Newborn babies & mothers

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If 2 chinchillas have babies a day apart, is there usually a risk to the babies to have them in the same area? Meaning if introduced or reintroduced slowly to the father the various other cage mates and other mother & babies? If initially everyone seems to get along well. i am really eager to find out.

Sincerely,

Lori

 

[Chinniechantel]

I don't understand the question. You have 2 moms who had babies around the same time. Was the dad the same for both of them? Are the moms in separate cages or together? Were they ever together? If so, when did you separate them?

 

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Newborn Babies & Mothers

clarification for the first thread :

All 4 chins loved each other & before the babies came. they were all housed together. They were also all there in the same cage for the first delivery of the first two. Everyone including the babies, seemed fine with each other. Then low and behold another baby, (same father) from another mother was born. Again all in the same cage/area. All the chins seemed fine with everything. I left town for a night, and had a girlfriend stay over to keep watch on the chins. The next morning I was informed that the smallest chin ( the last one born ) did not make it. The poor little thing was obviously attacked & killed. i am just looking for answer to prevent anything like this from ever happening again. Thanks again for any insight into this matter.

Sincerely,

Lori:hmm:

 

[addictedtochins]

I'm sorry for the loss of your kit. May he RIP over the rainbow bridge.
You need to get the male(s) away from the females. You have 4--1 male and 2 females, what is the last chin? Boy or girl? You probably have bred back the females so be prepared for more kits. Do you have kit safe cages? I would def. get that mom with kits in her own kit safe cage.

 

[PaperMoon]

I'm sorry about the baby =(

Yes, I'd separate the male from the females. From what I know, letting the females get pregnant right after a pregnancy (breed back) is quite stressful for the mom.

Like the addictedchins said, you should put the mom in a baby safe cage with the kits so the kits don't get hurt....also, you should prepare things like apple/cranberry juice just for the mom and other preggo mom things that you should do just in case

good luck on the babies, can't wait to see pics!

 

[Rickman]

I've currently trios [1 male and 2 females] that usually birth within 2 weeks of one another, without problems. I've not tried quads, but I usually pull the male out for about a month total, to prevent immediate breedback. A large enough cage is mandatory, as 4 adults alone should have about 2 cubic ft. per chin, and with 3 kits running around, could feel cramped with less room! [unless in runs]
The death of the smaller one could have been the result of the other kits in a "sibling rivalry" situation, the male trying to breedback, or the 3rd female having been suckled while dry, and bitten.
I'd remove the mom and kits, giving them some alone and growing time, and re-introduce the female after weaning.

 

[chin-nw]

For future reference, males should be removed within 12 hours of birth, for at least 72 hours. This helps prevent breed back, which can be hard on the mom. IMO, you should remove the male. Although he has probably already impregnated one or both moms by now. And separate the two moms. Give each mom and kits their own space. One mom can kill another mom's kits. I know some breeders will disagree but I personally do not do trios or quads for this reason.

 

[Chinniechantel]

Males need to be removed immediately after birth, they can get her pregnant within minutes. I remove the male when I start feeling the babies kicking, or can definitely tell she is pregnant. I don't risk breedbacks, I really really hate breedbacks and think it does really hurt the chin if not leave permanant damage.

 

[starleomach]

It is my understanding (through a phone call) the male is nuetered now and the pregnancies happened before his nuetering. I have colonies so 12 male to several females (between 2-4) I do not normally have any issues at all. On ocasion I have had females attack the other females, the male is normally gone for a few days at least. But when in doubt I separate. You should always try to have emergency cages for situations. They can be small, if you have males and females together all cages should be baby safe.

 

[tunes]

Just want to point something out quick - A male can impregnate a female while she's pregnant, not just for 72 hours after. Just removing them after the kits are born doesn't guarantee against a breedback. Technically to avoid a breedback you would need to remove the male several days before the birth, and leave him at least 10 days after the birth. You still have a semi-breedback situation though, as the female has her regular cycle after that so can get pregnant immediately again.

Since no one can accurately predict when a birth will occur, it's a crapshoot as to whether you get them out fast enough.

 

[Rickman]

I don't know, [why I"m asking] but does the male realize he's shooting blanks? Does he still "go for it"?
I've had a couple kits get trampled over the years, that's another reason to seperate! Seems like their drive is so strong, they don't care what's in the way!
Does neutering stop "the drive," is what I guess I'm asking?

 

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Thank you all for your feedback.
I neglected to mention, that the father (Persnickety) was neutered along with Periciles, aka "Perky" (a black velvet dwarf) . So the babies were a bit of a surprise.
Persephonie (the mother who lost her kit) was from a pet store. The store had only an approximation for how old she was. I thought she was 3 months old. My mistake, obviously she was not too young to become a mom.
Priscilla has not been impregnated (she is the youngest girl). She would have only been 2 months old at the time.
Persnickety is a fast worker. With Petunia ( the other mom ) aka "The big Tuna", I knew there was a small window right before the neutering took place.
And voila!
So I guess my next question is "which one is the more likely candidate, to have killed the kit?
This death was no sibling rivalry. The kits were only 3 and 2 days old.
All the chins got along.
After the neutering they started to brutalized Perky. Because he was a dwarf? Maybe because his scent changed after neutering? Or because he was going blind?
I separated Perky from the others.
It was really unfortunate that somehow Perkys cage door was left open the day after the last kit was born.
The Tuna injured him so severely, this time he did not make it.
He was the sweetest of all & would not have hurt anyone.
This behavior is heartbreaking, but I understand it is animal instinctual behavior.
The big Tuna & her kits are together without any other chins in a kit proof cage.
Can I allow the father back in the same area with the mom & kits now.
Or should I wait a month?
Is Persephonie perhaps going to experience any depression, due to the lose of her kit?
Can dwarf chinchillas be housed with regular chinchillas?
Just trying to avoid anymore heartache for awhile.
Thanks again for all your guidance.

Sincerely,

Lori

 

[addictedtochins]

I have colonies so 12 male to several females (between 2-4)

I am pretty sure she meant 1 male not 12 males

 

[Rickman]

Since the female who lost was so young, and there is no knowledge of the father, maybe that was for the best.
It could very well have been the male, as a strange odor [from the other father] would have tripped a reaction! I know that happens with big cats, but would be a strange scent to a chin.
Females loose kits, and I've never seen a depression due to it!
Sorry for your losses, but looks like you've got it pretty much covered until it's time to wean!

 

[Chinniechantel]

2 day old kits can very easily kill one another. Just a though. And I would keep the dad away for at least a month, the mom really needs a break, breed backs can kill.

 

[Anne-Lise]

2 day old kits can very easily kill one another. Just a though. And I would keep the dad away for at least a month, the mom really needs a break, breed backs can kill.

I agree with that, I had 2 days old kits fight very rough before.

 

[starleomach]

I did mean 1 male....typo oooppps...
And Kits that young can and will kill each other. I had one bite through another's nose the day they were born. I am sure it was the other kit that time. they have sharp little teeth

 

[Cuddlebug]

I have had kits fight when they were 3 days old. The loser was the smallest one. The others chewed up the entire left side of his face. I had to rotate kits and supplement him. For a while it didn't look like he was going to make it. Luckily, he was a fighter. He grew up to be a beautiful boy.

 

[ABBY W.]

Yes, I have absolutely had day old kits fight quite viciously. I always remove a mom before delivery and place her in a baby-safe cage alone. Then I keep a close eye on the kits' interactions after birth, if there's more than one, of course. I have seen them fight and injure each other, or the mother. I also highly recommend weighing the babies daily, as sometimes a more dominant kit will not allow a weaker kit to nurse and the smaller kit can drop weight quickly, and even die.

 

[Sooner Chinchillas]

I leave my runs open for 3 days to try for a breedback. (And most of the time I don't get one...) If a female has had several litters in a row or it looks like she needs a break I move her into my pregnancy cages until I feel she is ok to go back into breeding. I have never lost a female because of a breedback.

We do have a colony (1 male to 5-6 females) but we pull everyone out and put them into their own cages after 3 months.