Is my chinchilla pregnant? Pictures included

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Joined
Aug 23, 2017
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Hi, so I was wondering if my chinchilla is pregnant. When I bought her I was told it was a he so I put "him" with one of my male chinchillas. Some weeks later
(I decided to wait weeks, until "he" got used to me) I decided to take "him" out of the cage to play and interact with "him" and I decided to check to make sure it was actually a male and when I checked it turned out to be a female!

So now a couple weeks later (maybe 1-2 months later) I've noticed that she is fatter and she has also bitten me once and has tried to bite me again a couple of times. She continues to be super active at night, she like to jump a lot in her cage. I have included three pictures of her, two are of her nipples (one picture is really blurry because she was moving). I've seen pictures of other pregnant chinchillas online and my chinchillas nipples don't seem as long but they do look very "fat". I would really like to hear all of your opinions based on the pictures that I have included. If she is pregnant I do have a cage that would be safe for the baby/babies. Thank you very much :)
 
I just noticed that for some reason the pictures didn't post. I'm going to do another thread since I don't have the edit option in this one.
 
First of all no pics showed up, the forum seems to have issues with pics so you need to upload the pics onto a photo share site then link them here.

Second, you can't tell just by looking at a chin if it's pregnant or not, most don't show or if they do they don't show until they are about to give birth. In case you didn't know chins are pregnant for 111 days. Count 120 from the last time they were last together just to be on the safe side (I'm assuming you have separated them), if she doesn't have them by then she isn't pregnant.

Some ways to tell if she is pregnant is to keep a weight of her from the start, some chins gain weight, but once again not all do, some have been known to even lose weight. Some females get moody and defensive, others get very affectionate. Right before giving birth the female might pull the fur around her nipples and they might get longer in preparation for the birth. Soon before birth she will likely lay around the cage a lot, often on her side and you might be able to see kits move. The problem is some chins can look and act completely normal and one day they have kits. Others can gain weight, act all moody, and never actually produce anything.

Since you suspect she is pregnant, it's best not to hold her much or try to feel for kits, doing so can hurt her and/or the kits, and can kill them. You also want to make sure her cage is safe from falls, that can also kill the kits. At around 100 days from where they were first together I would put her in the kit safe cage (1/2" or less bar spacing, no shelves, ledges, or hiding house, etc). Also make sure you have a vet you can call or rush her to, even in the middle of the night, just in case. It's not uncommon for things to go wrong and they tend to give birth at night or early morning. I would also read up on here under the Chin Breeding and Babies, about what to expect if you haven't already.
 
Thank you so much for all the info! I did separate her from the male and today I noticed that when she was asleep laying on her side I saw movement but I'm not sure if my mind is just making me see things since I believe she is pregnant:hmm:
Thanks again for the help :) I also did notice that the images didn't get posted and a couple minutes ago I made an account on Photobucket because I've seen that other members use that website to share images but, I tried to get the link and it didn't work. If anyone could please tell me how to get the link to work or what link is the right one I would really appreciate it. (There are a lot of different links when I click share).
(I'm going to keep trying to get the link to work but it might take a long time to post because I'm a new member and all my threads and post need to be approved)
 
there really is no guaranteed way to no by looking at them. However if 'she' was with a male then its a good idea to assume so. Id suggest putting here in a smaller, baby safe cage and counting the 120 days to be sure. If she is you dont want her to miss a jump in a big cage and get herself and the kits hurt, or anything along those lines.

If the last owner thought she was a male then its possible she was with another male before yours and was pregnant already. So its a good idea to do the move as soon as you can to a smaller cage with 1/2" or less bar spacing. Kits are incredible at escaping. My first kit came form a girl i didnt no was pregnant at all. He escaped the cage and hid under the fridge without me ever knowing he was born. It was a miracle that my ferret found him one night while out playing. Other wise it wouldnt have ended well.
 
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