Uhoh some babies are here

[lizluck88]

just a thought...if the petstore said they were "sisters" and they weren't, wouldn't that mean they are possibly "brother and sister?" if that is the case, they should not be bred anymore because of inbreeding.

 

[VolunteerChin22]

The female could definately injure or kill the male if she doesnt want to mate and you very well could wake up to a dead chin. Sometimes they will never go back together.

This is what we would consider a backyard breeding situation in the US for the record, so I doubt you are going to get support for keeping these two paired up. Does she understand that these chins could be carrying genes for genetic illnesses and she has no way to know this because they dont have backgrounds?

And you need more than one cage if you/she are planning to breed or house more than one chin period. There is no way around that - failure to plan for that is no excuse for perpetuating more babies. If she has another litter of three where will those chins go?

And I am missing why all the males and females cant live together in two cages? Does she really want more kits or does she just want them together to keep each other company? Put the male kit with dad and the female kits with mom. You must have at least two if you've had dad seperated? If male and dad won't go together then maybe you should think about selling off the males to new homes...

Correct me if I am wrong aren't you the one who handfed and took care of these guys? So she just wants to bring chins into this world that she doesnt have to take care of? I mean has she/you even found homes for these three?

Having a hard time seeing a positive in this update...And Liz, highly probable but again, they have no backgrounds so they have no way of knowing. Another reason to keep them seperated.

 

[AlexEarl]

i have no idea on whether they might be brother or sister, i just came home one day and these chinchillas were in my flat.

I have 2 cages right now, one is just a normal size hamster cage with no levels on it that they have lived in since they were born and the other is a 3 level big cage which i highly doubt is suitable for the 8 week old chinchilla yet.

We have people who are going to buy the kits but because they are still living in their university accommodation at this moment in time they cannot pick them up for the next few weeks so they will have to stay with us for the time being.

All I want to know is:

1. Should i keep the mum with the dad or with the baby chinchillas? If it is with the kits should i move the male kit out?
2. What are the chances of the dad killing the male kit if i do introduce them?

All i want is the best for these chinchillas as they have no control over their lifestyle. I am no expert in chinchillas and i feel i have just been thrown into the deep end with the babies being born unexpectedly and i am just looking for advice on what is the best thing to do.

I am putting the mother back in with the kits as of now until i can figure something out tomorrow as it is getting pretty late in England.

Any advice is appreciated and i will follow it tomorrow when i wake up

Thanks

 

[VolunteerChin22]

You need to separate the male kit because, yes he could impregnate the mother. There are plenty of instances of dads/sons and mother/daughters getting along fine, so it's definitely worth trying with supervision. There is a chance any one of these chins could up and decide they hate one another and turn on each other. They may not. This is the risk you take by choosing to house more than one and why you need more than one cage at all times in case this happens. You won't know until you attempt a proper introduction. If you do a search there are some tips on here in numerous threads about how to do it properly.

Just because you post a question on here does not mean we are going to ignore the train wreck that this situation is. You also need to separate the parents or you are going to get more kits, possibility of more hand feeding, possibility of a csection, possibility of a dead chin or kits, possibility of more inbred chins. Just because you had one litter go well does not mean the next one will. I had a female who has given birth several times before have stillborn mummified kits that she couldnt pass and needed and emergency csection and spay. She still ended up dying several hundred dollars later. If your gf isn't willing to pay for a new cage then how or is she going to pay for that? Does the animal just sit there and suffer?

Most responsible breeders would give a female who just had triplets at least a short break before putting her back into a pregnancy situation. I mean think about it - I highly doubt any woman who just had a baby would be ready to be pregnant immediately. The female's body needs time to recover and heal to carry a pregnancy. By putting them together you are risking that her body might not be fully prepared to carry and deliver healthy babies = complications.

It sounds like you are in control of them at the moment, so you do have some choice. If she wants to keep breeding tell her she needs to buy another cage which is true anyways and you could keep everyone separate and try to reason with her. If she balks then you will clearly see her commitment to doing this appropriately.

And I am sorry you feel like this isn't your job, but you both have an obligation and responsibility to make sure the kits and animals are taken care of and this includes buying proper supplies (i.e. baby safe cages) and housing them appropriately while in either of your care. A 3ft tall cage is not made to house a breeding pair period, much less young kits. It's a safety hazard for the pregnant mother and babies. As I said before, failure to plan for the scenarios you are creating is no excuse to keep perpetuating more babies from a pair that may or may not be related and may or may not be carrying genetic issues. I mean you wouldn't breed shelter/mutt dogs repeatedly because you didn't want to put forth the effort to keep them separately, would you? Why should chinchillas be any different? I don't know maybe you would, but maybe I just don't understand the logic here as I certainly wouldn't.

IMO time for one or both of you to step up and do the right thing.

 

[AlexEarl]

i am ringing up the vets tomorrow to find out if they can castrate the male chinchilla. I am also going out and getting another cage so i can put the male kit in there on his own, should i put a teddy bear in there with him as well so he has something to cuddle or do they not really care?

 

[VolunteerChin22]

Good solution. There is some risk to putting these guys under, so be sure your vet has experience with small animals. Be sure that you restrict the male to a one level cage and dont put him back with the female until all the sperm die in the tract and he's healed from the surgery - someone can confirm but I think that would be at least 6 weeks.

You can give him a cuddle buddy.

 

[AlexEarl]

Luckily enough I have 5 vets within 10 miles of where I live so I am sure atleast 1 of them is experienced with small animals so I will find the best 1 to take him too. I am guessing it is easier to castrate a male chinchilla then it is to spay a female 1?

I guess ill go find the male kit a few bears and bunnies he cant bounce up and down on for the next week or two until the new owner picks him up.

I am planning on keeping the one I spent day and night hand raising, is their any chance that the mum will end up not getting along with her when she is all grown up?

 

[Cuddlebug]

There is a chance that they won't get along. Just the other day, I had a female who's kits are weaned, decide that she did not like her cage mates. I decided to put her in with her 10 week old daughter. It did not work, the daughter took one look at her mother and flew into a rage. So, momma got a cage to herself and the daughter went in with the girls that her momma was fighting with. Everyone is no very happy. Go figure.

 

[VolunteerChin22]

Yes it is much less invasive to castrate a male.