Well now my dear Gypsy has a cagemate and his name is Chin. He is a cream colored chinchilla.
He is 5 years old and he is now a member of our family.
You have a male and female? Are you planning on having them breed? If so...the cage you have will pose a problem with baby kits escaping...from what I've learned so far...something to think about.
Planning to have them breed is not the question now ... anytime a male and a female are put together, they are in a breeding situation! If neither are sterile, you will eventually have a kit/or kits. It could be 111 days from the day they are introduced, the normal gestation period, or it could be years. ( I have had pairs that mated successfully the first day ... and ... I have one pair that were together for 7 years before they had a kit. They have been together 10 years now and have not had any other kits, but this is the exception to the rule.)
If the cage you have, is the cage in the picture, the cage you have them in is not safe for kits. You do not want to take the chance of a kit crawling or falling out of the cage ... it can die from the fall, chill and become sick or it can easily starve before you find it. Kits are born fully furred, eyes open and playing within the first hour. Momma chin needs to be in a whelping cage when the kits are born and for the first 6 weeks. A whelping cage is no taller then 15" high. Within the first 24 to 48 hours the kits usually climb to the top of the cage. They can climb up, but not down, so when they reach the top, they turn loose and fall to the bottom.
For a cage to be safe for kits, the wire that makes the cage must be 1/2" x 1"
or smaller (preferably 1/2" x 1/2").
You have a lot to learn about breeding chinchillas and possibly a short time to learn it. But, that's why we are here ... to help.
Jo Ann
