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Post by janicesthohk on Jun 8, 2009 23:27:52 GMT -5
Long story short...I bought 2 chinchillas in early march, and the previous owner told me that both of them were females. But today, one of them actually gave birth to 2 little baby chinchillas...so now, I am just wondering if one of the chinchillas that I bought is male or not  Here are the 2 pictures of the chin (NOTE: this is NOT the one that gave birth to the babies, and it is 7 month old). They have lived together in the same cage ever since day 1... so now I have to determine their gender and decide whether to have them in the same cage or not. THank you!!   |
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Post by tinam on Jun 8, 2009 23:30:21 GMT -5
That happens all the time because females have a "cone." We've posted lots of pictures in the past. I'll let someone who's a better expert comment on yours. I know that we've had more than one chin owner think their 7 or 8 mos. old female was getting a tumor and it turned out to be male parts starting to show.
Do you need help with the babies? There are people here that can answer any questions you might have.
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Post by tagna on Jun 9, 2009 5:49:36 GMT -5
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Post by bethany on Jun 9, 2009 8:24:48 GMT -5
Female.
Is there a faint line down the cone on the side towards the anus? That is my female landmark, and helps when sexing kits.
ETA: If they were purchased from a petstore keep an eye on her as she may older than 7 months and may be pregnant also. Gestation is 111 days, so you still have till early July to be in the clear.
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Post by ♥Pam AB Chins♥ on Jun 9, 2009 9:38:51 GMT -5
I agree with Bethany. Looks like a female to me. You can see her vaginal slit in the pic. If this is not the one who gave birth then you may have two females. Looks like they must have been with a male previous. Highly likely your other female is pregnant too. How are the kits doing. I'd recommend reading up on what you need to do to ensure your kits will grow up healthy. chinsnfriends.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=healthresources&action=display&thread=8378 |
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Post by Mrs. Peeperz on Jun 9, 2009 10:11:55 GMT -5
It looks like a female to me too. I hope you have a baby safe cage. The previous posts gave great links. Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions.
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Post by puddlesandchubbs on Jun 9, 2009 11:15:01 GMT -5
oh wow! Talk about a surprise! We have several members who can help you with the kits, I am not one of them  but I hope everything goes well for you! |
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Post by Carol~Anne on Jun 9, 2009 15:13:17 GMT -5
Before I read anyone's comment I looked at the pics and guessed male. I really thought I was getting better at this sexing thing.  |
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Post by clousert on Jun 9, 2009 17:17:15 GMT -5
She definitely looks female to me too. You can always do a "penis check". That's the only thing I trust for sure. You can find plenty of videos online that that talk about hair rings in males that would show you how to do this. This is how I learned to tell the difference. Below is a link to some pictures that I found online that might help you. But sometimes the space they show for males isn't always quite so large. Hope it helps. Good luck with the little kits. You will have to post some pictures when you get a chance. Everyone here is AMAZING and EXTREMELY helpful with anything you might need and any questions you might have. If they can't answer you, they usually know someone that can. chinwags.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=618 |
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Post by janicesthohk on Jun 9, 2009 19:20:10 GMT -5
Thanks everyone. Mom and I think "it" is a girl, but we are not good at determining gender since we thought we bought a pair of females home. And according to the chart from www.etc-etc.com/calendar.htm, I think my girl mated around mid-February as she gave birth on June 8. Which means, she got pregnant before I bought her!! omg!! To be honest, we were all shocked when we saw two babies!! I didn't know what to do since I still don't have much knowledge of what should/ shouldn't do.... Anyways the babies and mom are doing ok. I ordered supplement online this afternoon from ChinWorld. Hopefully I will get the parcel soon!! What else should I give to the chin mom, she has pellet, timothy and alfalfa hay, and water. I know she and her babies can not have dust bath that soon. But can they have out-of-cage playtime? I still haven't checked the babies' sex. When is the best time to separate them with mom? Is it two months later? And after that, should I introduce mom to her "old cage-mate" (which is the one I not sure about gender on above pic) slowly, like how you would introduce two unknown chins? I afraid they can't live together anymore.... That's all my concerns... so far  Thanks again for all your helpful comments. |
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Post by sillybebe on Jun 10, 2009 1:31:53 GMT -5
What a HUGE shock!! If your baby is actually 7 months old then I would have guessed female as well. My Newton (also 7 months old) is very DEFINITELY a male!!! LOL Good luck with the kits...I wish I could help with the questions, but I'm still learning myself. Definitely no dust baths quite yet and I would think you wouldn't want to overexert with playtime, but Pam would probably know better.
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Post by bethany on Jun 10, 2009 8:30:10 GMT -5
You want to wait at least 10 days before giving her a dust bath. I would hold of on out of cage playtime with them. You can take the kits out and sex them, but they will not enjoy the out of cage time yet, and mom needs a bit more rest. You can play with the kits in the cage. Just put your arms in there and let them crawl on you.
You should wean them at 8 weeks, if she had a boy then he will need to be completely seperated from his mom and sister. At that time assuming the other female did not have any, you will need to do a complete introduction with her and her cagemate. I would leave the cages side by side during the time that she is nursing her kits. You will have an easier introduction that way.
I also would make sure I have 2 baby safe cages just in case. You are right, the female with kits got bred before you purchased her. Her cagemate may have gotten bred before as well. You said you purchased them in March count 16 weeks (or use a gestation claculator). She could go over a week, but she should be clear by then and not pregnant.
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Post by ♥Pam AB Chins♥ on Jun 10, 2009 10:23:25 GMT -5
You need to let moms milk get established well before you let them out for playtime. It needs to be limited a lot until babies are weaned. I'd wait at least a couple of weeks and then the play area should be very baby proof. They will climb and fall so basically a bare small room with a floor otherwise babies can fall and get hurt. I use my very small bathroom with just a few small toys in it. Most of the other questions you hve the answers can be found in this link. Read over it and make up some of the JAGS supplement. The babies will need to be weighed daily. chinsnfriends.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=healthresources&action=display&thread=8378 |
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Post by mistywaterwoman on Jun 10, 2009 11:01:09 GMT -5
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Post by janicesthohk on Jun 11, 2009 22:07:52 GMT -5
Hello all... Right now, all my chins are living in one big cage. The mom and babies live downstairs and her old-time-cagemate lives upstairs. (sorry my cage is not good looking... will make it looks nicer later when I settle down the chin issue. )  The mom acts frustrated when she knows that her old-time-cagemate is out for playtime. She jumps all over the cage, and I took off one long shelf because of the fact she last time she was on the top shelf and reaching to the second floor. At the same time her old-time cagemate was responding her. When their nose touched through the bar, they immediately jumped away, then they both acts like weird... as if they will fight against each other.  I have been worried if they can't become cagemates again after the mom done with the babies. I am thinking about buying another cage for the mom and babies, and move her old-time cagemate to downstair. I don't know if that would work for the mom to accept her old time cagemate once again. Is 21"L x 15"W x 15"H cage a good-size nursing home for mom and 2 babies? Or 24"L x 24"W x 17"H cage is a better choice? Can I introduce the babies to her old-time cagemate? I afraid she would attack them. Yet, the biggest question of whether or not the two big girls can be in the same cage like they used to, bother me since day 2. I feel like going crazy soon. When the kits become old enough to live by themselves, and if the two big girls can live together, I think I will divide the cage into two separate levels by replacing the second floor with a big piece of wood shelf. Females live upstairs and males live downstairs. Is it possible to keep girls and boys in the same room, will the males later on fight for females someday? Here's is a pic of the two babies, I think they are both boys.  |
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Post by The Chinettes & Aimee on Jun 11, 2009 22:24:04 GMT -5
I don't have much advice on kits but I have had a SCARY experience with an extension cord much like in the photo of the cage above. I was lucky enough to only have singed whiskers. Others, not so "lucky"...
Cute kids!!
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Post by sillybebe on Jun 12, 2009 0:59:23 GMT -5
The way I understand it, cage mates can turn on each other for no apparent reason, but throw two girls in the mix (that they can smell) and they are likely to fight. On another note, the kits are ADORABLE!!!
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Post by Inked Up Tara on Jun 12, 2009 6:53:14 GMT -5
I think rule of thumb is not to have shelves in while kits are young, so the mother doest keep to far from them? I would not intro the cagemate to them, I would keep them with the mom only. IF they are both boys I would assume you need to be diligent about getting them seperate from mom and her cagemate when they are able, to avoid accidental breeding. Good luck with the kits  |
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Post by dawn on Jun 12, 2009 7:59:22 GMT -5
Even if you don't think the cord is close to the cage, a chin will still reach it, locate the cord to at least the other wall and tape it up the the wall-I have no cords anywhere in my house that are not taped up so a chin cannot reach-you never know when one will escape and that will attract a chin.
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Post by bethany on Jun 12, 2009 8:15:40 GMT -5
Tara is correct you need to remove the shelves from the cage with the mom and kits. Babies can fall from shelves and die from the fall. You can keep one very low (4 inches) shelf for them for when they get older. I like to have low shelves (No higher that 10 inches) until they reach about 6 months just in case they fall.
Since you have already seperated the two adults, the best thing you can do is to leave them seperated. The mom may get protective over her kits if you try to re-introduce the other adult. No one is going to be able to tell you if the 2 adults will be able to live together once again or not. They will need to be re-introduced and they may never accept each other. Since they have both been in a pair before it is likely they will accept a cagemate once again.
If you purchase a 2nd cage and have the mom beside her old cagemate it will make the introduction easier. I would go with the 24x24, height doesn't matter as they do not need high shelves right now. Leave at least an inch between the two cages for about 2 weeks so they can not bite each other through the cage bars. When the kits are 8 weeks old put them on top (assuming they are both boys). After a week when everyone has settled down then try introducing the 2 adults during playtime.
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