Palpating and possible pregnancy help

[Becky]

Chins don't nest. Heck, most of mine move the wood chips out of the way and have the babies on the bare metal pan.

 

[LemonSqueezi]

Here is a picture of her and her daughter. Was taken the same hour I took that other pic. She isn't just laying around lethargic she hops around and all, I just took a shot of that cause she looks so sweet and she let me pet her head and closed her eyes cause she liked it. She LOVES being pet.

 

[LemonSqueezi]

Hi Becky... I don't mean nesting like a bird or a hamster, but the last chin I had here who gave birth we gave a box and paper towels to and she tore them up real fast and made a big next in the corner. I only have to go by so I figured I would do the same for this one. Now I know why she isn't shredding them
Like I said I don't do the breeding and baby thing Thanks for the info

 

[LemonSqueezi]

sorry just realized I am not making much sense or spelling correctly.... I need to hit the sack.

 

[starleomach]

You have to keep in mind we are going off the bits and peices you give us and in the one photo we had she looked off..if that makes sense. Yes many females buckle down right before birth. I keep mine in colony cages and they live in the top half...but shortly before (maybe a day or two before) they start hanging out at the bottom. I find no matter what cage they tend to give birth in the back left corner. just an observation here. and please keep in mind we are trying to help..getting Deffensive will just get this going in the wrong direction. People here try to help and sometimes details are left out...

 

[RDZCRanch]

I agree...try not to get too defensive. People on this board can't read your mind and don't know all the nuances of your chinchilla's behavior until you tell them.

I wouldn't be jumping the gun on whether or not she's pregnant and I wouldn't give her "nesting" material. Chinchillas are not like rabbits, they do not require a nest or feel an instinct to make one. Rabbits will pull their own fur out to make a nest for babies and pile hay and bedding into whatever they choose as the nest box. Chinchillas do not exhibit this behavior. They "nest" whether they are pregnant or not when given boxes because they are animals that live in burrows. It is instinct to make a "burrow" when given a hidey house.

 

[Godins Chinchillas]

I'd have to agree. You are getting awefully defensive for absolutely no reason. You posted a picture of behavior that is not typically seen in a chinchilla that is in a new environment. ****, I went back and showed hubby (a vet) the picture and he thought the same thing. Maybe if you posted the other pic as well I wouldn't of written anything.

 

[Claire D]

Yes-you can feel organs when palpating. If you know what you are doing you can feel intestines, liver, stomach, kidneys, and bladder-and yes babies if they are far enough along. You can easily confuse a small fetus with a full bladder.

Pardon me for quoting you but I wanted to highlight the key to this post so that it is very clear to inexperienced chinchilla owners.
The majority of chinchilla keepers will have little or no clue about what they are feeling - even some vets can't differentiate between the organs!

 

[LemonSqueezi]

I'm sorry but why would I not jump to the conclusion she is pregnant. 1, she was housed with a male, 2 she is huge and hard, 3 I felt movement over three times now with her sitting dead still. She IS pregnant. There is no doubt.
I only got defensive when people started acting like I was some monster squeezing and poking at her every minute. Maybe I should say don't jump to the conclusion that I am an idiot. Not for nothing but some people really need to learn how to give advice with out being rude of offensive if you don't want people to become defensive. I do appreciate those who have helped though.
Also I have read both on here and other sites that laying on their side is very typical when pregnant and towards the end of the pregnancy no?

 

[mishellyshel]

it is very difficult in a forum, on email, or especially texting to define a tone or inflection.
sometimes you just have to realize this and move on without further adding comments about people being rude, AFTER they explained that they were not. take a deep breath.

i think you are doing the right thing to have her on pregnancy watch, sounds like you are going to have some little ones in the near future. since this is your first venture into birthing & babies, i would be inclined to follow the advice here ongoing from those with experience. and have fun & enjoy. life is too short. i am keeping my fingers crossed that there are no complications.

 

[LemonSqueezi]

Yes the one person explained they weren't trying but the other one was who I was referring to and who I got offended by. You are right it is hard to read tone, but its not hard to read accusations. I got defensive of that and feel I had the right to. Sorry to get off topic.. I was trying to move on and still am but it keeps getting brought up.... So lets move on...

This is NOT my first birthing experience and I really wish people would read everything before they reply. Not trying to be rude but don't see how someone thinks they are helping with out reading the entire deal.
I'll say it again, I have had kits here before and just in case anyone is wondering I have syringes and supplemental formula just in case. We are after all a rescue and do know what to do. The person who runs it is more familiar with everything then me but I am educated for the most part, just not as much with breeding etc. She is always there in a heart beat as is the vet if I need them. I did want to get breeders opinions etc as they are more familiar with this then anyone of us.
Question,
Is the box not a good idea? I know shelves are supposed to be taken out so that the mother cannot neglect the babies. Is the box just basically another way to escape them and neglect ? Should I take it out?

 

[Godins Chinchillas]

This is NOT my first birthing experience and I really wish people would read everything before they reply. Not trying to be rude but don't see how someone thinks they are helping with out reading the entire deal.
I'll say it again, I have had kits here before and just in case anyone is wondering I have syringes and supplemental formula just in case. We are after all a rescue and do know what to do.

Question,
Is the box not a good idea? I know shelves are supposed to be taken out so that the mother cannot neglect the babies. Is the box just basically another way to escape them and neglect ? Should I take it out?

Answer:

Do what you feel is right. You've posted you've had kits before-if it worked then then why change things.

 

[LemonSqueezi]

Thanks Godins, you have helped SOOOOOOOOOOOO much... really...:clap::bow:

Anyway thank you to those who have helped and also pmed. I do truly appreciate it. I'll continue in pms if I need further guidance or advice.
The thread can be closed, no point to be open anymore.

 

[tunes]

LemonSqueezi - You've gotten advice from people who have had many, many litters before, and yet you know more than they do. You get defensive when they give you good advice. You don't even know that chins don't nest, but when someone tells you not to palpate in case you injure the kits, you get angry. I've been breeding for 9 years and I don't palpate. Why do you feel compelled to?

You talk out of both sides of your mouth and your attempt at sarcasm directed at Jessica is childish. If you don't want to know the answer to the question you ask, from people with actual experience not just one or two litters by bad luck through a rescue, then it's simple - don't ask.

BTW, in regards to yet another defensive remark, my chins look just fine pregnant. They don't look off or sickly. They look pregnant - you know - weight gain? That's it. They don't lay on their sides like they want to die.

With that, I'll close the thread, at the OPs request.