Male and Female Together

[Chinch&Chilla]

A year ago I got my first chinchilla, a male, and a few months ago I got another because I wanted him to have a companion. Turns out that the chinchilla that the store assured me was a male was actually a female. So now I have a male and female who are genuinely attached and I fear that separating them even into separate cages might break their hearts. My current situation is also not optimal as both me and my bf are currently without jobs and so don't have much money in order to set up a whole new cage as the one we have now (equipt with large metal wheel, hammock, ledges, and toys). I'm seeking any kind of advice on what living situation would be best for them and things I should know now in having an opposite sex pair. I've read that it is really dangerous for a chinchilla to be neutured/spayed. Is this really true? I couldn't bear it if anything were to happen to them. Is it dangerous to keep them together now as I don't know exactly how old she is but I think she is young maybe 5-7 months and many people write that a female shouldn't be bred until she's a year old. Is it possible just to separate them when the female is in heat to reduce the risk of her getting pregnant? I mean it wouldn't be the end of the world if she did get pregnant but I'm not sure I could support it if she kept getting pregnant several times. Any advice would greatly be appreciated.

 

[Chinmama]

Breeding a chin that young can be very costly, even deadly. It would be cheaper to separate them now than to have her possibly get pregnant and have complications (if she isn't already).

How long have they been caged together? Since you have a male/female pair, you'll need a separate cage to put the female in that is baby safe or the kits may be able to escape. Also, if you do not separate the male/female right away they can breed back and she can get pregnant again right away.

She may be pregnant already, I'm not sure how old chins have to be before they can get pregnant. To my knowledge, there really isn't a way to tell if she is in heat unless you see a "heat plug". And, in the 4 or 5 years of having my female, I've never seen one so to the untrained eye, it would be hard to find.

 

[Rickman]

You might find a baby-safe cage reasonably on Craigslist, or if you post where you are, maybe another member can help you out!

 

[Jovi]

If you really want to keep them together i would find a vet very knowledgible about chins and have him neutered. Just make sure they are an exotic specialist and have experience with it. I would hate to separate them too but if you cant get him neutered I dont think you have any other choice. Also it's probably not a good idea to breed them since he is from a pet store. You have no idea his genetic background. I hope she isn't already pregnant. Good luck.

 

[saphire]

I've read that it is really dangerous for a chinchilla to be neutured/spayed. Is this really true? I couldn't bear it if anything were to happen to them. Is it dangerous to keep them together now as I don't know exactly how old she is but I think she is young maybe 5-7 months and many people write that a female shouldn't be bred until she's a year old. Is it possible just to separate them when the female is in heat to reduce the risk of her getting pregnant? I mean it wouldn't be the end of the world if she did get pregnant but I'm not sure I could support it if she kept getting pregnant several times. Any advice would greatly be appreciated.

Yes, it is risky for your female to be pregnant at such a young age for her and kits.

If I were you, I would separate them now. You may be lucky and she may not be pregnant. Make sure the cages are at 1 inch distance approx. for it has been seen that a female gets pregnante thru bars. As mentionned previously, not knowing if she is pregnante, a cage with 1/2 inch between bars will keep the babies from getting out.

If you wish to keep them together, I would have your male nutured. It would be much less expensive than have a new cage fully equipped and/or a vet. bill if things go wrong during pregnancy.

No it is not dangerous to have a male neutured, but more risk for a female like in all species. I had two of my boys neutured and they came out of it just fine. With a bit of pain killer, they went back to their normal routine.

Hope this helps

 

[Brea]

I would definetly get another cage and seporate them. I've seporated chins before and they cope well. It's much better they live alone than possibly loosing your female birthing. You can start out with a smaller cage and upgrade as you have the money. Just be sure that it is a baby safe one just incase she is bred. Check the supply classifieds, there may be a cheep cage available in your area.

 

[NOLA Chins]

Neutering by a competent vet is a routine operation. Maybe 10 years ago it was a different story. Yes there are always risks, but it is proper to weigh them.