Time to wean?

[jrosler04]

I was reading the FAQ's & saw that baby Males should be weaned at 8 weeks old. My babies are 8 weeks old as of yesterday.

So I guess that means when I get home from work tomorrow, it's time to seperate them from thier momma. She is NOT going to be happy with me! She is super protective & nips me everytime I put my hand in the cage, and kaks at me also! LOL

I now plan to attempt to introduce her to another female & try to pair them up, and then put the kits in a cage together until I decide what to do wtih them. I have a friend who wants a chinchilla, but I am not sure I will be able to part with the boys, being that I have been with them since day 1 !!

I am going to post new pics later this week, just to get someone to verify the colors, I THINK they are both Medium Ebony, but not sure. I am still learning as a I go here... and I definately appreciate this forum & everyone here for helping me out along the way!

 

[oxchincerelyxo]

yes you'll want to remove the males from her cage because at 8 or 9 weeks they can impregnate her. Just make sure they are at a healthy weight and are eating on their own. They should be fine though.

As for introducing the mom to a new female, just make sure you read up on intros and be patient with it. Good luck! can't wait to see the new pics!

 

[jrosler04]

Thanks, They will be getting thier own cage tomorrow. I REALLY hope the girls can get along.

Do you think it would be possible to introduce the babies to thier dad & older brother who live together? or would 4 males in a large cage be too much?

And, at this age, is it safe for them to have ledges & perches?

I am so full of questions. I probably should have posted this under the general chat section.

 

[VolunteerChin22]

I would give mom a couple of weeks to adjust to the absence of babies before you try to put in a new female- assuming you have quarantined this new female already - I have found its easier to reintroduce mates this way.

Depends on how big the cage is - with enough space and airflow and food and water access you should be able to do it. The 8 week old can have ledges just make sure they aren't too high and are spaced well - they are clumsy for a few weeks but will get the hang of it.

 

[jrosler04]

Thanks, I definately do strict quarantines. I do animal rescue, and learned the hard way about not quarantining new animals (we lost one of our personal dogs due to a foster bringing in kennel cough & him developing pnemonia)

ALL new animals brought to our home are quarantined.

 

[oxchincerelyxo]

I have 3 babies who are just a week or so older than yours and they're doing fine with the ledges. Make sure that the spacing between ledges, floor and hammock (s) aren't too wide though. I made some extra hammocks and laid them throughout the cage, but after a week of being in there they've seemed to get the hang of it...for the most part

I agree about waiting a bit for mom. Read up on the intros...an intro done correctly won't happen over night. and post some pics already!!!

 

[jrosler04]

Thanks so much for all the advice! Much needed & appreciated!

I will do some photos tomorrow. I get off work at 2 pm, gotta charge my camera, take photos, upload pics to my HOME PC, then transfer them to a flash drive then onto my laptop, which is the only computer with net access... I live in the middle of nowhere, and we can't get high speed, so I get to use dial up to upload the photos..yay!

I have photos I took about 4 weeks ago, but I will just wait to post current pics, as they have grown SO much!