cisgendered chin and surprise babies!! advice needed please

[Elaina_marie1]

Hi everyone, i have two adopted chinnies and was always told they were both males. well it turns out one was mis gendered and I'm almost positive babies will be on the way. I have been reading up on all different kinds of websites and books, but i still have a couple questions so i thought id turn here....

1. how long after a baby is born are you aloud to hold/ touch it?
2. i know you have to take the shelving out of the cage so the baby doesn't get squished, but when can the shelves go back in?
3. if the mother can't produce enough milk, what kind of formula can you give baby chin?
4. when can a baby start to eat regular chin food, and should you feed them a certain kind?

i know its a lot, but i want to be as prepared as possible! any kind of info will be greatly appreciated! thanks so much!

 

[Dreamlite]

First off you should separate the chins asap and place the female in a baby safe cage. This means no wheel, no shelves and bars 1/2 inch square. Females can breed the day they give birth so they can not stay together since you dont know when she might be due. Mark 111 days from when you separate them so you know their last possible due date.

You can hold the kit right after its born but its best to limit handling to weighing (to check for growth) for the first two weeks, then you can gradually increase the time. Shelving should stay out till the kit is 3 months old. It should be introduced in low levels till the kit gets better with jumping and depth perception. If the female cant produce milk you can use evaporated milk and baby rice cereal as a replacement. The baby will start to eat adult food within the first week but will need to nurse from mom for 8 weeks. The kit shouldnt be weaned until it is over 200 grams and over 8 weeks old.

 

[Shenanigans]

I've heard that females can actually get pregnant with a new litter 3-4 days before birthing their current litter. "backbreeding" is having one litter right after another and is really hard on the female. Also, males/ females are able to begin breeding at 12-14 weeks. They aren't really developmentally ready-particularly the girls, but it can happen. To prevent these, separate the father now and then make sure to separate the boy kits between the 8 and 12 week mark (I think lots of people have success putting the boys right in with dad. I've never bred, so hopefully more experienced members can comment on that stuff more.

 

[ChinnyChinChins]

Definitely move mama to a smaller, baby safe cage such as a one story cage with small bar spacing so babies cant escape. Don't use shelving until babies are about 3 months old.Evaporated milk could work. Sexing babies is pretty easy. Females will have a vagina, and it should be very close together, while males will have a penis,and then a little below it will be the anus,so the difference is the spacing between the anus and pee-pee area. Seperate mommy and daddy as "back-breeding" can occur.Hope this helps!

 

[Cuddlebug]

To be more clear on the gender differences, both have a urethral cone. It looks like a penis but is not one. On the males, the penis is inside the cone. Males have a gap between the cone and anus. Females do not have a gap and you may see a slit in the cone and between the anus and cone. Sometimes it can be hard to see the slit, though. Just remember, if there is a space, it's a boy. If you have questions post pictures and we will help you out.