Craigslist preggers! Eeesh!

[Cass7nova]

Hello all!
**PLEASE PARDON THE LENGTH & GRAMMAR I had a short amount of time in which to write a novel! **

I know it has been a while since I have posted but I've found myself in a little predicament! I adopted a BV female off of Craigslist. After 2 1/2 hours of driving, I arrived at the house to find a beautiful black velvet. The owner then explained to me that she "might be pregnant" because they found out that the "she" Papple ( boyfriend named her because he says she looks like a pear/apple combined for body shape haha) was housed with is actually a "he" . The "he" was a healthy looking beautiful beige ( I don't know if he was a hetero or homo) I'll try to get her to email me a pic. I couldn't back out because she said she had to "get rid of her" that day and I just didn't want her to go to just anybody. She said that Papple was housed with the male Between Nov 12th- around Christmas time. I got her Jan 5th. The seller said she thought she might have found the "mating plug" around Nov. 15th- but she is not entirely sure if it was even the plug. So earliest possible due date would be March 3rd and latest would be mid April if my "guesstimations" are correct?? So she should be around the 70 day mark if that is indeed true. She is significantly rounder than my other Chins,very moody, cleans herself/ vaginal area constantly,and eats significantly more than my other females her age. Her nipples aren't very prominent yet and her belly is just slightly rounder than my other chins. She is "just under or around a year old" so she is a little young to be having kits.

That being said, I scheduled a vet appt. right away and she got checked out this past friday.( She is very knowledgeable of Chins so if anybody is looking for one in Tampa bay/Clearwater area let me know-I'll give you her contact!) The vet thought it was too early for an ultrasound and I didn't want to put her through the stress of an X-ray. HEr fecal was negative and she is as healthy as can be. My vet is a Chin specialist who has done emergency Chin C-sections in the past as well as assisted with complicated Chin births so I am so VERY reassured of Papple being under her care ( She also handles all my other Chins and animals) . She will be on call when Papple goes into labor. She is also tracking the potential pregnancy/her progress by me sending her updates and weights every week or when changes or developments occur. I have her on fruit flavored Tums once a day for Calcium /alfalfa hay for added protein/ High quality Western TimothyHay/Bottled water/ 50/50 mix of Chin Mazuri/Purina Advance Nutrition Show Pellets that I get from Jacksonville Chinchilla Rescue/Rose hips/Chinnie Flower salad also from Jax Rescue. Her appetite is VERY hearty. Should I limit her or let her eat to her hearts desire? The vet said she was fine with this diet. Does everyone agree or would anyone supplement her with anything else? She also drinks like crazy!

I have her in an 18 inch high cage/36 inch length and 18 in width with two of my home made shelves( that will be taken out closer to potential due date so mommy can't escape from nursing kits) ,a little hammock(Will also be taken out closer to d/d) , 1/4 inch wire spacing (kit proof), solid bottom pan with fleece for now ( pine wood chips later), a very shallow & wide ceramic dish ( babies can get to food), and a low hanging water bottle. I moved her to this smaller cage so she couldn't miss a jump and fall. Any more I should add/subtract from her cage?

Papples weights are as follows:
1/8 553g
1/11 572g
1/14 569g
1/23 571

I just shuffle/scoot her into the little weight container with air-vent lid so I don't have to handle her for each weight.

Would this be a healthy? weight gain? How much do they usually gain a week? During their whole pregnancy? I know as with humans it will vary, but what is the average? How often should I weigh? The vet said about once a week. Adequate?

Also, I have ordered online,some from my vet,some from my own stock pile supplies to add to my emergency Chin kit to help with birth complications/ supplemental feeding. I have a question about Critical Care- how long will it stay fresh( un opened bag) ? I have an unopened bag and it says Exp. Mar 2013. Would that be okay to still use during month of march to mid April? I also have supplies for supplemental feeding ,( Including a plethora of never used glass droppers!-If anybody is in need of glass droppers I will gladly send! Just PM me! I know they are hard to find including canned goats milk. I also have powdered. Which would you guys recommend? Also, I noticed some people add baby cereal to the mix. What kind/brand would you recommend? I also have sealed organic no sugar added sweet potato baby food . I followed an emergency kit kit ( get it? haha) from a Chinchilla site( I forgot which one) I could list everything in it but it would take a while ha. Let me know if I should add certain items and if there is anything else anybody recommends to have on hand for a birth. I also have three small critter carriers ready to go to the vet. Vet will be on call for emergency C-section/complications and there to assist via phone as well during the birth if complications arise.

I have been a nurse for 8 years & medical field for 11 years , have pediatric trauma/ labor and delivery /( ONLY HUMANS though, and surgery experience. I also volunteer/ assist at my animal shelter with the pocket pets/feline surgeries/medical so I am fairly knowledgeable of a lot of things medical related. Alas, I AM SCARED CRAP-LESS to say the least! Any pointers/tips/things to look for would be GREATLY appreciated. I would also be grateful if anyone with birthing experience could periodically check back to this thread for updates and for when it gets closer to offer advise,add knowledge, or answer questions. Thank you so much!

But for now, a couple questions:
What physical changes should I take note of and observe?
Any other physical noticeable indicators of pregnancy?
Which do I report to vet?
Weight gain norms? When to panic?
Is it okay for her to loose a few grams sometimes ?
What do prominent nipples look/feel like? (Pics would be great!)
Can far into the pregnancy can she dust/have play time?
Signs she is close to delivery date?
Labor signs?
How much food is too much?
Just for curiositys sake, I don't know if dad is hetero or homo but what would potential kits look like?

I have been going over the birthing/complication stickied threads but if any are hiding anywhere please point me to them!

I will try to get pics up also!

Until then,
Your Chin mommy in training

 

[RDZCRanch]

Stop giving Tums. There is no need for a calcium supplement for a pregnant chinchilla and Tums is one of the worst ways to give calcium. If you want to give calcium, just give extra alfalfa hay or you can give a small piece of cuttlebone. NO TUMS.

No playtime during pregnancy at all. The risk of injury far outweighs the "fun" of letting her run around. She can dust anytime. I have had several females deliver their kits in their dust baths.

Free feed her...there isn't "too much" food for a chinchilla. Unless they have other issues or are offered excess amounts of treats/supplements, they should not eat to the point of becoming obese.

There's not much to watch for. The only time you need a veterinarian is when there are complications in the labor. You should be able to tell if the animal is in distress. Ears flattened, shallow breathing, uncomfortable hunched stance.

Chances are high that if she is pregnant, you won't even see the birth. They typically give birth in the early hours of the morning or just whenever they know you aren't around. Just watch her appetite and drinking, an odd poop or mucusy poop here or there is normal in a pregnant chinchilla.

 

[Cass7nova]

Pictures of mom-papple

Heres mom a bv

 

[Cass7nova]

Heres dad beige

Only pic of dad
homo or hetero?

 

[Cass7nova]

Got it-cut Tums. Thanks!

 

[Zoaea]

I can only answer the question about possible baby colors. =P

Dad is:
Homo - 50% beige, 50% Brown Velvet
Hetero - 25% beige, 25% Black Velvet, 25% standard, 25% Brown Velvet

If she is still young the weight gain can also be from growth, my Black girl was adding size and weight till two years it seemed (albeit slower than a younger chin) and I believe it is normal for growth till 18 months. =)

Edit: also all babies born beige could only be hetero beige from that couple as the mom has no beige. ^^

 

[greychins]

There's no such thing as overfeeding a chin, so if she wants to eat, let her. Most people free feed -- give more food than they'll eat and let them choose how much they'd like to eat. I just fill up food bowls when they're mostly empty. Depending on the size of your food bowl, that could be often or not so often.

The cage you have sounds fine.

As for her weight and weight gain, chins can weigh all sorts of healthy weights, so her weight could be fine for her. Time will tell where she levels off at, but as long as she's eating, drinking, and pooing, the weight she's at is probably fine. As for pregnancy weight gain, it depends on the chin. I've had a chin gain something like 40 grams and pop out a 50-something gram kit. I've also had chins gain a ton of weight and pop out one little kit. My personal 'rule of thumb' is that I don't assume pregnancy until there's a weight gain of at least 100 grams. Usually, by the time they've gained that much, they're in the last month of pregnancy. That's just a personal observation though.

As for weighing her, I weigh my chins twice a month, every 15 days. Everyone does things differently.

As for the critical care, some that expires march 2013 would be fine to use in April. I believe I've read that it's the probiotics that expire, the rest doesn't go bad, per se. So it should be fine for use a month past expiration. Though in all reality, I've never found a need for critical care in connection with pregnancy.

I've never used powdered goat's milk except for in the dry kit supplement. The canned goat's milk should be fine.

As for the baby cereal, I have always used the rice cereal, but the brand just depends on what I pick up. Typically either gerber or beechnut, can't say I've really noticed any difference in kits the mix with either in it. Though there definitely is a difference in their like of fresh goat's milk versus canned goat's milk. If you end up needing the goat's milk, I would see if you can find a local place where you can get the fresh.

As for being prepared for the birth -- often times it goes off without a hitch and you wake up to little fuzzballs walking around the cage. Or you wake up to stillborns or dead kits. Point is, at least in my experience, it doesn't tend to happen when you're watching, so often there's not much you could do unless something was seriously wrong and the problem was persisting for some time. Obviously something like a stuck kit would cause a run to the vet, but many other things are over so quick.

As for your actual questions:

What physical changes should I take note of and observe?

The stomach will feel round and firm. Not squishy. It's easier if you have another chin to compare to, but the stomach should feel rounder the further along she gets.

Any other physical noticeable indicators of pregnancy?

Her nipples will elongate near the end of pregnancy. It's a decent indicator, as I've had some chins that gain a ton of weight after switched to a different pellet, but when the nipples are still itty bitty, pretty good sign it's just weight gain vs. pregnancy.

Which do I report to vet?

Whatever you feel is important for your vet to know.

Weight gain norms? When to panic?

If she is pregnant, she will steadily gain weight. The only reason to panic would be if she started dropping weight rapidly.

Is it okay for her to loose a few grams sometimes ?

Sure is. Depending on whether she's got a full bladder or not, she could weigh maybe 10 grams different. And sometimes the females lose a bit of weight in the last few days before delivery.

What do prominent nipples look/feel like? (Pics would be great!)

Sorry, I don't have pics, but they're, well, longer and larger than they would be earlier in the pregnancy.

Can far into the pregnancy can she dust/have play time?

None of my breeders get playtime, so there's no risk of hurting the babies. As for dust, they all get dusted at the same time, pregnant or not.

Signs she is close to delivery date?
Labor signs?

Some say they see the females laying down more. I can't say I notice that with mine. I actually tend to notice my males in with the females more closer to delivery. But you won't have that to go by, so that's not really helpful for you. The biggest indicator, for me, of a close delivery date is going to be the weight gain.

How much food is too much?

No such thing. Feed as much as she'll eat.

 

[Cass7nova]

Thank you so much! That was extremely helpful!