I am going to pick up my first kits this weekend! Color help?

[kristimarie8799]

The breeder told me what colors they were but I can't remember and don't want to bug her this late!

There are two in the first picture but I am only getting the boy in the back. The boy in the front already had a home or I would have got those two.

My mom wanted the one in the second picture. She was an only kit so she is a little bigger, but they were born about a week apart. The breeder was originally going to keep her for breeding but her husband wants her to get rid of her.

I know there are a lot of people the discourage breeding. I totally understand why. For that reason we may have the boy neutered when he is old enough. My mom really, really wants to breed them at least once though. We have a cage that can be made into two separate cages in case we have any problems. The breeder said they would make a good pair and is weaning them together.

 

[JoAnne]

Color help

Congratulations on getting such wonderful colors for your first two kits.
The dark little one appears to be an Ebony (it is dark enough that it could be a Homozygous). The light one is a Mosaic which comes from breeding a standard to a Wilson White. Wilson Whites have the dark ears and the broken pattern classifies it as a Mosaic. If I can be of more help please let me know.

 

[Stackie]

The boy looks to be an ebony and the second is a white mosaic.

 

[Cat75]

Yep, looks like an ebony and mosaic. The breeder is weaning a female and male together so you can keep them as a pair as kits?

 

[Riven]

There are a lot of issues I can see in your post, you can not keep these two together in a cage or you will end up with a female who is too young to be bred pregnant and die. There is not a "maybe" in my sentence for a reason.

I don't discourage breeding, but I do discourage breeding just for the sake of it. Why have a litter? What is your goal? You don't even know what these animals will look like when they are adults, if they will be good enough quality to breed them. There is a lot of learning that you need to do before you even think about putting a male near a female. The fact that the "breeder" is weaning them together for you indicates to me that there is some ignorance on their part as well. Why get two chins and plan on neutering as a method to pair them? Why not just get two of the same sex and avoid an expensive and often risky procedure as most vets are not competent with chins, let along doing surgery on them.

If your mom really, really want to pay $500 for a c-section or end up with a dead chinchilla then go ahead and put them together. Otherwise I suggest doing a lot more research before getting these chins at all.

 

[hownowbrowncow]

So the fact that your mom 'really really wanted' a particular chinchilla is worth risking the lives of your chins? Please treat your pets like people and respect them.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

I don't understand why the breeder is weaning a male and female kit together. Do you know that a 12 week old female kit can get pregnant?? Do you realize that, that could kill her??

 

[MyzarandGemma]

If your mom really wants one, make her take care of that one and you can take care of the other. They should not be housed together. Male neutering is a dangerous and unnecessary surgery. It's not like having your dog fixed, it is dangerous. Either get two boys or two girls; or keep them in separate cages. Getting two chins so you can breed them once, at too young of an age, is ridiculous and completely selfish of you. I agree with hownowbrowncow, you are risking your chins' lives. You will do what you will do, but know that if you breed too young, your lady chin will die and it will be your fault, hon. Please don't do this.

 

[Encantadora]

Wow. The breeder you are buying from has held back a lot of important info you should have.

And the fact that she is ok with babies being housed together, which ends in her being bred, is quite unbelievable. Plus she is putting them together for you?!?

Not a good plan. And I'd think again about purchasing from this person.

 

[3CsMommy]

This breeder's practices aren't good for the chin your mother wants, and when chinchillas fight, it can be deadly, so your little boy is in danger too. Please think about the animals' well-being and keep them separated. Or, better yet, look for another little girl chin for you so they can have company without the risk of babies.

 

[kristimarie8799]

Woah! Okay I feel like I should clarify some here. In my original post I was much more focused on their colors than giving the story so I jumped around and didn't really explain properly. I have a terrible habit of rambling. I went to the breeder only wanting one chinchilla. (The dark boy) My mom and younger sister went with me to look at him because I didn't want to meet at someone's house alone. Too many horror stories lol. My mom and sister fell in love with the white girl. My dad will not allow us to have two cages but the cage we have has a door to keep one on the top and one on the bottom.

This wasn't my original plan. I do NOT want to breed, nor do I want ro risk their safety. The breeder has said that it is uncommon for a chin to get pregnant this early and is weaning them from their moms together. She says she tries to do that with all of her kits that are being sold together, even male-female couples so they will bond at an early age. My mother wanting to breed them does not mean I will let her. I am paying for my boy, and bought his home, toys, food ect. I wouldn't pay as much as I am for an animal I didn't care about. I have three dogs, two cats, and two gerbils that I take care of with my money and my time. I love these animals so very much.

The chins will be separate until one of two things happen. I have my boy neutered and it has been at least nine weeks. I know eight is okay but I would give it some extra time just in case. Or they're both old enough, healthy enough, and have no bad qualities like fur biting and both my mom and I have researched enough that we feel comfortable with allowing them to breed. They will both have a very good home and absolutely will not be in harms way at my home. Although I can totally understand everyone's concern. I would have reacted the same way if I would have read something similar to what I posted and I apologize for not explaining more when I made the posting. Thanks for the answers and concerns about these little guys

 

[Encantadora]

Well I'm glad you are separating them.

The breeding section is full of information.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Even if you do separate them when you get them home, there is still a chance (and it is not as rare as you might think) that the female will already be pregnant. You will need to keep an eye on her until 111 days have passed since you separated them. The breeder should know better than to wean males and females together.

 

[Dreamlite]

I have seen females get bred that young and the results are horrible. I'm glad you are doing the properthing and keeping them apart. Ask the breeder since you are getting the chins if she will make a exception and wean them seporate.

 

[ticklechin]

I personally would not buy anything from that "breader". Sounds like a bad BYB.

 

[3CsMommy]

Everyone I've worked with regarding chins separates by sex *strictly* at 8 weeks. I would not give this person my money; she's not doing the best by those animals, and if she keeps making money on them, she'll just keep doing what she's doing.

 

[kristimarie8799]

According to the breeder she has never had a chin become pregnant at that age. What I found online says "At the age of 8-10 weeks, male chinchillas can breed. 6-8 months is the fertile period for females" I've seen that a lot. I don't want to risk it though. I would consider buying from another breeder but I am pretty attached to these guys. Plus she told me she originally wanted to breed them anyway. She even admitted the prices were a little high on them in the hopes that they wouldn't sell so she could keep them.

I don't want to back out a day before I am supposed to pick them up and I don't want them to be stuck somewhere that they might be just used for breeding. I would rather give them both homes that they can be loved in. My cousin is an exotic vet so we will have her check them both out and if (and I really hope she isn't) the girl is pregnant then we are fully prepared to research and do the best to take care of her. I wouldn't feel right if I left either of them with someone who apparently doesn't know as much as she claims she does.

I may be a new owner but I'm willing to do my research and provide for them so they don't have to live in a basement being over bred.