Lucy the possibly pregnant chinchilla

[starrynight0621]

Some of you may remember me. I have Lucy, an 8-year-old chinchilla who could be pregnant. She was last with a male June 21st. We got her from a breeder for free. Lucy seemed a bit underweight and boney when we got her. I am making this thread to get help with taking care of her and her birth, so as questions arise, I can just post here instead of making a new thread every time.

We have been giving her plenty of alfalfa hay, three or so rosehips a week, and a pinch of 9-grain supplement or whole oats every other day. She definitely seems less boney, but not fat at all. Are these diet choices okay?

We noticed her ears were dry and put bag balm on them. She didn't like that!

I keep touching her to a minimum. She loves getting scritches but hates being caught/held. We will work on that once she has babies (if she has them). In the meanwhile, I catch her and put her in her carrier every other day to clean her cage. We have been doing this since June but it is still stressful for her.

We are anxiously anticipating finding out if she is pregnant. We are under the impression that if she doesn't give birth by late October, we are in the clear.

Please feel free to provide constructive criticism- that's what I am here looking for!

 

[Spoof]

Pick her up and put your hand under her. Is her belly tight? Or is it just her ribs and squishy?

If it is not tight by now, and she is as bony as you say, she is not pregnant. If she was bred the day she left she will have babies by October 10th, and that leaves her with only 2.5 weeks to go. Her belly would be rocking and rolling and she'd be peeing huge stinky spots and looking miserable. Chins in that condition usually can not get pregnant as they need body fat to support a successful ovulation and pregnancy.

I'd offer her a mix of hay, not just alfalfa. She is getting plenty of alfalfa from the pellets she is eating. You can give the pinch of oats every day until she bulks up, I know Ryersons gives 1 tsp to each chin daily.

Bee pollen or LifeLine is great to use to bulk up skinny chins as well. Otherwise it is just time... about 2-3 months to really start feeling muscle over the ribs/hips and it sounds like you are doing a good job so far!

 

[Pookinaround]

You know it is funny that you said that as I never noticed the smell before...I have a veeeery pregnant girl right now matter of fact she is MSUN-X27 and I just cleaned her cage and I noticed the odor. It is different.

 

[starrynight0621]

She has had lots of stinky pee for awhile. If I don't give her four layers of fleece, I'd have to clean her cage every day.

Honestly I couldn't really tell whether her belly was tight, rocking and rolling. It did feel firm and I think I felt her heartbeat in it. I couldn't feel any nipples.

Also, since I got her she kacks if I try to touch her sides.

 

[Spoof]

Also, since I got her she kacks if I try to touch her sides.

That's normal, if you take your fingers and touch along the sides or either side of the spine it simulates breeding or dominance. Most don't care for it. Particularly older females.

Honestly I couldn't really tell whether her belly was tight

I'm guessing you only have this chin? If you take a non-pregnant chin you can gently squeeze the belly and it will be like squishing jello. They are so squashy if you get good you can feel the poops in the intestinal tract, or a very early stage fetus.

When they are pregnant, you can't squash the belly like that because there are large babies in there. At this stage, you should be able to hold her and feel the baby move. You'd need to hold her for at least three minutes and put your palm under her belly with your fingers between her back legs. That beat you were feeling was likely yours if you used your fingertips. Chins beat at over 100 bpm resting so it would have been a very rapid and you would probably have to compress a vein. I've never felt a chin's heartbeat so can't say for sure on that. You may have felt her breathing too. )

Some females that have been in breeding a long time can pee a lot, it's the rank hormonal pee smell that sets it apart. I've also noticed if you use shavings turns the bottom ones red or leaves a red film on the pan if they pee so much it doesn't dry out (horses get this in their stalls too). I've never used fleece.

 

[Claire D]

Some pregnant chins will flop out over your hand if you just hold it in the cage near them - if your chin does not like being handled then it's worth a try.
Just pop your hand in the cage and if she's nosy enough she may well extend over your hand to see if you've got anything interesting - it's a good way to feel the belly without stressing the chin or picking her up. You can gently brush the back of your hand against her belly while she is sitting over it.

 

[starrynight0621]

I have both a boy and girl. I felt both of their stomachs and they felt the same.

Also, that is interesting how touching the sides simulates breeding or dominance humping. I never thought about that and always wondered why she hated her sides being touched. I wondered if she had a broken rib or something!

 

[starrynight0621]

Considering Lucy has not shown the symptoms expected, we are going to go ahead and put a Chin Spin in her cage today. If this is a bad idea, please let me know.

I know it isn't the 10th yet, but we have been excited to give it to her. She doesn't look miserable and her stomach feels normal.