Adopting My First Babies!!!

[Courtney.Tyler]

I am adopting two chins from a family that can no longer care for them and are basically throwing them to me because they don't want them anymore. I have always wanted chinchilla's and I have done my own research over the years but there is only one question that has never been answered completely and clearly to me. I am adopting a male and a female with their rather large cage. They have been kept in the same cage for quite some time and nothing has ever seemed to go wrong. They are a breeding pair which I'm still learning more about but my true question is if they are okay in the same cage at all times. Some people say yes some people say no, i would like to have a full answer backed up with experience please:idea:

 

[coffeebeans]

No that is absolutely not okay. They need to be separated, unless you want to be dealing with a pregnant chinchilla and kits, which is not a walk in the park. That family has just been lucky, and for all you know, that female could actually be coming to you, already pregnant. It is a HORRIBLE IDEA to keep them in the same cage.

 

[Godofgods]

If the male was neutered at some point (with proof) then it is fine. But if they arnt then they will breed if together. She could already be pregnant. You need to separate them in there own cages. And the cage need to be at least 6" apart. No placing them directly side by side. She can still get pregnant that way. On top of that, the female will need to be in a baby safe cage for at least 120 days. (chin pregnancy period is usually around 111 days)

A scarey possibility... If they are both coming from a home of ppl that rly dont care much about them then it is possible they never payed them much attention to begin with. - I did care and i still missed this. - Chin babies are very small. They can fit through 1" spaced cage bars like they do not exist. A kit could have been born and escaped the cage without the ppl knowing. (baby safe cages have 1/2" spacing or smaller for this reason.)

This happened to me when i was new to chins. When i got my girl sophie, i found out she was housed with a male chin before. So i put her on watch. She showed every sign of being pregnant but i never saw a kit. Later on she was housed with my male (do not do that.) She never showed a sign of being pregnant but she had a kit. The kit was born over night so i didnt know about it. And he escaped the cage and hid under my fridge.. and i never new he existed. I was extremely lucky that my ferret found him that night.

But if proper precautions arnt taken, then things like that can happen.