Neutering

[cfhussain]

I posted previously on babies and they are all doing great

But we have a difficult choice to make, whether to neuter the male chinchilla and keep the parents and we will have to give the babies to RSPCA (we originally bought the female chinchilla from them so they've agreed to take the babies), or to give back the female chinchilla and keep one or two of the male baby chinchillas. We will definitely make sure that they are indeed male this time!

Has anyone had experience of neutering chinchillas? In my opinion even if the risk is 1% i wouldn't want the possibility that a chinchilla is lost, even if they are separated at least they are alive and hopefully those with give away end up in good hands.

Any comments appreciated.

 

[Claire D]

There is always a risk with any kind of surgery. If a chinchilla competent vet can do the neutering of the male for you then the risks are lower.

I've had quite a few male chinchillas castrated over the years & I have not had a problem with any of them - they need a bit of TLC afterwards but if they leave the little scar lines alone, eat, drink, pee, poop after the op then they usually recover very well.

Whereabouts in the UK are you based?

 

[cfhussain]

I'm in North Wales. We'e contacted a vet in Tarporley (Birch Heath Veterinary Clinic), they say they've had a very good success rate with them over the years and are more personal than other vets we've contacted. One particular vet said outright no, another has said that separating chinchillas that have been together and mated as ours have carries just as much risk. Is it true chinchillas can die or heartache (for want of better word)?

At the moment i am leaning towards neutering, if the risk of death is greater separating them than the op, then that's the obvious choice. But i would be pretty devastated if we lost John, especially after we lost another chinchilla last March in an operation. Though there were many things wrong with that chinchilla than John who is a very fit, resilient chinchilla.