Pregnant Chin Nutrition

[slunder4]

Just wondering what to do different when feeding a pregnant chin. My ladies aren't yet. But Hopefully with in the next six months. My chins are on Oxbow pellets with Timothy hay. I have heard you can supplement with alfalfa hay. Just wondering what else you can add.
Also I have heard of some controversy about the calcium issues. Do all chins need to have access to a calcium source other than there food???
:hmm:

*** And before you harp on me about doing my research and the breeding issues. I would just like to say I know I know I know and I did I did I did*** But thank you for showing your concern for my chins saftey.

 

[Essentia]

If you are feeding a good quality pellet you do not need a separate calcium source. As for alfalfa, I know many breeders that supplement their pregnant females with alfalfa. You should also always leave timothy in the cage as well. Basically, like I said above, if you are feeding a good quality feed you don't have to change much, if anything at all.

***Now, I am not a breeder. This is just what I have heard other breeders say. To the other breeders, if I am wrong on this, please let me know!

 

[RDZCRanch]

You seem to be in a really big hurry to breed. Not too long ago you posted about POSSIBLY getting A female for your male. You already have more than one female? Do you know the background of all the chinchillas you are considering breeding? Have you been to a show or a sanctioned judges facility to have your animals graded and to learn what qualities do and do not make a quality chinchilla?

Knowing what can happen with birth complications is only half of it. There's also the genetics and breeding for quality instead of just slapping the first two chinchillas of different genders you can get together.

That aside, if you've done your research then you'll understand all of the above and more power to you, just make sure you are starting off the correct way.

I don't know of any "calcium controversy" you're talking about unless you're talking about giving excess calcium? Giving too much calcium can have harmful effects so I'd just stick to the chinchilla food unless your chinchillas are showing signs of calcium deficiency (i.e. white teeth). For pregnant or even lactating females I do not supplement with anything extra unless the kits are wearing on the mothers. If this happens the females either get lifeline sprinkled on their pellets or they get my own supplement mix of different kinds of oats, probiotics and other things. Most of my females do perfectly fine without help.

 

[slunder4]

Im not really in a big hurry. We were interested in getting another chinchilla as a pet and decided we may as well look into a good female because we know that in the future we would want more. And our family and friends have expressed interest in them. If we end up selling chins to anyone and it doesn't work out I will be more than happy to take them back and either keep them or find them a different home. We are not trying to start a big chin mill or anything like that. Possibly one maybe two litters for the girls.

And we got two because once we seen pictures of them we couldn't resist. They won't be breeding anytime soon as 1. they are not old enough and 2. We are not ready/equiped to. I know there are a lot of people out there doing it for the wrong reasons and doing it as a make money thing but this is not the case with us. We love our little guys and would not do anything to purposfully harm them or put them in danger. But thank you for your concern. I understand where it is coming from and know you are only trying to be helpfull.

 

[Luci]

We love our little guys and would not do anything to purposfully harm them or put them in danger. QUOTE]

im just gonna reiterate what eroomlorac always says, and say that if you love your chins, it may be best to not even take the risk. you may not be purposefully harming them, but breeding does put them in danger. im not a breeder, i dont plan on ever being a breeder, and i only know whats on these forums. in my honest opinion, if youre doing it just for the sake of having more pets later on in life and sharing chinnie joy with others, then direct them to buying from a breeder. is having more kits worth the possibility that your current beloved pets may be harmed?

i love gizmo and would love for him to have a gf and have little gizmos running around, but id rather focus solely on him and love him for the pet he is instead of wanting more. breeders do what they do with caution and care...and a very strong heart. being aware of the risks is one thing...but ask yourself if the outcome you want is worth those risks.

 

[AZChins]

I have to agree. Think long and hard before you breed. If you want, call me sometime and we will talk about all the problems that have occurred over the years in my herd with mama chins having issues. Most likely you will say to me afterwards, "Why on earth do YOU still breed anyone?" It isn't always easy, things happen and you end up crying in a corner wondering why the **** you even started breeding in the first place. (I know, that sounds overly dramatic, but I swear it is true for us pet breeders.)

As for the food, I use a pellet with a little higher protein...that helps with pregnant or nursing mothers quite a bit. But, honestly, what you would want to do regardless of what you feed is limit the number of litters your female has. A lot of people start out with one or two pairs and overbreed the females. Most females can handle having kits as long as they have a break.

It seems like it isn't necessarily the pregnancy that causes issues to the female - it's the nursing. Nursing kits takes a huge toll on the mamas. They can't go from nursing a litter and then weaning them to having another couple kits to nurse just a month or so later.

 

[Parkerspetchins]

And our family and friends have expressed interest in them. If we end up selling chins to anyone and it doesn't work out I will be more than happy to take them back and either keep them or find them a different home. We are not trying to start a big chin mill or anything like that. Possibly one maybe two litters for the girls.

And we got two because once we seen pictures of them we couldn't resist. They won't be breeding anytime soon as 1. they are not old enough and 2. We are not ready/equiped to. I know there are a lot of people out there doing it for the wrong reasons and doing it as a make money thing but this is not the case with us. We love our little guys and would not do anything to purposfully harm them or put them in danger. But thank you for your concern. I understand where it is coming from and know you are only trying to be helpfull.

I'm only going to post this because it is something that I think a lot of people with the same intent that you have don't understand...I'm going to limit my example to illnesses because I think it is more hard hitting to pet people than fur quality, conformation, etc., while I still think it applies to those qualities as well...Say you are breeding chins that carry malocclusion or other genetic illnesses (not that you are doing so intentionally but because your chins have not been obtained from reputable breeders who are vigilant about trying to keep these illnesses out of the collective chinchilla gene pool) and your chins have one or two litters (say 6 kits altogether). You have now produced 6 possible carriers of the malocclusion gene. Now the people you sell them to say "hey, so and so bred chins, maybe I'll breed mine" so half of these 6 kits are bred and now there are 9 additional possible malo carriers in the world of chins...and so on and so on...You have single handedly introduced potentially hundreds of genetic illness carriers (and maybe some that actually have the illness themselves) because you wanted a couple of litters of cute kits for friends and family. It just doesn't make any sense for anyone to breed chinchillas without having the care and attention to quality that reputable breeders have. Like I said, it is not just producing chinchillas that may have genetic illnesses but also chins that are not the best representatives of their kind which breeders have been trying very hard to adhere to. End rant.

 

[tunes]

I don't change anything about my females diet when they are pregnant. I do not offer supplement, just food, water, hay. I have had one chin in 9 years get develop white teeth, it was her first litter, and never again after that. I would not supplement calcium pre-emptively. I would watch and see if it's necessary first.

You can supplement with alfalfa on occasion with any chin, but with a lactating female, if you offer it when the kits are first born it is said to help aid in milk production. I don't personally use it, so I can't address that from experience.