Chin Age

[moose]

I wasn't sure to post this in the anatomy category or this one but I'm not sure how old my Chin is. The pet store (which I now know isn't a reliable source) said he was 8 months...but pictures of others look a little bigger than mine...so...I don't know?
Help? Advice?
Moose:chin1:

 

[angels41105]

Really the best way would be to have a vet look at his teeth. Some chins naturally grow bigger than others so size isn't really going to tell you. And even a dental would only give you a ball park, if the vet knows what they are doing....

 

[leni]

Unless you have a pedigree in hand from the breeder with the date of birth on it, it's impossible to tell how old they are. I got my first 2 chins from the pet store and all they could tell me was that they were "less than a year old", whatever that means.

 

[cindyv3737]

There is no way to know with petstore chins. Some are large and some are small. They come in all sizes.

 

[moose]

I wasn't sure if there was...But anyway....thanks for the help.

 

[ticklechin]

Really the best way would be to have a vet look at his teeth. Some chins naturally grow bigger than others so size isn't really going to tell you. And even a dental would only give you a ball park, if the vet knows what they are doing....

I have never heard of chin teeth determining age, can you please elaborate what the difference between young chin and old chin teeth is?

 

[tunes]

Yeah, I was going to say the same thing Dawn. These aren't horses, these are chins. While a rancher "might" be able to guesstimate age (and it absolutely would not be accurate), I'd bet the only thing your vet is going to see when looking at the teeth is that your chin has them.

 

[Stackie]

Aren't their molars constantly growing? I'm not an expert on teeth but I was under the impression that the molars are always growing, which is why we offer hays/chews/etc. to help keep them worn down. If they're constantly growing, there's no way you'd be able to tell age like you could with a horse, whose teeth just get worn down because they are permanently fixed.

 

[ticklechin]

The only thing I know you can tell be teeth is if there was a period of calcium deficiency, it would appear as a white band across the front of the teeth, they are ever growing about 1-3mm a week so the teeth you see today are not the teeth you see in a couple of months.

 

[Isabella Whateva]

I'd bet the only thing your vet is going to see when looking at the teeth is that your chin has them.

hahaha!

Yeah, I wish I knew the ages of my two chins, but unfortunately I have absolutely no idea. My first was from PetSmart and my second was off craigslist.

 

[Ash]

Just because your chin appears smaller than 8 month old chin pictures you see doesn't mean he or she is younger. I have a girl here who is going on 5 and is smaller than some of my younger chins, simply due to poor breeding. Size isn't an accurate way to tell at all. The only accurate way is to have a pedigree to look at.

 

[missjess10475]

Yeah, sizes really vary. My first chin was from a pet shop. Going by sizes, I estimated he was about 3 or 4 months old when I got him. That was 2 months ago. He already weighs more than a female I have that just turned 1!

 

[angels41105]

As far as teeth go, I wasnt referring to later years but a vet could tell you if they are younger or older. This can be done with most animals not just horses. I had it done with 2 chins and two cats as well so yes it can be done. It's easier with other animals who lose teeth like humans do ( ie cats and dogs). No it's definitely not accurate especially after a point because of course yes molars do keep growing.

I dont know the science, however as im sure you have noticed baby chin teeth do look different from a 10 year old chins teeth. There's color, condition, calcium build up and such.

As i've said though it would only be a range/ball park age though

 

[RDZCRanch]

I don't think a vet could look at a chinchilla's teeth and give a good estimate of age. Not all adult chinchilla teeth are the same size or look the same. I have some adults that have teeth that could easily be mistaken for a juvenile's teeth. If your vet was guessing your chins' ages by teeth, I would not consider it accurate at all.

I'll reiterate what everyone else has said. If you do not have the pedigree from the breeder in your hand, you will not know the age of your chinchilla. A 10 year old chinchilla's teeth can look the exact same as a 1 year old chinchilla's teeth. I've compared and so has my vet, there is just no sure way to tell unless you have the chin's date of birth.

 

[ticklechin]

A small 380 gram adult with a calcium deficiency could look like a "kit" teeth wise, there is no way a vet can tell by teeth, chin teeth are "ever changing" and are not in any way a good indicator of age.