4 new little ones.

hello, so last thursday i received 4 new little chinchillas! Me and my husband are very excited, but a bit concerned. Seeing as i have read a lot about litters, and knowing that 4 little ones are more than usual we have a few concerns.

I have one little one that is the runt, and he seems to be moving about fine, but only has one eye open. It was partially open the first 2 days but has now closed. Is this normal, or should i worry? His nose also seems to be a bit crusty. Should i help out or leave this to mom to fix

The other 3 seem to be growing bigger and moving about just fine.

Also how to we go about helping the little ones learn to take baths? Not sure if we just leave the house in their and Emma (mom) will teach them or not?

Thanks.

Hello,

First I hope mom and dad are seperated, or go ahead and mark 111 days from day these four were born for the next litter.

Now to your questions, that is a pretty big litter but not unmanagable for a chin. You need to watch for bullying and fighting amongst the siblings, especially towards the runt. Weigh them everyday. If any chin especially the runt, is losing and not gaining weight you need to start rotating the babies out every two hours round the clock and possibly handfeeding.

Both eyes should be open. You need to gently open the closed one with a qtip and warm water if it's crusty. You may need to see a vet if there is any discharge or oozing - that may mean there is an infection. Is there injury to the nose that has caused it to be "crusty"? I would gently try to clean it off - it might be interfering with breathing and nursing. Could also indicate some sort of infection there.

Don't worry about teaching them to bathe they will learn by watching mom - probably won't start getting it until 4-6 weeks.

Read through the FAQs and the breeding thread for lots of good info. You will need to sex the babies (there is a sticky at the top of this section) and males must be weaned no later than 8 weeks. Good luck.