very good size who won first at a show purchased from spoof and an xdark ebony male that we purchased from ronda also...so most of my chins came from reputable breeders..i dont see why they are so small maybe ill get lucky and some of them will fill out...

some of the babies are growing rapidly,tinkerbell has been growing at a very steady pace,i just got my scale but i have noticed that physically she has been growing great,along with nugget and oreo..blizzard has been a very slow grower,and coconut also has been growing pretty quick,ill just keep up with there weights,how often should i weigh them to moniter growth weight??

 

[chinchillalover0927]

and i also had most of our chins evaluated individually under a show light when i purchased the rest of my chins, we brought almost all of them along to see if they were quality enough to breed or to be pet only....a few of them didnt cut it lol but most of them she said were nice...the ones that didnt cut it wont be being bred at all..

 

[aznmexaggie]

When purchasing animals for breeding, I never buy youngsters. The reason is because you don't know how they're going to grow up. Yes, they may look ok at a young age and might have potential but there is no guarantee that they are going to grow to a good size or that their coat is going to get more dense or that they are going to improve in any aspect. Buying young animals is a risk and something I learned very early (I once bought a 4 month class champion male at a field day who just never grew much or matured).

I don't know which judge evaluated your animals but no one can see the future of how a young chinchilla will turn out. A judge will assess them based on how they look on that day. Maybe they had good clarity or good size for their age at that time but will they continue growing? Will the clarity hold up to oxidation over time? Will the coat be strong and dense once the chin comes into prime?

For this reason, it is best to buy adult animals if you are considering breeding.

 

[chinchillalover0927]

thank you for the advice, i guess i will have to see how they turn out at full maturity....when everyone is a year or over i will post updated pics for you all to see if you would like..even if my babies wont be good enough quality i still love them and think they are beautiful !! lol...

 

[Diamond Dreams]

i have them on panr .. should i try switching them to something else, and deuce (tov vc mosiac) i know is small but he is solid as a rock but i have noticed lately that he is just little...

Only PANR? Any hay or supplements? My chins didn't like the new formula of PANR, maybe if you try something different you'll get better results.

I think that fresh air and clean cages also lead to healthier, larger chins.

 

[chinchillalover0927]

yes im giving them hay, that was a common sense thing thats why i didnt state that ,and my chins love it there fat behinds eat it all every nite

 

[alli713]

Another thing I'd say, is that just because you buy chins from reputable breeders doesn't mean they'll make good breeding chins. Grand champion chins can have pet quality babies. It's just the way the genes go sometimes.

 

[Stackie]

Another thing I'd say, is that just because you buy chins from reputable breeders doesn't mean they'll make good breeding chins. Grand champion chins can have pet quality babies. It's just the way the genes go sometimes.

Exactly what I was going to say. I have a chin here who was bred by a very well known and reputable breeder who places well at shows, but he is small and has low quality fur.

They could eat 24/7 but that doesn't mean that they'll gain weight. They are genetically predisposition for a certain size. If they overate, that just means they would be obese, not at a healthy weight for breeding....but chins don't overeat, anyway.

 

[jags]

Water can also have as much to do with it as feed. If they are not drinking well they will not eat well.

 

[Ash]

Posting pictures here when the chins get larger isn't going to do anything. You can't tell diddly squat about quality from pictures, as flash can wash them out, give them too much of a red tint making them look worse than they are or a blue tint making them look better than they actually are. You need to take them to a show or two and have them professionally evaluated and judged on the standards, or find a nearby good rancher who'd be willing to do it for you. And if they don't hit at least the 700g mark, I wouldn't even think twice about keeping them from breeding. Most of those are VERY small chins to be used for breeding.

 

[RDZCRanch]

I completely agree with Sumiko...this is exactly the reason that I do not purchase young chinchillas. In the beginning it was fun to watch them grow but you figure out very quickly that a lot of the times you don't get what you think you're going to get. I even have it happen with kits born and growing out here. If you are serious about breeding...purchase adult chinchillas from a show or that have been shown.

If you really want to consider breeding anything you have...you need to take them to a show or to a sanctioned judge to have them evaluated. Taking them to a large breeder in your area will not suffice.

 

[chinchillalover0927]

there water intake is very good,they drink alotttt of water lol, and i understand completely what you all are saying.ill just have to wait till they are fully matured to see who all even cuts it in the weight issue...i know ebonys are always usually smaller does he have a decent weight for him??