Unsure due date?

[Tsaheyl]

Hi again.
Just a few quick questions.

My female chinchilla Ellie had a kit back in early September. ( A picture records it to be September 8th-9th) But as I posted then, for some reason it died without any real warning.

I noticed on the day that the unsuspecting kit was born the male chinchilla, Elijah had been trying to breed her. I was unsure if he had gotten her pregnant then. I separated them but after the Kit died about two weeks I immediately reunited them.
The due date calendar said she should of had them a while ago, but she may of not been bred then either. I'm unsure of when she will give birth. The last Kit escaped the cage frequently (Due to it be unsuspected), and I now baby-proofed their house.

First question is, could she of had the Kit(s) and they escaped and met their fate? :/ or would I of noticed them? (Which i'm hoping is highly unlikely..)

The second one is that what are signs of near-due labor? She's very comfortable with me and let me feel her nipples which have gotten long and a little hard. When I look at them they're a little red with tiny white tips.
She's also very full on her stomach, (But I can't tell because my male has a bigger belly too.)

I'm just curious because I want to be prepared this time. Any tips will be very appreciated

 

[BooBoo*TheKiddo*]

If you counted 111 days from the date you saw the male trying to breed her and she hasn't given birth. Then I'd count 111 days from the time you reintroduced them.

Can you feel baby movement?

 

[RDZCRanch]

Is there a particular reason that you are trying to breed these chins?

 

[Tsaheyl]

Originally, I hadn't planned to breed them.
But I wanted to know if anything I listed is a sign for near-due birth.

I also have gotten a vet to neuter the male asap.

 

[RDZCRanch]

If you hadn't planned on breeding them, why did you immediately reunite them? Also, you've had since September to get the male neutered, why is it suddenly "asap"? A male is fertile for up to 6 weeks after the neuter.

Signs of a female close to having kits are kits kicking in her belly and elongated nipples. Regardless of the information we give, if your chin has kits tomorrow you won't be prepared. Lots of research is the only way to be prepared and the question of how to tell if a female is close to labor has been answered in almost every thread in the breeding section. It takes very little research on this forum alone to find the answers you are looking for.

 

[greychins]

She definitely could have had the kits and they could have escaped. I don't know how long a newborn kit would last without its mom, but when we first got into rescuing, we had one "oops" moment when we got in a female and she gave birth the next day - and she was not in a baby safe cage. We found the baby on the floor - alive and moving around - but it ended up dying regardless. Though, it was mobile enough that it could have moved far away from the cages, and we could have just as easily not seen it.

Unless you're an experienced breeder, there aren't any real tell-tale signs of near-labor. Obviously, as you said, if the nipples are enlarged, there's that, and with some females, you will be able to feel the babies moving around. But, sometimes you don't notice anything until out pops a baby. We weigh our chins consistently and weight gain can also be an indication... but that said, we had a chin last year that had weight fluctuations of around 50 grams or so (we took her wheel away, and put her in breeding, so she gained a little, lost a little, gained a little)... and then had a kit. I would never have guessed she was pregnant had I not seen a little white tail sticking out behind her (she's gray) one day... when I totally was NOT checking for babies.

Since you're saying you want to be prepared this time... do you now have a baby safe cage for mom & potential-babies? If so, you should already have your female chin in that cage AND separated from the male.

 

[Tsaheyl]

I have her in the baby-safe cage separated from the male. They've been separated for about a week and a half now.
Thanks for the input. I really hope she's just holding out on me and didn't have them yet.

@Ranch, I had already figured he had bred her at that point. When I took them to a vet to make sure the female was okay the vet said it was very likely. So with seeing that I put them back together.
The neutering was delayed because I couldn't afford it. Though, I was just asking if there was anything I could do for Ellie, my female.

Sorry I only post when I need something, but everyone here is so informative and helpful

 

[Dreamlite]

If you had to put off cast the male due to lack off funds then you should be breeding the female. C sections cost way more than a neut. I would have saved the money and got the surgery done 1st so you don't have to worry bout birthing complications. Please keep her seporate till he is neut.

 

[Vyxxin]

I've been breeding for 8yrs...there are litters that "come out of nowhere" and litters that "should've been here yesterday"...elongated pinkish nipples are a good indicator...but they would be if she'd already birthed as well...a hard tummy is a good indicator that she hasn't had them yet...but you probably should not be messing with her stomach if she's pregnant.

Are you even sure she IS pregnant? I mean, it's great to be prepared...but...what makes you so sure she IS pregnant? If I were you I'd have all supplies on hand, have her in a babysafe away from the male for 111days in which time you neuter the male...and let nature take it's course. Keep a watchful eye and be ready...she very well could've had kits and them escaped. Period. Some of my females you cannot tell within hours that they'd given birth except for the tails underneath them!

 

[greychins]

If you had to put off cast the male due to lack off funds then you should be breeding the female. C sections cost way more than a neut. I would have saved the money and got the surgery done 1st so you don't have to worry bout birthing complications. Please keep her seporate till he is neut.

Definitely have to agree here. Even if the chin delivers fine, there can still be tons of complications. We had a rescue female come in here, already pregnant. She delivered the babies fine, but was bleeding out of her vagina. Took her to the vet for an emergency spay, after hours. Ended up spending right around $700 and she didn't even make it through the night. All the babies ended up passing as well.

If money's really a factor for you, I would wait on the neuter to make sure you have money in case she is pregnant. Because while you will want to get the male neutered, if you go and spend a few hundred on that and then there are pregnancy complications... would you have another few hundred to spend on that as well? Just something to think bout. But keep them separate in the meantime.

I would just count out 111 (or so) days from when you last removed the male and wait and see. When we get in male/female pairs at the rescue, they are immediately separated... and the calendar is marked for 120 days (just for some extra caution). If no babies by then, then we know they're not pregnant. But otherwise, it can be hard to tell.

 

[Tsaheyl]

I still had them separated. I went out of town and my Room-Mate put them back together. Saying "They looked pitiful". I already separated again.
When she was walking around as I was adding hay to the house, I noticed a little bump when she ran over my hand so I gently probed with my fingers along her belly, near her rump there's a VERY noticeable bump. I'm not sure if it's with her vagina though, i'm scared to pick her up in-case I mess something up.

 

[BooBoo*TheKiddo*]

You should probably also count 111 days from the day your "they look pitiful" roommate put them back together. A breedback is possible.