Questions!

[itsangelaaa]

I've been reading a lot of breeding threads for fun, and it's all been very interesting to me. But I have a couple of questions. This is all I can remember right now, I'll post more when I come up with the rest!

1. "going into heat"
I understand this is when the chin is hormonal, right? How often a year does this happen? Is this like a period, for humans? Do chins expel anything during this time, like how humans do?

2. "plugs"
I saw a picture of a plug on one of the older threads, but I googled it and couldn't come up with anything. What is the biological purpose of the plug? Where does it come from and when/why is it released? Is the mating plug released when the chin is pregnant, and the heat plug released when she is in heat? I have never seen one in my girls' cage, does this mean they eat it or they just don't release them all the time?

3. I have noticed that in a lot of pictures of breeding chins, they have these little tags on their ears. What is the purpose? How does it work? Is it for identification or what? I couldnt make out anything etched on the tag that ID'ed the chin, but maybe I didn't look closely enough. Does it hurt the chin when you put it on? They look like little earrings, does it leave a hole like a piercing does when you take them off?

That's all I can think of at the moment. Sorry for all these questions, but I'm very curious to know about these in detail!

 

[itsangelaaa]

Also, when is it okay to Blu-Kote? I just ordered some from Camphor Chins to add to my first aid kit. I've read some posts saying to Blu-Kote and some saying not to because it will seal the bacteria in the wound when it scabs over. Isn't it antibacterial? Or is it just for promoting quicker healing for small wounds?

 

[chinnychinchinchilla]

1. im pretty sure you wouldnt know if a chinchilla was in heat. i heard that if you do see any blood discharge you should take her to the vet. but im not a breeder so im not possitive about that.

2. i honesty have no idea.

3. the tags are for identification. im not sure how it is done though.

4. i think you use blue-kote for wounds like a cut.

im in the proccess of researching also so im sorry i couldnt give you more information.

 

[AZChins]

1. Chins in heat can be hormonal and moody. The heat is definitely brought about by hormonal changes in the cycle that chins go through. Generally they "go into heat" every month...once every 28 to 35 days or so. There may be a little discharge, usually you won't even notice it. It's not nearly as messy as a heat for a dog, the chins normally take care of all of it.

2. Plugs basically are a by product of mating. They can be made up of the hardened fluids from the female and also of semen. I've heard people say that they held the female get pregnant. There are heat plugs...generally they aren't as large or smelly as mating plugs. I haven't found many mating plugs, and have found even fewer heat plugs. You may never see one, but it's good to know what they are.

3. They are ID ranch tags. Their purpose is so that you can tell the chins apart...as far as I know, they are required at shows. They don't need to be taken out, but if they are there is a little hole left behind. The tags don't hurt too much when punched into the ear and the ear will heal quickly. They are the easiest way to ID a chin...chin's ears don't do well with tattoos, so we're stuck with the tags.

 

[RDZCRanch]

1. "going into heat"
I understand this is when the chin is hormonal, right? How often a year does this happen? Is this like a period, for humans? Do chins expel anything during this time, like how humans do?

Chinchillas going into heat means they are ovulating and can conceive, not hormonal. This happens once a month, but the main breeding seasons are in the beginning of fall and the middle of winter. Chins can have a clear discharge but they should not have bloody discharge like a human.

2. "plugs"
I saw a picture of a plug on one of the older threads, but I googled it and couldn't come up with anything. What is the biological purpose of the plug? Where does it come from and when/why is it released? Is the mating plug released when the chin is pregnant, and the heat plug released when she is in heat? I have never seen one in my girls' cage, does this mean they eat it or they just don't release them all the time?

Most often, you will not see a heat plug because the female removes it and eats it. The purpose of the heat plug isn't entirely clear, but my best guess would be that it's just a build up of discharge that signals them coming into heat. A mating plug is semen. When the male mates with the female, the semen left at the entrance hardens quickly to increase their chances of passing on their genetics and preventing other males from mating with the female.

3. I have noticed that in a lot of pictures of breeding chins, they have these little tags on their ears. What is the purpose? How does it work? Is it for identification or what? I couldnt make out anything etched on the tag that ID'ed the chin, but maybe I didn't look closely enough. Does it hurt the chin when you put it on? They look like little earrings, does it leave a hole like a piercing does when you take them off?

These are ear tags. They are for identification and necessary for showing chinchillas. Many people ask for eartags from the original breeder so that the chinchilla can be identified even if the pedigree is lost. I tag all of my animals because in the event of a move, I need to be able to identify which chinchilla is which. This isn't necessary when you have 10 or 20 chinchillas, but once you get over 50 and half of them are standards...it gets a little hard to tell them all apart. The tag has a number on one side and the brand of the breeder on the other side.

Also, when is it okay to Blu-Kote? I just ordered some from Camphor Chins to add to my first aid kit. I've read some posts saying to Blu-Kote and some saying not to because it will seal the bacteria in the wound when it scabs over. Isn't it antibacterial? Or is it just for promoting quicker healing for small wounds?

You can use blue kote on most open wounds. Usually it's used on small wounds that will not need vet care. It does not seal in the infection, you are thinking of neosporin. Blue kote is liquid and seeps into the wound effectively killing off bacteria, even in deep wounds. It's good for an initial treatment for one or two days, then switch to neosporin to promote faster healing and continue killing off any infection.

 

[itsangelaaa]

Thanks for the replies, they were very detailed. And yes, you're right I had it mixed up with neosporin. That makes much more sense. If a chin had a deep wound that needed vet care but wouldn't be able to be seen until the next day or something, should you Blu-Kote before seeing the vet? Or should you leave it alone so the vet can assess the wound better?

Also, when you show chins and they win awards, is there some sort of prize that you win? What keeps a breeder from purchasing an award winning chin from one breeder and then showing it as her own? Is there ever any chin dishonesty or fraud that goes on at shows?

 

[RDZCRanch]

If you have a deep wound that you want a vet to see, no you should not blue kote it. I would clean it out with saline solution or diluted betadine/iodine. Blue kote will obscure the wound and does not come off easily so the vet would not be able to give proper treatment and diagnoses.

You win ribbons and a reputation for producing quality animals and the satisfaction of knowing you really are improving chinchillas and not breeding for the heck of it.

Any animal you purchase, you have a right to show at any show. You may not, however, claim to be the breeder of an animal you purchased. Credit is given to the original breeder and no points are awarded for that animal. There have been some mistakes when filling out paperwork, but I have not seen an animal bred by someone else that someone has tried to pass off as their own. When chinchilla shows were big...there were a lot of methods of cheating implemented. Some would use cornstarch on white chinchillas to make them appear whiter and there were even instances of people letting other people's chinchillas out of their cages before shows to make confusion.