Neutered ?

[grace]

Question... I had (have) purchased a male and female Hetero Ebony Couple (That were to be so very sweet, NEVER BITES ! From a breeder (wrong) - Guess I will save that question for tomorrow.... (They are beautiful).
Anyway... I also purchased 2 standerds (sp?) males, off of craigs list - SUCH JOY !!! Super friendly ! Jump into your hands friendly ! So, my question, just curious, how can I tell if they are neutered ? I would never seperate them, just interested as how to tell ? Shy Smiles, Grace

 

[Ristarwen]

As chinchilla neutering is not a very common practice, I would assume that they are not neutered.

Multiple males in a cage with a female, neutered or not, will most likely fight to the death over the female.

Also, if you are not an experienced breeder and/or do not know the genetic history of your ebony pair, I would separate your male and female and introduce the male to the other two male standards. If you have a mixed pair, babies will result.

 

[Rickman]

Totally agree with the above - some very good advise!!

 

[grace]

Thank You,
Guess I did not make myself clear - The two hetro Ebonys (Quite Beautiful, Although A bit of an attitude Do Quite well together - I can "scratch/rub" their heads, No problem - They just do NOT wish to be picked up !!! Genetic Background on the female, her papers are from "Chenlouchins" out of Oklahoma - The Male, From "Sharp Chinchillas", Bedford TX -
The two standard Males (DIFFERENT CAGE) are very friendly !(No Papers, No Idea on background, that is fine ! That is why I was wondering if they were neutered (They are best buddies) And, Yes, When I was looking into adopting chins, 2 Out of 4 places said their males were neutered (The woman I purchased these "kids" from did not know If they were neutered or not (She had only had them for a year (Poor Kids... Going from home to home ... This will be their forever home !) Thank You For Your Info, Sincerely, Grace

 

[Lynn & The Chins]

Depending on their age, their testicles may not yet be visible. One of the ways you can tell is if they are sitting on a shelf, see if their LPCBs (my polite abbreviation for Little Pink Chin Balls :thumbsup: )are hanging down. Chinchillas have the ability to carry them in their abdomen, and then when they are relaxed, they drop down and are visible.

While it is true that it is not a common practice to neuter males, it can be done. It should be done only by an experienced Exotic Vet with chinchilla experience. I have had 3 males successfully neutered, with only mild complications.

 

[Riven]

Grace, it seemed clear to me that you had them in two pairs... there for two cages.

I'm not sure how you got the average of 2 out of 4, that must have been immense luck. They are probably not neutered as it is not common practice, and usually expensive compared to the price of a chin, ending in little or no return for a breeder. Ex. Chin price $125 - neuter $70 ( or easily more! ) give you $55 profit, not to mention any losses, because a surgery is a surgery, care, cost of medications, handfeeding if needed, etc.

There is probably little chance that if for some odd reason you had a neutered male in with a male and a female, they would fight over the female because the neutered male would have no desire to breed the female, removing the testicle more often than not, results in removing the testosterone, which causes the desire to breed and well act manly. That's why neutered most often solves territorial issues because they are territorial over breeding area, even if there are not females present. In the same way an adult male usually does not fight with a youth even if it's a male because it is not a current threat to taking over it's territory. Obviously a new female in the territory would be a plus.

 

[grace]

Thank You Lynn & The Chins And Riven,
I Really appreciate the information the both of you sent - I am learning. And, Lynn ... Thank You for being polite - and I will look for LPCBs
Grins....... Grace

 

[GrenLeaf]

I have a neutered beige. He was neutered by the rescue I adopted him from. His LPCBs are completely gone. Looks like a girl, save for the spacing issue between the cone and poo factory. Interesting enough he still gets frisky with his fleece chin buddy, which I thought his desire would be gone due to neutering. He also spent a good deal of time chirping at our girl, Sybil. She has since been moved for stress reasons.

Sex was verified through hair ring check (and boy was he mad).

Good luck.

 

[Rickman]

If I had a doubt, I think I'd ask a vet - especially if there's no visable scar!!
Better safe than sorry!!