new rescue most likely due to deliver...

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oxchincerelyxo

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Jan 31, 2009
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So I was just contacted by my vet that there was a girl calling looking for someone to give up her chinchilla to. I give her a call and go to pick up the beige girl. She is actually in pretty good condition, on panr and good hay, but HAS BEEN HOUSED WITH A MALE FOR THE PAST 2 MONTHS! She bought the two as a pair, kept them in the same house-and a week ago, the male fell from a shelf and died from the injury. After the vet bills for her male, she decided she didn't want the responsibility of keeping the female :banghead:.


I am almost positive that the female is pregnant, and am a little worried about her pregnancy being a simple one. She is a fine sized chinchilla, but not a big one (which I know doesn't mean much) but I was wondering; Can I take her to my vet to have her pelvis size measured? Or should I just wait it out and leave it be. I don't want to complicate anything if she is pregnant-I've never had a measurement done and don't know if it could be an issue. Both chins were pet store chins, and she just isn't that good quality wise.

I just want to know what I up against with this one *sigh*

Thanks!
 
I've never heard of getting a chin's pelvis measured? Do they do that often?

I would think it'd be best to just leave her be as she'll be stressed from the move and poking and prodding her at the vets won't help. I could be wrong though, that's just my thought on it.

Just make sure she's in a baby safe cage and be ready for if she needs help with the babies.
 
I would think going to the vet would be more stressful than not. I would just prepare for babies. But she may also not be pregnant I have females that have been with males as long as 6 months and are still not pregnant. My motto is Prepare for the worst and hope for the best
 
I've had babies before, so I'm not very worried if it's a regular pregnancy and birth, but she just seems a little on the light and thin side, but I could be wrong.


I figured that a vet visit would just be more stress than anything, that's why I asked...:thumbsup:
 
I'd just make sure she's eating well to put on some weight. If you're really worried about how heavy she is, you could think about getting some supplement.

And check her teeth to make sure she's good on calcium. Growing babies could take calcium out of her, so I'd just check them to make sure they're okay.
 
I'd just make sure she's eating well to put on some weight. If you're really worried about how heavy she is, you could think about getting some supplement.

And check her teeth to make sure she's good on calcium. Growing babies could take calcium out of her, so I'd just check them to make sure they're okay.



I've checked her all out, her teeth are a good color, she eats well, normal poop-everything is good. I think she's just a smaller chin. I hope she (if she is with kit) deliveres fine. She really is a sweet little girl :kiss:
 
Measuring the pelvis is literally the "rule of thumb". You hold the chin by the tail, put your thumb against the bits, and press lightly to feel the pelvic opening (triangle shaped bony structure). If it is smaller than your thumb (fingerprint side, to the first knuckle), she will very likely not be able to pass the kits and will require a c-section. If it is larger than your thumb, she ought to be able to pass them safely. For those with larger/tinier hands, it should be at least dime width wide, and dime and a half width long.

Size of the chin does not guarantee size of the pelvic opening. There have been very large chins with tiny openings, and small chins with adequate openings.

I can't speak for everyone, but until now I haven't used measuring the pelvic opening to screen my breeders. I just learned how to do it this past show season and most of my chins are already proven at this point. I will be using it to screen my breeding females from now on, though.
 
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okay, going by the "dime" size reference, that would be about my tip to my first knuckle (wasn't sure which knuckle you meant at first)

Thanks a lot for that! That's a big help :kiss:


Hopefully it'll all work out...:thumbsup:




Measuring the pelvis is literally the "rule of thumb". You hold the chin by the tail, put your thumb against the bits, and press lightly to feel the pelvic opening (triangle shaped bony structure). If it is smaller than your thumb (fingerprint side, to the first knuckle), she will very likely not be able to pass the kits and will require a c-section. If it is larger than your thumb, she ought to be able to pass them safely. For those with larger/tinier hands, it should be at least dime width wide, and dime and a half width long.

Size of the chin does not guarantee size of the pelvic opening. There have been very large chins with tiny openings, and small chins with adequate openings.

I can't speak for everyone, but until now I haven't used measuring the pelvic opening to screen my breeders. I just learned how to do it this past show season and most of my chins are already proven at this point. I will be using it to screen my breeding females from now on, though.
 
Why do you think she is pregnant? Can you see her nipples? I don't know if there is much you can do now, but prepare and have a vet's number handy with 2 grand in case of a needed c section. It is expensive! Everything should go fine though, I have seen some 350 gram kit rescues have healthy babies, so it is possible. The good food is a good sign, I just don't know why the chin would be skinny if on PANR. They love that food. How much does she weigh, about?
 
I don't know that she is pregnant, but I am preparing as if she is. I am just trying to bone up because I have mainly only had adults. I did have one mom that came in with two kits, one of which died from being so premature, but they were already born when I got them.


Any tips that I should jot down? I've been reading up as much as I can-even if she isn't pregnant; it's still good to get all the knowledge :thumbsup:


Also, I work pretty closely with my vet, and she's been wonderful with helping some of the issues my past rescues have had-but I'm still saving every penny just in case!
 
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