Best Chinchilla Arrangement

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aaronnaudrey

Owner, Aaron C. Designs
Joined
Mar 25, 2012
Messages
30
Location
Texas
I thought this would be the best place to post this.

So, we have 2 new babies in our home right now. We used to have Spunky/Minnie in our large cage, and Demon by himself (Spunky is super territorial with Minnie.)

Since Minnie has had her babies, and we've seperated her and the babies out of the large cage, I've been wondering what the best setup would be when the babies mature.

I currently have a FN 142-like cage, but it can't be separated, and 2 emergency-bought cages from Petsmart that Demon, and Mom+babies are in now. We're returning those, and I have a CN 161 on the way (I'll be buying an additional level to make it a 162 in a month.)

We'll be giving Gizmo, the male baby, away to Audrey's best friend, so we will have Minion(F) Demon(M) Spunky(M) and Scrat(F) left once she matures, and effectivally 2 cages, possibly 3.

I'm thinking that I'll keep Spunk and Minnie in the FN142-like cage (I have no idea what it is, but it's amazing,) and Demon and Scrat seperated in the CN162 for about a year, until I can place them together.

Any advice? If you would like to weigh in on anything for a couple who's new to breeding, separating, re-introducting, etc, we're happy to hear it!

- Aaron and Audrey
 
I would have 4 cages on hand, in case any/all chins need to be separated. There is no guarantee the chins will bond or stay bonded.

There have been a few interesting threads about this if you do a search. Essentially, you need double the amount of cages if you breed.
 
I wouldn't recommend putting Minnie and Spunk back together if she just had kits. The kits only take 8 weeks to be weaned and that isn't really enough recovery time for Minnie. Are you starting out breeding? I thought most people who wished to breed did runs and did not place the male and female together long term as it is said they can get pregnant during pregnancy or immediately after. There's also the risk of the female bullying the male and him not being able to escape.
 
Breeding is such a strong word. :p

We're giving the babies we have to family and close friends, because EVERYONE loves our chins (and who doesn't?) We have over a dozen people on our list at the moment, and plan to keep between 4 and 8 ourselves as pets.

So, I'm not concerned with having runs, although I'm glad you mentioned it! And I didn't even think about having that many cages, but we do plan on buying another CN 162 during the next littering.

We're re-introducing Spunk and Minnie in around a month; I had read that it was a good time to do so, but we're more than happy to wait if needed.

Thanks for everything, keep it comin'! :D

- Aaron
 
May I ask where your chins were purchased? Do you have background info on them? What colors are your pairs? And how old?

There's a lot to know so read a TON in the breeding section. And proceed slowly.
 
One potential issue I see is if your goal is to just breed a nice pet. In the long run, no matter how much you love your babies, it really doesn't do anything to help them or the gene pool. If that's the case, why not connect your friends with rescues that are all full? They have babies, adults, cute chins, needy chins, and everything else.

It's a hard sell if the goal is just as simple as it sounds above. The chin species really needs good solid genetics to flourish. The backyard breeders are IMO destroying our animals and doing to a beautiful creature the same thing puppy mills have done to purebred dogs. Both at a genetic and health level.
 
According to what I have read here I don't think it's wise to repair a male and female after a month. That is just then the kits will be weaned. That means that the female could have another litter fairly quickly (111 days) after they are paired. I think this would be hard on the mother. Also do you have a good exotic vet? Chinchilla labors are not always easy and some need assistance. Are you willing to lose Minnie just to make cute pets for your friends and family? Are your friends and family prepared to put possibly thousands into their pet? Chinchillas can be quite expensive and require the same dedication as a puppy. Finding safe quality cages for newly weaned kits can also be difficult. Do those you are giving them to know how to properly care for them? This is before even going into the quality of animal you are breeding and creating. Do you plan to have more than one female breed? You would have to buy another male or another female or they would be breeding with their brother or father/sister or mother. Once you allow your animals to procreate you are breeding.

About cages... if you knew you had a male and female together... and it sounds like you may have had two males with a female... why did you not have a cage for the mother and kits? If you have a male and female together it is only a matter of time before you have kits. Why would PetsMart allow you to return cages you have used? That is kind of... unsanitary.
 
Last edited:
aaronnaudrey said:
We're giving the babies we have to family and close friends, because EVERYONE loves our chins (and who doesn't?) We have over a dozen people on our list at the moment, and plan to keep between 4 and 8 ourselves as pets.
Click to expand...

Just wanted to comment on the bold portion - as a rescue, we have a waiting list of people as well. There are people who want certain colors, pairs of a certain age, certain babies (if we decide to not keep them for show). I have quite the list of people looking for something specific. But you know what? That means practically nothing. Say I have 5 people looking for a black velvet male. By the time I actually get one in, and call those people, it's likely #5 on the list who will end up with it, because #1-4 no longer want one or have already gotten a chin elsewhere. As chins only really can have babies twice a year, and have typically 1-2 per litter, satisfying 12 people could take you 3 years if they had two babies every time and you sold all of those. Just saying, those homes you have may not pan out the way you want.
 
I have no background on our chins, as we rescued them ourselves from people who couldn't care for them. I'll be the first to say, but we've been incredibly blessed with them, as their tempermants are just incredible.

I don't, nor will I ever consider myself a breeder. I'm trying to spread the love of Chinchillas with my family and friends. I'm not charging a dime, as we do very well for ourselves, and I'm not giving them to just anyone on the street. My friends and family are more than capable, and yes, we have an amazing vet here. Not like the terrible ones I hear about on here all the time.

I've read till my eyes bled in the breeding section. I'm a Web Developer, so research is in my blood, and all I can say is that we seem to be better off that 95% of the "OH MY GOD THERE'S BABIES!" threads I've read :D As happy as we are, we were soooo unprepared.

We're not inbreeding, we're aware of the risks, and if there was a rescue within 250+ miles, we'd have sent them.

I'm so glad that everyone on here is so concerned about the welfare of our chins. :D

- Aaron
 
I don't think were worried about in-breeding. But most likely those are culls from a ranch, meaning not worthy of breeding and sent out through a broker for cents on the dollar they would be sold for on the pet market. Or the result of a backyard breeder, also a genetic dead end.

It's simply not a good idea. If you're determined to breed, railroad a pair verified as breeding quality to your area and breed away.
 
You're *intentionally* breeding chinchillas when you have no background on them? How will you feel if there is some genetic trait passed on to the kits because you did not know the genes and one your family or friends watches their chinchilla die? You say you have read all the breeder areas here, yet all of them say not to breed rescue chinchillas or ones you do not know the genes of. How will you get chinchillas for 12 family members plus 4-8 to keep yourself without inbreeding? You say there is no where within 250+ miles to get a chinchilla. There are none on Craigslist or Petfinder in your area? Most people have so many in their area that they can't find homes for all the unwanted chinchillas. How'd you get yours if there are none in your area?
 
Aaron - There is no other way to describe what you are doing except breeding. Whether you put one pair together or 10, if they produce offspring you are breeding. It's not a harsh word, it's reality.

A few things I will point out, what you will do with them is up to you.

You are portraying yourself as a "backyard breeder" which is not a complementary term for someone who throws two chins together, with no known backgrounds, simply to make cute fuzzy babies. Now I'm the first to admit that chins and their offspring are incredibly cute, so I understand; however, when you have a malo chin die in your arms at the vets, or watch them drop weight, drool, paw at their mouths, bloat, or what have you, I really wish you would rethink breeding rescues.

Rescues by their very definition are chins who have been rejected for one reason or another, i.e., dumped. When someone releases a rescue to me it is with the understanding that it will NEVER be bred. When the Humane Society calls me to come in and pick up chins because they have no idea how to take care of them, it is with the understanding (and contract) that they will NEVER be bred.

If you had gotten chins from a reputable breeder, even without pedigrees, that might be something to consider (Butler's never give pedigrees). But having two chins, who for all you know may be brother and sister, mother and son, father and daughter, with no background information - you may very well be linebreeding. If there is malo in their background, you are breeding malo chin after malo chin. Some chins don't show the disease until they are 7 or 8 years old. Do you realize how many chins you may produce that could potentially die from that excruciatingly painful illness?

Next up, your cages. Neither the FN or the CN are kit safe. I am also not one to jump on the bandwagon of fixing things by putting hardware cloth around them. To me, that is a temporary fix while you are on the internet ordering a cage that is safe for kits. Large cages with lots of levels and tons of space are an accident waiting to happen. If you have wheels in your cages, wire hay hangers, plastic houses or dust baths, things that can easily roll, etc., these are all not safe for babies.

Chins are wonderful animals who can make wonderful pets. I can't tell you how many times my kids friends, friends of mine (not the wonderful ones who give them great homes), colleagues, even strangers at the vets office say "Oh! I WANT one! Give me a call when you have some!" First, I allllways have some. But after I explain all about their care, their dietary needs, environmental needs, vet bills, lifespan of 25 years, etc., you would be positively amazed by how many of those people suddenly decide they are not interested anymore. So never, ever, count on people from a waiting list. I have a certain line of chins here that I have people bug me for offspring all the time. If I have a kit I want to offer them (and only people I know VERY well because these animals would be for breeding) then I will. One guy waited several years for one and just got him last year. Others I have contacted and they changed their minds. People are fickle. Producing baby after baby to fill orders, like ordering a happy meal at McDonald's, is likely to blow up in your face when you end up with all those offspring.

Just a few things to ponder. We all know of a woman in Illinois who breeds rescues. She's pretty proud of it too. People run from her house to go to reputable breeders and she is a laughing stock in the chin community. If you want to breed, do it with healthy animals from known backgrounds. Do it the right way. We'll back you 100%.
 
First of all: shame on you Lillybabe. Berating another member is no way to get a point across, for all the good your advice may have done me, or someone else.

Tunes: thank you so much. You've always been so helpful; I appreciate the advice, and will indeed abstain from filling the wishes of friends and family without knowing the history of my chins. I was under the assumption that, based on their temperament and clean bills of health, I was doing no wrong. I hate that everyone is assuming the worst of the situation, but I suppose I can only convey so much via text :\ Yes, everyone in question are well informed and capable chin parents, and yes, the babies are in a proper cage, and no, I'm not trying to earn a quick buck whoring my chins out, so yeah... all is well. Again, I'm so thankful for your concern.

I had no idea this thread was going to take me in this direction, but I'm happy that it has. If this helps someone else with their decision, I suppose it will have been worth it.

- Aaron

P.S.

As I said before, there are no rescues, breeders, etc anywhere close to where we are. Does anyone have any advice as to where I could send everyone? We're in Abilene, TX, several hours from the nearest metro area, and I have a feeling should I find someone, it will be there. So just tell them to suck it up and drive? :D
 
If your friends are truly committed to getting a chinchilla, tell them to check Petfinder.com. There are currently a handful of rescue chinchillas available within a 4 hour drive from Abilene, TX. Four hours is not a long drive to pick up a new family member that will live in their home for the next 10-15 years.

(I drove 8 hours one way to get my rescue dog. She was well worth it!)
 
Aaron, just realize that even though some of the answers are passionate, even those from people who have never bred, you take it with a grain of salt and understand that people really do care about the chins in your care.

As far as in your area, I am geographically impaired. I can tell you that Tamara Tucker is "down there" somewhere. I believe her address is on the ECBC (Empress) website, but I can't be sure. I don't believe she has a website, you just have to call and talk to her. Other than that, I honestly don't know of reputable breeders in Texas. There used to be a few hobbyists, but they seem to have disappeared. There are, however, some folks who travel down that way and with a little effort a railroad can be set up.
 
I wasn't aware I was berating you.... I was merely shocked. I did not know people here would admit to breeding rescues or defend it. Shame on me? Seriously, am I child whom you can scold?

I watched a chinchilla die from malo. It was absolutely heart breaking. He was prefectly healthy for 6 months or so. What if I'd bred him? Malo is thought to be genetic. I could have created 1-5 little malo chins who would die a painful death just like their daddy. I apologize that it bothers me when people take such horrible risks with such sweet animals. It honestly makes me want to cry when I see people claiming they have done the research yet still ignore good advice or insult me when I try to provide advice.

I posted several times before the post you say I "berated" you in. You ignored what advice I gave in those and avoided many of the questions. I said that you shouldn't reintroduce them for a while after the mother has given birth and you state that you're going to reintroduce them in a month (right after they are weaned). You never say where you got your's from if there are none around you, etc.
 
We got the chins from friends who could no longer care for them. They had previously purchased them from Petsmart. We live in a Military town, so that kind of thing happens a lot. Each of the chins is over 4 years old, and we've owned them for over 2, but you're right, we have no way of knowing if they are prone to Malo. No, I'm not going to allow them to have babies, but were I to, odds are that nothing harmful would come if it. That's the engineer in me talking, not the chin lover. The slightest risk of Malo alone tosses the idea out.

I understand the passion tunes. I have it myself. I wish I would have read up on Malo. Had I, we wouldn't be having this conversation :p I was so focused on equipment, timing, etc, that I didn't bother reading about genetics, other than breeds and inbreeding :\

I'm sure I'll be just as condescending in a year or so :p No hard feelings. Thanks for everything. Now to console my heartbroken wife :(

- Aaron
 
If you want to breed... drive a few hours or set up a railroad and get some high quality breeding chins. There's nothing wrong with wanting to bred a few chins if you do it the right way. If you get with the right breeders you'll be getting chins that will further the species as well as produce terrific pets.
 
I love the idea. I'll have to do some looking, and see if I have any decent breeders anywhere in Texas. I have a feeling a road trip is in order :D

- Aaron
 
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