Pairing my chins

[Hannahdear]

I was thinking about this for many weeks and researched, did quiz to make sure my knowledge was up to the standards for pairing two chinchillas. They are a girl and a boy. I have put them side by side for over a month plus a week. I know that there will be mating if I do and have been prepared and have also researched pregnancy. This isn't something take lightly at all so I am going to be careful. I can't take if my chinchillas get hurt, just the other day my male got alittle sick and I was really crying my eyes out. I love these little critter a lot. I will tonight make a play pen and put them together and see how they react to each other's company but if you guys don't think so then I won't. If you guys say yes then I will, not at same night of course and then I will put them together. This is really up to you guys because I love them and I don't want one to be injured because they fought. I could show you pics anything for you guys to get a better picture of the set up I have for them. :heart3:
Thank you all,
Macal:thumbsup:

 

[tunes]

Macal - Absolutely no one on this forum can tell you that it's "okay" to pair your chins up and that nothing will happen to them. Females get beat up and die, males get beat up and die, females die during birth, get horrible infections, kits die. That's all part of the breeding experience, and a risk you have to be willing to take in order to put your male and female together for breeding. There is also the chance that mom won't get milk and that you will have to hand feed those kits, round the clock, 24/7, every 2 hours. That means if you're in school, have a job, are sick, whatever.

If you choose to accept these risks, then put them together. If you are worried you cannot handle any one (or combination of) them, then don't.

Also, just because you have a male and a female, it doesn't mean they should be bred. Have you had them evaluated by a knowledgeable breeder/rancher/judge? Just because they have the correct anatomy to go together, doesn't mean they should.

 

[Stackie]

There is no guarantee that they WON'T fight, and when you breed, you must always be prepared for an injury or death. I have heard horror stories of chins turning on their mates and killing them overnight. Of females dying while trying to give birth, or after giving birth because of complications. The only way to be sure your chinchillas won't get hurt or die through breeding, is to keep them separate.

Edit: Dang Peg, you're quick.

 

[Hannahdear]

I know the risks and have taken them into account even before I wrote this. Do you need more info, you want pics of my set up?

 

[Claire D]

Peggy's given you some excellent advice already but I'll reiterate.

I think you need to do an awful lot more research before you even attempt putting chins together.

just the other day my male got alittle sick and I was really crying my eyes out.

Have a look through the forum and you will see some recent posts from experienced chinchilla breeders/keepers where things have gone dreadfully wrong - resulting in traumatic injuries, death, and heartache for the owners of the chins.
If you can't stand to have one get "a little sick" then you're nowhere near ready to pair them up or breed.

This is really up to you guys because I love them and I don't want one to be injured because they fought.

Oh no - the responsibility for your chins is yours alone - there is no way members of this forum (or any other) will tell you it is ok to pair any chin.

 

[peachydays]

This is really up to you guys because I love them and I don't want one to be injured because they fought.

I second what Peggy and Stacie said. I would also like to point out that it is ultimately YOUR decision, not the forum's to make. We can only give advice. You decide what to do with it.

 

[Diva Chins]

I can't take if my chinchillas get hurt, just the other day my male got alittle sick and I was really crying my eyes out.

I'll be the first to say I don't breed because I took a step back, decided to learn more and buy from good Ranchers before doing so. But, that right there tells me you're not ready. Like Peggy said, females and males can attack each other. Females get grumpy during pregnancy and will sometimes attack/kill her mate which is why so many people favor the run method (Among other reasons) because it's a ready escape for the male. You can also have a female, birth flawlessly, think everything is fine, and then see her dead 48 hours later due to a perforated uterus. One who cannot handle the death of a chin due to breeding should not breed. By putting a male and female together, in my opinion, you are accepting all the risks that comes with breeding.
If any of my information is wrong, please correct me.

 

[SunshineChins]

What about if a mother turns on her kits? Will you be able to deal with that? Any female can do this and if you look there is a thread started by Chinniechantel in which her female turned on her kits. That is not a pretty sight to see let alone deal with.

 

[iayla]

As others have stated - what will you do if your male gets scalped and needs emergency vet help, and then still doesnt pull thru, but instead suffers & dies because of a choice you made.
What will you do if the female isnt ready to mate and the male attacks her? What will you if the female needs an emergency C-Section, doesnt pull thru, and you now have 1-4 newborn kits who need you to feed them, warm them, clean them, help them go potty (they dont go on their own, you have to stimulate them to urinate & deficate).
What will you do if you come in one day to find a mutilated kit, torn apart by its mother because it was stuck during delivery, and she only managed to get it out in pieces?

Also - what are the genetic backgrounds of both your animals? Does either of them have any relatives with Malo, or other genetic conditions. Has either of them ever had a seizure or heart issue? What about their parents, their grandparents? Is there any chance of underlying neurological issues?

What will you do if kits are born with brain damage, and they are unable to nurse, as someone here just recently had to go thru. Its complete & utter heart ache, and all you can do is stand by & wait for nature to run its course. Can you handle all that?

If not, then NO, do not put your chins together. If you think you can handle any of those situations (or possibly a combination of them), then the choice is up to you. Not us.
~Barb~

 

[HedgeMom]

This is really up to you guys

Ok, we took a vote. Don't breed them won 5-0

 

[Parkerspetchins]

I have never heard of a chinchilla "getting a little sick". What does that mean? What did the vet say? Were meds prescribed? Chinchillas hide illness very well, meaning you cannot tell until it is nearly too late sometimes that a chinchilla is sick, they are that good. So, if you think your chinchilla was "a little sick", that means more than likely your chinchilla was very sick, otherwise you would not have had any inkling anything was wrong. I hope he is OK. Add another to the "don't breed" side for me HM.

 

[menagerie]

Ok, we took a vote. Don't breed them won 5-0

Make that 6-0

 

[Diva Chins]

I'm trying to understand your situation better, so I'm going to ask a few questions.
Do you have a job to cover vet bills or a steady source of income?
Does the job (if one is had) allow you to hand feed kits once every two hours, along with the task of rotating, helping them urinate or defecate as others have said, and allow the general amount of time for you to care for baby chins as their mother would?
What are your male and females bloodlines? Will it be a mute x mute pairing with strong enough features to produce good kits or a mute x gray pairing, both having complimentary features in either way? Where their mother and father mute to mute or mute to standard, as well as grandparents?
Have they been evaluated by a proper rancher/breeder?
Do you have emergency items on hand (Such as spare cages, heating pads, eye droppers or syringes, canned goats milk, etc)?
Do you know the proper amount of time to wait before giving mom a dust bath after birth?
Have you read about breech births and non-deivery of subsequent kits?
Have you read up on C-Sections, PIT SubQ's and Abdominal Manipulation, the costs, and risks of each?
Do you have a scale on hand and know the proper amount that kits are generally expected to gain?
Those are just a few questions that come to the top of my head. If anyone wants to add (Or correct) anything, please feel free to do so.
I'm not trying to be rude, just trying to understand your situation and make sure you've done research.

 

[amsue0222]

Just a FYI any time you have a chin paired up, the possiblity is there that they will fight. Also I have just adopted out a chinchilla, She was paired up with her daughter. Her daughter was a year old, and out of the blue decided to kill her daughter. I did not see if for my own eyes, but did hear that it was a BRUTAL attack. They lived together for a year with no problems.
Also, it doesn't really sound like you are prepared to deal with breeding issues. I would be mortified, if I was really that selfish to pair up my chins to breed for my own pleasure and had something go terribly wrong. It doesn't sound like you are prepared for any of it.

7-0

 

[Hannahdear]

They never stated anything, excuse me hedgemother and I have put them together and there was no fighting. I put them in two other cages after of course. One is white and the other one is standard grey but has a personality of a high quality chinchilla.

 

[Stackie]

One is white and the other one is standard grey but has a personality of a high quality chinchilla.

What exactly is the personality of a high quality chinchilla? Does he drink wine instead of water or something? Imported hay instead of cheap home grown? *snorts* Sorry, I couldn't pass that up.

From the sounds of it, these chinchillas should not be bred anyway, even if you are ready or not. Did you buy them from a reputable breeder? Not trying to be mean/harsh/whatever, just being blunt.

 

[Hannahdear]

dad has income to cover bills, my mom and maybe my little brothers babysitter if I ask nicely, not evaluated by a proper rancher/breeder, yet this week we will look into that, all equipment and can pay for every thing and have a scale. I could almost say use to everything. No one answer if u don't have suggestion this is serious and not something to be taken lightly. Thank you all

 

[heymom32000]

What are your reasons for wanting to breed? In my opinion if you have to come on here and ask if you should put them together then the answer is no. Putting them together is a decision you should be able to make on your own after doing lots of research.

 

[Stackie]

You're relying on mom and dad? How old are you? Are mom and dad okay with you breeding these animals and possibly having to pay a VERY hefty vet bill if something were to go wrong?

And you still haven't answered, WHERE did you get the chinchillas from?

 

[Claire D]

I'm not going to get into the "personality" of a high quality chinchilla but ........

They never stated anything, excuse me hedgemother and I have put them together and there was no fighting.

:thinking:That is not what you have stated in your PM to me just now. :thinking:

You've already paired these chins "I have put them together" so you have already decided to breed them...........
:deadhorse: