New chinnie!

[Amethyst]

I'm not sure why it has to be 1/2" x 1" is needed, I had no issue with 1/2" x 6" when I had a 'male' surprise me and give birth to two kits when I was a kid. Also people use Critter Nations with no issues as breeding/baby cages, and those bars are 1/2" x 4".

As to signs of labor someone else will have to help on that one, but from what I've read it varies from chin to chin, some show signs others don't.

 

[lilchilla21]

As Amethyst said it varies from chincto chin.
If she is in fact preg you will notice an increase in appetite (since you dont know her well but you have other chins you know the "normal amout" a chinchilla should eat and can try and compare) and at the end of pregnancy a decrease of apetite.
Some chinchillas lie down on their side because the babies wont let them rest properly.
If she does this you may be able to see the babies move. Some times is like a little wave and other times you can see kicks.
if she let you touch her (and do this gently) her tummy should be hard and you may fell the babies.
In the nigth before the delivery se may not eat at all (some of my more experienced mothers do eat little amounts) and stay in the bottom of the cage.
Sometimes you can see they are tense.

Hope it helped and once again sorry but english is not my first language

 

[Godofgods]

I still have no clue on what to name her. I'm actually thinking Jethro (after Jethro Gibbs on NCIS, my sister suggested it and it's kinda cute)

I was just looking up shirts and jackets of ncis the other day for my grandmom lol.

my dad and I are going to put her in the other chins' carrier and try to weld/sauter some wire to make the spacing closer to 1/2" x 1". No guarantees it'll work, but it's our only other option.

If you have a kit, you can always try chicken wire. I never have tried it myself, but many ppl have mentioned it. You just attach the chicken wire to the inside of the bars (outside can still cause problems). When they grow big enough you can take it down.

Anyway, are there any for sure signs of labor I should be looking for? I want to know just in case she is pregnant.

Haven't had to think about that since around 09 maybe. Cant believe its been that long. The only thing i clearly remember looking for was my chin gather up bedding to make a little nest like thing. There is also the obvious like weight gain/eating more then normal, and if you can feel them in her. - Ironic for me too. When i took in the female Sophie, i found out when i got there to pick her up that she was caged with another male. So i was on watch for pregnancy as well. And she showed every sign of pregnancy that i had read about. And it turned out she wasn't pregnant in the end. Then when Houdini came along, she showed NO signs of pregnancy then all of a sudden i find a baby chin under my fridge. - So signs are great to look for, but not 100%

I have done extensive research (even before getting her) about breeding and all that because I do want to breed my other girl, Willow (yes she is pedigreed and show-quality. I have talked it over with the breeder I got her from, and she supports my decisions as long as I attend a show this spring BEFORE breeding - which I planned to do anyway)

Just think it through. Kits can be a challenge to raise. And there are a number of things that can go wrong during and after pregnancy. If such things happen, you could be looking at some high cost vet bills, not to mention what happens to the chins themselves. So its definitely something you want to make sure your as fully prepared for as u can be. - I raised one kit fully unprepared, and two more after him, semi prepared. Ashamed to know that its a miracle that two of them survived.

It doesn't matter how much research you do, it's always nice (and better in my opinion) to get people's personal experiences/opinions/knowledge.

My personal opinion is that im not to fond of ppl breeding. And i know a lot of ppl on here disagree with me. But ive never liked the idea of purposefully bringing new lives into the world when so many are out there in need of a home already.

That being said, i know i mentioned my kits. They were all accidents. I did not intend for them. But i never new momma chin was pregnant, and i only found out after i found Houdini under the fridge. By which time she was already pregnant again. So that was all unintentional.
(Granted i should have realized that when i put a male and female together. I guess i was preoccupied with my work injury and the high lvl of pain back at that time. Not a real reason; I know its still my fault. Still annoyed that my mind didn't realize something so obvious.)
I guess thats part of the reason i spent so much time after that learning all i can about my chins. (I had never even HEARD of a chin before my brother showed up at my door with one in hand asking my to watch him. Seven years later; chico is mine and he aint going anywhere lol)

 

[nikkik0720]

I have thought breeding through many times. I definitely will be breeding Willow next summer. I know there is a chance that I may lose her (and the kit(s)), and there's a chance I may have to hand raise if she rejects them or anything. I've talked to 2 local vets who both are very chin-experienced and they both are always on call and would be willing to do anything they had to for my chins (god forbid something happen). But that's a whole other story/discussion (about me breeding)

Currently, "the new chin" isn't eating anything but wood chews. As I said, she was being fed treat-filled food at the store, so I think she is hoping she'll get that. I know she'll eat when she gets hungry enough, but I still am going to worry. She has taken a few oats out of my hands and eaten them, but I don't want to give her much besides hay and pellets because 1)the stress of adjusting to a new home is bad enough 2)adjusting to a new pellet cold turkey is risky 3)if she is pregnant, I definitely don't want to risk any sort of gastric upset.

Amethyst, that was my thought on cage bars. The bars are super stiff (not flimsy like some others) so they are not easily pulled/pushed apart. As long as the bar spacing is 1/2", I think it'll be okay. My dad and I tried to add more bars to it to reduce spacing to 1/2" x 1", but the weld/sauder just wont hold no matter what.

Anyway, as for names, I think I've narrowed it down to Jethro and Lilo.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Go to t he hardware store and purchase some 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch hardware cloth. Use it to line the inside of the cage. If you put it on the outside, the kits can get stuck between the hardware cloth and the cage wires. Make sure to line the top of the cage, too. It can be attached with zip ties and you can remove it later if you want. If you do this, you will not need to worry about whether they are small enough to escape.

 

[nikkik0720]

Cuddlebug, the problem is, I don't have the money. It's ridiculously expensive, and the money I do have is put back for emergency surgery (god forbid it be needed) only. I do not need the lecture on having a lot of money set back. I have just enough to cover an emergency c-section/spay and even that my vet is cutting me a huge break on.

 

[Stackie]

I'll be the blunt one and say if you don't have the money to baby safe a cage and have proper supplies for breeding (especially for something as cheap as chicken wire), you shouldn't be buying possibly pregnant chins or breeding chins. What happens if you have multiple chins get sick and you already used up that emergency fund on someone else?

Also please stop telling people not to lecture you. This is a forum dedicated to the care of chins and if something alarming or wrong is noticed, expect people to say something. Self policing is against forum rules.

 

[Smidgeyy]

Chicken wire is not that expensive... I bought some for one of my cages.

That's really the only way you can baby proof the cage bars safely. I'm agreeing with Stackie. You need to be prepared before taking in a chin, whether they are possibly pregnant or not. An unsafe cage can kill a kit, so you need to get that taken care of.

 

[Narcissus]

Chicken wire can still have holes that are to big. It needs to be hardware cloth.

 

[Smidgeyy]

^I bought 1/2 in by 1/2 in chicken wire, that's why I suggested it.

 

[Narcissus]

I was thinking actual chicken wire, which has good sized holes in it.

 

[Smidgeyy]

^Oh, that was the first time I've ever seen chicken wire so I know nothing about it, other than I found some small enough. It's all the same to me. Lol.

 

[Cuddlebug]

I have bought a roll of 1/2 inch x 1/2 hardware cloth for around $30 or $40. It is well worth the money and you can remove it and reuse it if you need to.

 

[e.murphy518]

Please listen to this!

I'll be the blunt one and say if you don't have the money to baby safe a cage and have proper supplies for breeding (especially for something as cheap as chicken wire), you shouldn't be buying possibly pregnant chins or breeding chins. What happens if you have multiple chins get sick and you already used up that emergency fund on someone else?

Also please stop telling people not to lecture you. This is a forum dedicated to the care of chins and if something alarming or wrong is noticed, expect people to say something. Self policing is against forum rules.

I am not saying this to try to bully you, or anything like that. The people on this forum only have the best interest of chins in mind, and they sometimes come off as "lecturing" or may seem "blunt" but that is mainly because many of them have seen first hand or read posts about the disasters that can occur when people do not take good advice. There are many people who, like yourself, feel that they have done the proper research and believe that they have their chins' best interests in mind.

This is just reality: if you do not have the money to simply purchase CHICKEN WIRE which is not particularly expensive, you do not have the funds to be breeding chinchillas. I would absolutely not consider breeding, although I do feel fairly knowledgeable about it, because I do not have the funds to set aside, and I am someone who has spent thousands of dollars on my current set ups.

What if you end up needing all of your emergency fund for a c-section and spay, but there are complications and your female needs more visits? What if one of your other chinchillas breaks a leg? What if your pet store chinchilla ends up being a malo chin and needs regular filings? I went through that with one chin and it is NOT cheap. Once your emergency fund is gone, you will still have all of these chinchillas, which may need expensive veterinary care.

I know kits are adorable and the process of your beloved chin making more chins is tempting, but it is irresponsible to breed when you cannot even afford to baby proof a single cage for a possible baby.

 

[david]

I would get one of the wooden sleeping boxes , that's what I always used . My first chin gave birth while she was out and had her kits in the back of the closet ( scared the **** out of me ) keeps lots of orchard grass in the sleeping or hide away box so she can make a nest . if she is pregnant she will start top pull some fur from her bell to make a nest then you watch . I was able to feel the kits in her belly too. hope this help . she looks like she is between 2-4 yrs old