Kits behaviors learned from mom

[Anne-Lise]

I thought about it often but I still do wonder....
Do you think that a female's behavior has a great impact on her kits behavior? Mostly towards humans I mean.

I have this mean female that is most probably pregnant and I really worry about the behavior the kits will learn from her. I personally think it is impossible that the babies won't learn from imitation (at least). I always thought I would make sure my females were nice so as to 'teach' their babies not to be scared of humans. And so far all my females were.....except her.

On the other hand, the male is really nice, so I thought about putting the kits more often with dad to compensate the mean behavior of the female.

Do I worry too much? :duh:

 

[Laurie]

Anne-Lise, I am not a breeder, but I do have a "mean" female and her daughter has learned from her behavior. GiGi is not a kit, she is now almost 3 years old, but she has definitely learned from her mother as they are caged together. Bobo is very sassy and kacks constantly, charges me when I am feeding them, and she still occassionally bites and does spray. GiGi does not kack EVER, nor does she charge, but she does spray. I have been nibbled on by GiGi but I think it's because she always thinks an appendage looking item coming into her cage is an apple stick.

She is still a nice girl, but her sassiness is most definitely learned from her mom.

When she was a kit I could pick her up often and snuggle her, but as she grew older and picked up on the behavior from her mom I believe she just learned this naughty behavior from Bobo.

 

[Riven]

A lot of it is inherited. Personality is learned and inherit. You'll just have to see how they turn out. I have some females that are sassier than others, but usually the kits turn out okay. I had one who was a nutter. Some of her kits turned out fine, some not so much.

 

[Anne-Lise]

Do you think sending the kits with the male, that is sweet, could help?

 

[threewingedfury]

Not always.

I have some of the meanest females that you could ever come across. I think they make great mothers, and I love their attitudes. On the other hand, their kits are the sweetest things ever. I've also had sweet females produce hellions. I think it just really depends, and I've never seen any of my kits ever turn out to be like their parents, each and every one is different. I notice that when I don't spend as much time with a certain kit, they end up a bit more spastic than another that is spoiled, but I don't think that's based on an inherited trait, I think that it's just that they didn't get the same attention as another did.

Now, personality can be inherited, but I have to say, when it comes to my gliders, my joeys NEVER inherit the personality of their parents. I have some of the meanest breeding pairs and my joeys have never had bad temperaments. My meanest pair produces the sweetest joeys, always. I think this has to do with me spending a lot of time with them also, and this applies to chinchillas also. If you take the time to spend with a kit and tame it from the get-go, you're more likely to have a very sweet animal.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

I have to agree with Tiffany. I have 2 of her breedings and they are the sweetest boys ever and she tells me the parents weren't so nice. I wean kits early from moms that are 'nuts' and spend extra time with the kits. That seems to work.

 

[RDZCRanch]

I agree with Tiffany. I had the calmest violet male ever. He would come out and sit on my lap for hours at a time watching tv with me. He didn't care to move at all and just liked being with you. He was bred to a docile violet carrier girl, not as good as him, but docile enough. Their kits grew up into bouncy, crazy chins. They wouldn't sit still for anything and they just fly everywhere.

On the other hand...I have a female that sprays and bites if you so much as THINK about looking at her. She has given me two of the sweetest kits I've ever had born here. Very calm, relaxed chinchillas.

In Laurie's case, the mother and daughter stayed together, which lead to the daughter learning the mother's behavior.

 

[starleomach]

I have some nasty girls that have the sweetest babies. Then I have had some where the traits passed on. Really you won't know until you try it

 

[Riven]

I don't understand about you asking about putting the kits with the male. If they are not weaned they need to be with mom, if they are weaned you can't put females with males...

If I have a chin that throws me nutters repeatedly, unless there is something truly redeeming about her, I cull her out and replace her. I don't want to deal with it, and I truly believe that personalities are passed on.

 

[kathiva]

I just find that chins are such a smart little animals, that I think that they can learn and inherit their parents' personality, but at the same time I think that they know why they learn and show certain behaviors, such as spraying and kacking, they seem to know when they want to do that and why.

 

[6Dusters]

Great question!

I have a mom here who throws nice kits. This is her second set and I've come to the conclusion she is just too crazy to breed again. She is a wonderful mother. However she is like a fire cracker. Any noise out of the ordinary and she races around the cage. Even having a small metal box (vs glass jar) is not always enough for week old kits. As we speak I'm keeping a close eye on one of the kits who is favoring one of his front legs. ( sighs big )

Her first weaned set of kits are wonderful. But they too spaz. Not nearly as bad as their mom. They are very sweet in personality. Their mother will spray me if I move her aside by my hand. She surfs the walls in her cage and spooks real easy. The wonderful part is she doesn't bite. Thats a plus. But with the above information posted, I will retire her from breeding.

 

[Anne-Lise]

Riven, I meant kits spending time with the male, their dad, in order to get good influence on their socialisation and personality. Not throwing them in with the male when they aren't weaned and not letting them grow up with opposite sex parent :thumbsup: I think it is a good thing to let kits with other chins when they're growing up in order to socialise them.

Lots of positive experience from many of you then, so I think I'll just see what happens. If the first litter turns out great I will keep her in breeding I guess. But you encouraged me for sure. Thanks!