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1

Breeding 101 / Weaning early?

« on: April 08, 2018, 03:24:11 PM »

Do anybody have any tips on how to wean kits? I have 5 week old kits. One is 127 grams and the other is 202 grams as of today(April 8Th). The first one had a bit of a rough start, so I had to hand feed her until she was strong enough to keep her head up to drink from mom. Shes doing good now (gaining 2-5 grams a day) and I plan on keeping her with mom. The second kit is a boy and was healthy from the start. I have a extra cage read for him when hes ready to leave mom, but how do I know when hes ready? Like I know 7-8 weeks is when they usually wean, but I don't want to take him out before hes ready, but I also don't want him to get mom or his sister pregnant, because hes already starting to mount them.  I also feel like hes starting to stress out mom because he jumps on her a lot and sometimes chews her tail fur. Shes also slipped 2 small bits of fur from him trying to mount her and jumping on her. He mounts his sister to and jumps on her as well. She barks at him and he'll leave her alone. So any tips or advice and what to should wean him a bit earlier? They are both eating hay and pellets and I've seen them drinking water a few times.

Sorry for being all over the place. I'm just stressed out for mom and the other baby cause I know they are uncomfortable when hes all over them. and yes I know its probably normal for them to do this but mom is slipping fur and making noises at him and I've never heard of this happening before.

2

Q & A / Dusting Problems?!

« on: April 05, 2018, 06:50:50 PM »

One of my chinchillas had kits 5 weeks ago. Anyways I let mom heal for 2 weeks before I gave her and the kits a dust bath, but the kits had no idea what to do. Which I expected for the first time or 2. So my problem is I've tried plenty of times now and nether of them know what to do. Kit 1 seems nervous of it and will not go near the dust house, and baby 2 is interested in it but wont roll around in it. I've been sprinkling dust over them for now and I've tried changing dusting containers. Just wonder if there's anything I could do to get them to dust. I don't mind dusting them myself. But in 2-3 weeks kit 2 is going to a new home, and I don't know if he will know how to bathe by then.

3

Breeding 101 / First time kit owner questions!

« on: March 02, 2018, 03:30:04 PM »

I recently got a second chinchilla and the guy said she could be pregnant, I went out and got goat milk and baby rice just to be safe. So yesterday (March 1) she had her 3 babies. Baby 1 and 2 seem to be twins(gray), while baby 3 is black and a little bigger. I think the first 2 where premature because one was a stillborn and the second came out with her eyes shut, and not being able to balance very well. I weighted them today and he small gray one was 44g and the larger black one is 50g. Which I read is good but at that weight the gray one should have her eyes opened. So I put a warm damp cotton swab on her eyes and she opened them on her own. There was no sign of infection or anything but shes still a little wobbly but is much better then before. I also had her out to feed today because her sibling seems to be pushing her out of the way. I'm going to start them on rotations so I don't have to hand feed, but i wanted to make sure she had something in her today since I wasn't sure if she got anything yesterday while her eyes where closed, and I wanted to let mom do what she needed with them without interfering. I am going to check there weight again tomorrow to make sure they are gaining. So my question is, is there anything else I could be doing to help with the little one? And am I doing everything right?

Oh and mom seems to be taking care of them just fine! Sorry for being all over the place, I just want to make sure they are doing good!