Breeding for the first time

[LaurenMcStay]

Hello all!

I am considering breeding my 16-month old sapphire chinchilla, Alice. I have been reading a ton of different websites regarding this, but I was just wondering if some of you more experienced breeders would be able to give me any helpful pieces of information / tips. Alice has never had any health problems, and has a very gentle temperament. Should I get her and her potential mate checked by her vet prior to attempting to breed her? I'm assuming that this would be a good idea even if it is not required. What is the largest litter that you have had? I read that the litters are usually 1-2 kits, but I am just curious as to whether or not it is possible for more to be born in a single litter. I will update you if I think of some more questions that have not already been answered by the information that I have found online thus far. Thank you all so much!

-Lauren

 

[Stackie]

First of all, why do you want to breed Alice? Just to get "cute furry babies" is not a good reason. She needs to be good quality and large enough to have kits, first and foremost. Sapphires are a weak mutation and much care and consideration must be taken when determining if they should be bred, and if so, what type of chin to pair them with. Good clarity, good density, larger, etc.

The vet can't tell you anything. Most vets don't know what a quality breeding chinchilla should look like, anyway.

Have you read through our Breeding & Babies section? What about the Breeding Horror Stories section? You very well could lose Alice due to birthing complications, or wake up to find her kits mangled. You also need to have enough money for a possible emergency c-section as they are not cheap. Chins generally have anywhere from 1-4 kits but recently a breeder has 6 kits. 5 kits is not unheard of either. Keep in mind that you may have to handfeed every 2 hours around the clock, too. Breeding is not all about fun and does not always go smoothly at all.

Also, there are HUNDREDS of homeless chins in rescues that need homes- you shouldn't be producing more just because. Breeding, as with ANY animal, should be done for the right reasons..not just to get cute babies.

 

[LaurenMcStay]

I am not in fact breeding "just to get cute babies". I know that there are health risks with breeding chinchillas, and I am willing to do whatever it takes in order to produce healthy kits, so that is not an issue. The reason why I would like to breed Alice is NOT to make money, NOT so I can slowly develop my own chinchilla army, but it is simply because I love chinchillas!

How large should she be in order to produce kits? The vet that I go to is a chinchilla breeder, so she will be able to help me out in deciding whether or not Alice is ready at this point. Thank you for responding!

 

[Brittany]

Has she been shown? Do you know her strengths and weaknesses to find an appropriate male to pair her with?

 

[Stackie]

If you want to breed I suggest you start off with a nice pair of standards. Go to a show and learn what quality is and what to look for in good quality breeding stock. I know PA has one if not several shows during show season. Buy the chins from a reputable breeder and see if they are willing to act as your mentor. Sapphire is, like I said, a newer and weak mute and not something a beginner should start off with.

 

[LaurenMcStay]

No, she has not been shown. I am going to search for different shows in PA right now, so thank you both for letting me know that this would be a good idea before I decide to breed her

 

[EMSChins]

Not trying to attack but I am wondering if Alice has a pedigree and do you know her bloodlines and whether or not there are any genetic issues in them.

Unless you know that a chinchilla has come from a reputable breeder with clear lines and no history of genetic faults then that chinchilla should not be bred as some problems such as maloclusion may not show up for long after an animal has been bred.

Pet store chins should never be bred for this reason, their history is simply not known.

If you already know this information then am sorry for being redundant but hard to tell from your post.

 

[LaurenMcStay]

Alice was purchased from Angie Keffer, a very reputable chinchilla breeder. She does have a pedigree which states her bloodlines. I am e-mailing Angie now to see if any of her parents / grandparents have had any health issues in the past.

 

[Encantadora]

Just as a side comment, working with sapphires is especially tricky and can take more trial and error. Most breeders who attempt it devote lots of animals and space to getting some quality babies. They've also gotten the hang of breeding less difficult colors first. Quality is important and finding the right pairs/developing a good eye to evaluate what you have and what you need takes knowledge.

Learn from visiting an established breeder with animals proven in the show ring. Go to shows, show your chin, and read lots of information on baby care/hand feeding/pregnancy care. Invest in the right cages, a good diet, and get the best animals you can under the guidance of said established and show proven breeding mentor.

It's just the beginning so don't rush it. It took me nearly 10 years to transition from rescuing to starting a small breeding group. I'm currently awaiting my first pedigreed litter from shown adults purchased from great lines. But I've already experienced raising babies with rescue females, medical issues, and have a mentor to help as needed.

 

[mark miller]

Sapphires are a very difficult color of chinchilla to start out with for breeding. They are definitely a weak mutation and do have a lot physical weaknesses that do show up in their offspring when bred. Also, because they are a recessive gene color, you will need more then just one mate to work with them. You should not breed sapphire to sapphire cuz it will bring out more genetic problems in the offspring. You won't be able to find the perfect sapphire carrier male to compliment your female because you didn't produce her yourself and you don't know what all the strengths and weaknesses are behind her lineage. Which means you're going to have to invest in several quality standards and breed back and forth between lines creating different out-crosses to improve quality and trying not to line breed to close (ie. breeding mother to son) in order to produce more sapphires that are better quality then the one you're starting with. This will take time, money, work, and knowledge of desired qualities of chinchillas. This is why sapphires are so hard to start out breeding with. It's not impossible to start with them, but very difficult and you need several good standards to do it right.

 

[ticklechin]

She got the chin from ChinVet, she should have the conversation with her about breeding this chin. Rather than breed, why not do rescue or foster care?

 

[addictedtochins]

I see you are going to college, are you keeping the chins in a dorm room or do you live at home. I ask because you will need a cage for the father so the female does not breed back. Then you may need additional cages if pairing don't work out. You may easily need three cages or more. Why don't you just buy a pair of quality baby chins?

 

[tunes]

I figured when you said your vet was a breeder, and from your location, that it was Angie. I have several chins from her and they are excellent quality.

That being said, I am 100% behind Mark on this. The very LAST chin I would say to throw into a pair, a single pair, especially as a beginner, would be a sapphire. They require a ton of work, because sapphires can tend to be puny, their conformation crappy, and their fur even worse, unless you have a good string of standard carriers to put them with. It is not a great mutation to start out with, especially with only 1 female.

Aside from that, the odds of you having a 16 month old, first time breeding take are not great. Generally you want to put a female into breeding no later than a year. Longer than that and it can be hard for them to conceive. Not always, but more often than not the older they are, the harder it is for them to conceive.

 

[VolunteerChin22]

I agree with everyone else - I have around 20 chins and I don't work with sapphires or violets because they are so difficult to work with and require more space than I currently want to dedicate. We aren't trying to discourage you from breeding but I would really recommend starting with some quality standards as others have mentioned. Once you get some experience and train your eye for quality, then you could start slowly working with sapphires. You would still be working toward that goal (because you will need good quality standards to produce sapphire carriers) but would have time to learn and work up to sapphires. If you have questions, Mishalaa on here works almost exclusively with sapphires, standards, and sapphire carriers and she could give you some insight.