Just got my first chins and my female is pregnant?

[mermaid]

I've been researching chins for awhile now and finally about 2 weeks ago I got my first!

I got them together as a bonded pair. I have a standard gray male (Chichi) and a black velvet female (Coco). I had met them and agreed to get them and then the girl giving them to me told me she believed the female was pregnant. She is quite chunky, lays on her side often, and I believe I have felt the kits moving around in her tummy. I haven't really an idea when she's due.

I've been looking around this forum and becoming increasingly scared about this pregnancy. I have basic knowledge about these things but the more I scroll through here to more nervous I become about this situation. I want mama and the babies to all turn out ok.

So I was wondering, is there any just absolutely vital advise you would give to someone in my situation? Like I said I'm a very new chin owner and while I believe I have been taking care of them very well I'm just not quite sure what to do or expect when Coco's kits come.

Thank you so much for any and all advise or comments you can give me! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it <3

 

[tunes]

Females are fairly self-sufficient when it comes to having kits. Bad things do happen, but it's certainly not with every litter. Read through the FAQ's regarding kit care and reasons to breed. Make sure you have a kit safe cage (openings no larger than 1/2 x 1 inch), and wait it out.

I would suggest pulling the male to prevent a breedback. I would also suggest reading through the various forums as to WHY to breed. Do you plan to attend shows or have an experienced judge/breeder as a mentor? Just breeding to create fuzzy babies is fun, but it's not a great way to go about being a breeder.

If you have never owned chins before, I would leave the male and female apart for a while and get to know the animals themselves before you decide to continue breeding them. It's not a great idea to jump right into breeding with animals you know nothing about. Give yourself time to get to know them, their quirks, their needs.

Congrats on your new chins and welcome to the forum.

 

[Jenn]

The male needs to be separated from the female, as stated above. They either need to stay permanently separated, or the male should probably be fixed to avoid any future pregnancies if you want to keep them as a bonded pair.

 

[scamperlittletika]

im sure everything will be fine! chins have been giving birth since forever. just read the FAQs and I think a lot of people on here always post about horror stories instead of happy stories. birth isnt scary

 

[JennyBug]

While most pregnancies end well, you can't be certain. You did the right thing by asking for help in advance in case the worst happens.

Do you know any background info on these chins? Could they be brother and sister? If it's a possibility, I wouldn't let them breed again - you don't want that genetic mess happening to you. People above stated that removing the male is a good idea, and a better idea is to do it NOW. If you can feel kits moving around and she is displaying signs of being far along, you want to take him out NOW - not tomorrow, not next week, NOW. Chinchillas can actually get pregnant again BEFORE they give birth, and they can definitely get pregnant immediately following birth (i.e. baby comes out, male starts pursuing for another go at breeding). I know that since they're bonded it seems cruel, but especially if you don't know much about their backgrounds, you just don't want to put yourself through the heartache of unhealthy kits or a hurting momma chin.

Good job seeking out information! I know that sometimes it seems as though people focus on the negatives of breeding, but it's best to think of it this way: if this is your beloved pet who doesn't really need to have babies, why would you put her through the risk of having something go wrong during the pregnancy? This first pregnancy is clearly not your choice, but you do have a choice in future litters. Take Peggy's advice - read up on good reasons to breed if you wish to continue doing so. If you're just trying to get through this litter and don't want anymore, be ready in case something goes wrong. Have a vet on standby, or have the number of an experienced breeder who can talk you through things in case something goes awry. If you choose to neuter the male, please note that there is a time period after neutering where the male can still get the female pregnant, so be sure to keep them separated for a little while after his procedure!

Best of luck to you, and pictures are law on this forum! Make sure we get to see the itsy-bitsies when they arrive!!

Welcome!!

 

[mermaid]

Thank you so much for the help and advice! I thought mom was getting close so I separated her from dad and that very night, June 25 at 2:00 a.m. baby was born! ;D I'm pretty sure he's a male, but this is my first time sexing a chin so I would like to post some pictures soon :] They're on a different computer atm. He came out standard gray like his daddy :] He's almost 3 weeks old now, since I'm iffy about my gender determination skills he doesn't have a name yet, but my family has lovingly dubbed him 'Dinkers' for now lol. He's also sometimes affectionately referred to as Dink and Little D, or Dinker G by my dad, because he likes to tease me that he's a gerbil

 

[mishellyshel]

welcome, congrats, & good luck!

looking forward to pix.

 

[VolunteerChin22]

Glad everything went ok. If you removed the male that night you need to mark your calendar for 111 days in case she bred back. Males should be removed days before the female delivers because they go into heat prior to delivery, through delivery and right after delivery.
ETA: there are very clear sexing photos at the top of this section to compare your baby to

 

[mermaid]

Glad everything went ok. If you removed the male that night you need to mark your calendar for 111 days in case she bred back. Males should be removed days before the female delivers because they go into heat prior to delivery, through delivery and right after delivery.
ETA: there are very clear sexing photos at the top of this section to compare your baby to

Yeah, I would've removed him sooner if I had known when it was going to happen. I really hope nothing like that happened. I'll look for those pictures thanks very much