Is she still a baby?

[cbubblyblonde15]

I got my chin Mia from craigslist. She was only 35 dollars and that's the only way my mom would let me get a chin. The people told me she was a boy and that she was 7 or 8 months old. That was about four months ago and she is still the same size. I don't have a scale soni can't weigh her. But when I look at other chinchillas she seems small. I believe I read somewhere about dwarf chinchillas. How big are they? I think she might just be a dwarf because she does not look any bigger than when I got her

 

[lauralynne]

Welcome to the forum!

With chinchillas, there is no way to tell their age unless you have the information directly from the breeder. Some chinchillas are just small naturally. True dwarf is not all that common...but if you can post a picture we can tell you if she's a dwarf or not.

It is a good idea to have a gram scale on hand (you can get them for about $10 at Wal-Mart in the kitchen goods section) and keep regular weights. Often time, a weight decrease is the first indicator of illness.

So you discovered that "he" is in fact a "she"?

 

[Dragonflye]

Here is an older thread (with pictures) that may help:

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6593&highlight=dwarf+chinchillas

You may just have a small chin. Dwarf chins are not very common. They typically have shorter limbs than a normal sized chinchilla in addition to being small. Do you have any pictures?

 

[cbubblyblonde15]

I'll try and figure out how to put pics on, my chinchilla does NOT like to sit still. Lol and yes he turned out to be a she.

 

[cbubblyblonde15]

this is mia. i tried to compare her size by the tissue box but she kept running past. also my camera is terrible

 

[LovinHedgies]

I don't know enough to comment on size but she is cute!!!

 

[Riven]

She really doesn't look that small to me. Are you comparing her to photos you've seen or to actual chins you've seen?

More than size dwarves have very distinct features, often a low brow and flat face, longer back legs/feet and an odd gait, more like a hobble than a smooth gait. I've noticed that they often have curly tails as well.

This is one of my dwarves, note the head and large hind quarters

This is another of my dwarves, when people see her photo she looks like a big blocky chin, but she is in fact about 300 grams, she doesn't look extremely small when you look at her because she is blocky in build, but compared to a normal sized chin, he's significantly smaller.

Some chins achieve their full size by 6-8 months and don't grow after that. Some grow until 2 yrs or more.

 

[starleomach]

She doesn't look like a dwarf to me

 

[cbubblyblonde15]

Yeah I think she is just a small chin. One of my teachers has a chin and it is bigger than mine. Also some chins in pet stores look huge, but I just think they are unhealthy.

 

[Riven]

Also some chins in pet stores look huge, but I just think they are unhealthy.

Can you elaborate on this? Like they are obese or what? Chins generally don't have a problem with obesity.

 

[cbubblyblonde15]

Can you elaborate on this? Like they are obese or what? Chins generally don't have a problem with obesity.

The chins at jacks aquarium are huge just in their general size. They have a big bowl that always has way to much food and I never see any hay. They also live in an aquarium with a lid on it. They kept a male a female chin in there together and they have been in there so long that they female has had two litters. I personally think that those chins are unhealthy