i have a question...

[lin18lou]

ok...i have two chins so far, but i hope to have a family one day. one of them i've had for about 3yrs now and i've always wanted to get a male(preferrably a pink white male) to breed with her, but i only want to breed her once and then i want her to be spayed. i have a huge cage area for her and i wanted to get her kit(s) fixed too when they became of age and keep them together. i adopted another chin about a few weeks ago because the owner couldn't keep "him". "he" is a standard gray and she is a hetero ebony(i think, i'm not too good on colors). well, he was given to me cause the previous owner knew i would give "him" a good home. but i started looking at "him" and i believe he is a she, lol. so, is it possible if i were to find a male and breed my first one and keep only one of the kits and get all of them fixed could i keep them all together, provided that they all get along. that would give me 4 chins in one very large cage...

 

[tunes]

Three years and up is a late age to be starting a female into breeding. Odds are she won't breed for you anyway, but if she did, and if she had kits safely, you don't "fix" females.

Spaying a female chin is a very invasive procedure and there are many chins who don't survive it. They don't do well under anesthesia and frequently stop eating, lose weight, go into shock, and die afterwards. You never perform a spay on a female unless it is absolutely medically necessary.

IF you were going to neuter one of the pair, you would castrate the male.

You need to read through the breeding section. There is a ton that can go wrong with breeding chins. Your male could kill your female, your female could kill your male. It sounds as though you have no information on either of them, which means you could be breeding malo or fur chewing carriers.

This is just not a good situation. If you want to have a baby chin, buy one. If you want a second chin for your female, get her a female friend. Be aware though, that male or female, there is absolutely NO guarantee that your chin will accept ANY new cagemate. She's been alone a long time and females are notoriously territorial.

I would strongly encourage you to just keep your female either by herself, buy a baby chin if that's what you want (8 weeks or older), and try and intro them. If that doesn't work, you'll just have two chins in two separate cages.

 

[RDZCRanch]

I agree with everything Tunes said.

 

[chinchillalover0927]

yes,
id def wait to even think about breeding because there are many basic things that you were not even aware of which really isnt your fault..im glad you came here to learn its a great place when you need advice and help

 

[lin18lou]

about two weeks ago i finally put my new chin(the one i adopted) with my first one for good after keeping her away til i had her checked by the vet and made sure she was a she and they get along perfectly...i'm just asking questions right now, but i have wanted my first chin to have a family. when i got her she was 9wks old and alone.

 

[RDZCRanch]

Courtney, I think it's great that you want to help, but until you learn enough to give advice I think it would be best to refrain from posting advice in the breeding section. It's a very delicate subject that should be left to the experienced members to answer. You can learn a lot from reading our responses.

To the OP, I'm going to reiterate what Tunes has told you but add a bit more. She's touched on everything and her advice is the best you will get.

If you want to breed your female to get a baby, you are risking that female dying. If you truly love her and want her to be your precious pet, just let her live the spoiled pet life. She has a good 10 more years with you as long as she receives the proper care, why does she HAVE to have a "chinchilla family"?

She is also older, as Tunes pointed out. This increases the risk for birth defects and complications. The older the female, the less likely she is to produce milk and the less likely she is to pass a live kit safely. It is NOT a good idea to breed her so I would not look for a male, if you want a baby talk to a breeder in your area and adopt a young female.

 

[Linda]

She is also older, as Tunes pointed out. This increases the risk for birth defects and complications. The older the female, the less likely she is to produce milk and the less likely she is to pass a live kit safely.

I have not heard of an increase in birth defects if a chin doesn't start having kits until three years of age. And I wouldn't think milk production would be lessened at three. That seems to be quite a young age given their lifespan. Is there research I can read on this? If I'm not mistaken, people try to sell breeding females who are not proven and are about this age in the sales section, and this should be cautioned more strongly if there is research to back up the birth defects and milk production problem. I'd be interesting in knowing what kinds of birth defects you would be likely to see too.

Linda

 

[RDZCRanch]

I have not heard of an increase in birth defects if a chin doesn't start having kits until three years of age. And I wouldn't think milk production would be lessened at three. That seems to be quite a young age given their lifespan. Is there research I can read on this? If I'm not mistaken, people try to sell breeding females who are not proven and are about this age in the sales section, and this should be cautioned more strongly if there is research to back up the birth defects and milk production problem. I'd be interesting in knowing what kinds of birth defects you would be likely to see too.

Linda

The majority of what we have as "proof" is heresay from ranchers. Birth defects are generally just stillborn kits...I don't think many people have opened them up to try and figure out the why of those babies not being born alive. Some could be stuck in the birth canal, some could have actual birth defects. Maybe using those two words in conjunction with each other doesn't express what I was meaning.

Older females tend to have difficulty giving birth as they get older. This could also contribute to the stillborn kits. Because of the birth complications it can interfere with the females hormone production which usually comes with a healthy birth and contributes to milk production.

Even though chinchillas have a lifespan their breeding ability is still limited by the number of eggs predetermined at their birth, just like humans. Since chinchillas go into heat so often and usually ovulate enough to produce litters of multiple kits, their reservoir is tapped out earlier in their lives.

Also keep in mind that this is general. There are some chins that are an exception to the rule, but they are few and far between. It is not worth risking the chinchilla's health to breed for the first time past three years of age. Three years is pushing it. You'll also notice if those chins are for sale in the classified as unproven 3yr+ they do not go to breeding homes or are not purchased by reputable breeders unless they are part of a "package" which would result in that female being petted out unless she is exceptional quality.

 

[mishalaa]

As Tab said, it's not so much birth defects as it is stillborns, mummified kits, smaller litters, birthing complications, and lessened or non-existent milk production. Generally, if they haven't had a litter by two years of age, they won't. Those that do... just tend to have problems. Again, it's just hearsay, and no one's really interested in the why so long as younger females are available to replace them.

Even though their lifespan is 15-20 years, they are still a prey animal, built to live fast and breed young. At 3 years old, they're spinsters.

 

[brenda]

Many times if a female hasn't gotten pregnant before the age of two, she won't - due to the reasons stated. For whatever reason, they don't ovulate, hormones aren't right, whatever. I don't know about research as to why, but as a breeder, I know that is generally what happens.

 

[VolunteerChin22]

So there are two females together now? Just trying to follow the topic here.

Lin I am in Nashville if you have any questions I would be glad to help. There is also a chin meeting in Knoxville this weekend if you would like to come and learn - details are in the "Shows" section for the ECBC Southern Unit Meeting