Breeding?

Hi everyone,
I have both a male and a female chinchilla, the male is 5 and the female is almost 2. We have put them in a cage together because we are hoping for them to breed. We already talked to their breeder about everything we need to know, and she is helping us along the way, although I do have a question. I cannot tell if they have bred or not, and I was wondering if you have any signs besides the nipples that would help. I have noticed that from the first day we put them in, which was september 4th, the male has recently become very close to the female in past months. He always sleeps by her side when that did not happen a month ago. Are there any signs that the male would show to indicate that she is pregnant?

First... Are these chins breeding quality? Was the breeder you got them from reputable or just a pet owner who decided to breed them? Do you have money for an emergency c-section or for other complications? Do you have a baby safe cage?

If you are not aware of the pregnancy signs, I don't think you should be breeding. A lot of things can go wrong if you are not correctly informed. Even if you are, you need to be prepared. It's difficult to tell if a chin is pregnant... You just put them together and take a guess unless you have a vet to tell you otherwise. Sometimes signs that cause you to think she is pregnant mean absolutely nothing. Weighing the female often is one way to monitor any baby weight she may put on. If you don't have a scale that weighs in grams, you need one... You'll need to weigh the kits when they are born.

Just because the male is close to her, that doesn't mean she is pregnant. They could just be bonding more than they were in the beginning. The male won't tell you anything.

Yes, the breeder is reputable. They are a qualified breeder and they breed for showing. Yes I do have the money for an emergency c-section and I do have a baby safe cage. Also, I do know all of the other signs of pregnancy. The big one though is the nipples being shown at 90 days, and I didn't know if you could tell before that. And I do already have a gram scale that I can weigh her and her kits on, but where she is at, there would be no reliable weight difference from the kits. I have been weighing her since day one and monitoring her weight. I have a vet that deals with specifically chinchillas. My vet knows as well that I am trying to breed my chinchillas. These are not my first chinchillas. I am not clueless, I work closely with the breeder as I want the best for my chinchillas. The only aspect that I needed to be informed on was the male during the female's pregnancy. I already have everything lined up for the babies, the mother, and the father during this pregnancy.

Then you'll just need to keep track of the days and monitor her. Be sure to make the cage kit proof before she would be due(assuming he bred with her on the day you paired them).

As I said, the male won't tell you anything.

Weight gain is the easiest way to know but not all females will gain weight while pregnant. Nipples are not reliable either. I've had females who don't show till the day before, some that show all the time (females who have had many litters) and some that show at 2 months.... so no there is no sure way to know until you can see kits in the cage or feel them kicking in her belly. Your breeder should have been able to answer this question for you. Is she in a baby safe cage now?

What the others said. I'll add that chinchillas can keep it hidden very well. I had two girls give birth this last month. One I knew was pregnant, she gained almost 100g and was starting to lay different. The other I had separated from the male after they were together for 8 months. I thought for sure she didn't get pregnant and had less than 4 weeks left on my calendar (you mark 111 days from separation) when all of a sudden I was greeted with a mini fuzz butt one morning. Her weight hadn't changed much (no more or less than could be from other causes) and she behaved no differently.

The male doesn't seem to behave any differently. They can breed back near delivery so I suppose you could technically see increased attempts to breed the female near delivery.

The best method is to check the cage every morning (they tend to birth early) and mark when you put them together. 111 days is approximation, real pregnancy will vary so it could even be a few days before that to months after if they don't breed right away. However it is a good tool to help you measure possibilities. BTW that comes out to just more than 15 weeks (but less than 16).

I weigh my females weekly, along with the rest of the herd. I have noticed that at the end of the 2nd month, most females will begin gaining weight at a rate of 10 - 30 grams per week. I do however, have some females who do not gain one single gram while pregnant. Mom son refers to these as ninja mommas and babies. Funny thing is, most of the ninja moms and babies have been extra dark ebonies - ninjas dress in black.

I agree with the others as to the behavior if the male. By the way, is she separated from the male. If not and she is pregnant, she could have a breed back if he is still in the cage when she delivers her babies.

If you are are lucky you can find a mating plug which tells you they did the deed but doesn't always mean she is pregnant. They tend to be hard to see on shavings and I have heard some females may eat them?? But when I find them I count ~111 days and check her close to due date, if shes preg. I block the male away and take off the collar. If not then male stays with.

What any breeder will tell you...the best sign of matings is you will find babies in the cage ~ nipples weight gain all that and some willstill sneak by

That there is sage advice fact is, sometimes there are no signs...sometimes there are many signs and the animal isn't pregnant at all. I've had girls I was SURE were pregnant...weight gain, side laying, moody...and apparently she was just getting fat and crabby it happens. Monitor. That's all anyone can do in the "early stages" of learning to breed. These days I almost always know when a female is pregnant. I check weights about monthly, I take care of my chins daily, I monitor. Sometimes the first indicator for ME is how the animal carries itself and how it looks carrying itself. If I suspect based on looks or weight an animal is pregnant I will feel for babies (I DO NOT recommend this for the novice as you CAN injure unborn babies)...I can usually tell by 2mos if a female is pregnant by how she feels. By 3mos I can often tell if it's a big or small litter based on feel and all other factors (weight gain, size etc).