Chinchilla Community Forums

16

Q & A / Re: Newborn Chinchilla, mom died last night

« on: July 10, 2013, 06:23:18 AM »

Babies can slip out of an opening that is 1 inch square. You will need a cage wire that is 1/2 x 1 inch to be baby safe. You also need to go ahead and mark your calendar 111 days. She is probably pregnant again if she was in a cage with a male when she delivered.

The secret to telling the gender of a baby is to take the part that looks like a penis and try to lift it as it you are pointing at the chin's belly. If it will lift and you can see a space of skin between that and the anus you have a male. If its just a bump that wont lift and it is almost touching the anus it is a girl.

Here are pictures http://www.lowcountrychinchillas.com/sexing.shtml

I check the day I find the babies and then I check again right before I list them for sale at about 5 weeks. I have been at this for over 15 years and still sometimes the little guys seem to change sex on me. I learned the hard way (I also sold a wrong gender once) to check and recheck. I now even check n front of the buyer and so them as well. It is an honest mistake.

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Q & A / Re: Questions on chinchilla hair loss, pregnancy and blindness.

« on: July 10, 2013, 06:13:49 AM »

Cataracts in chinchillas are not that uncommon and blindness is actually no big deal to a chinchilla since they run by memory instead of sight. (Chins with perfect eyes will run into furniture if you rearrange their playroom) However, cataracts at a young age are rare. I did have a chinchilla many years ago that turned blind in her first year of life. It turned out it was glaucoma. Generally, it is no real threat however, my vet warned me that eventually pressure could build up in the eyes to the point that it caused pain and the eyes would then have to be removed. (The procedure sounds worse than it really is). Hopefully that is not what is going on with your chinchilla but it is something to consider if he is suddenly wiping at his eyes. If they have always been goopy then it could be a sever case of dry eye where the eye just doesn't make enough tears and instead a mucusy film begins to collect. This can also cause discomfort and cause pawing. I haven't seen this chinchillas, myself, however I have seen it in dogs. It just calls for some daily eye drops to help lubricate the eyes.

Ok, enough with worse case scenarios. The blindness could have been a birth defect or a result of extreme kit fighting when he was born and may not have anything to do with the current hair loss. Do you live in an area that gets very humid this time of year? It could just be basic fungus, which is a pain, but it would be your best case since you don't see a vet for it. Do you have a way to taking a picture for us?

Fungus often starts on the face and around the eyes (although it doesn't always have to). It usually starts in a small spot and then grows outward much like a ringworm fungus does. The skin inside the area will loose all hair and the skin will be red and flaky. The fungus will release spores which can jump to other areas of the chinchilla and to other animals and people. You can tell fungus from fur biting and normal slipping because non-fungus areas will begin to show new hair growth within a few days and the skin will be normal. Fungus areas will not have any new growth and the skin will be affected. When fungus is just starting out it may not look like bald spots right away because there is so much hair around the area/s. You have to part the hair and actually look down to the skin.

Treatment is simple but methodical. Visit your local drug store and get athlete's foot powder. (Dessenex or Tinactin) Add a heaping teaspoon to one cup of dust bath and dust them daily. You will need to remove all wood from the cage and keep cleaning the cage and the dust container and using new dust. In about a week you should start seeing some new hair growth which means it is working. You can then drop to every other day. Wash your hands and arms after you handle them and shower after you dust them.

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Q & A / Re: Introducing Another Chin

« on: July 09, 2013, 05:42:25 AM »

Remember that chinchillas do most of their sleeping during the day so it isn't a problem for him if you are gone a lot during that time. The longer a chinchilla has lived alone, the more he will resist a new cage partner. If YOU want another chinchilla then it is worth trying to bond him. If you think HE wants another chinchilla I would advise against it. Bringing in a new chinchilla will put a lot of stress on him at first and there is a chance he will not like the new chinchilla.

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General Chat / Re: new chins

« on: July 07, 2013, 06:21:23 AM »

They are beautiful.

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Q & A / Re: Barking???

« on: July 07, 2013, 06:19:29 AM »

Are you and your chinchilla well bonded? I had a spoiled chin that would cry like a puppy just to get me to come let him out. He loved to be with people. If it is uncharacteristic of him to call and to sit still with you watch him carefully for any other changes in case he may be sick or hurt. (Change in diet, amount/type of poop, weight loss, activity level).

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Health / Re: Choking Sound

« on: July 07, 2013, 06:15:57 AM »

Its time for a vet visit. Hopefully it is something easy. I once had a chinchilla do that and he had managed to splinter one of his teeth. A piece of it was still attached to the tooth at the top but the bottom part was sicking into his mouth. He could also have a piece of hay stuck in his throat. However, it could also be respiratory, in which case he would need antibiotics right away.

22

Health / Re: Hair Rings lots of questions

« on: July 05, 2013, 08:23:47 AM »

It is a good idea to at least take a peek at that area whenever you have him out. Pet chinchillas are less likely to get them then breeding chinchillas (although it is possible). If you notice a change in that area then you will need to do a real hair ring check. The danger comes when the hair around the penis gets so tight that it can no longer function. Urinary tract infections set in, or in bad cases the chinchilla can't urinate at all. Sometimes blood flow can be compromised. Left unfixed it will eventually lead to death.

Usually when there is a bad hair ring you will notice the chin cleaning/biting at the area more. You may also notice that the penis isn't full retracted into the sheath. If you ever notice anything like that you need to check right away. If the ring is left on too long or is really tight, he may need some antibiotics to clean up any infection.

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Guestbook / MOVED: DianeKS from Bel Air, Maryland. Kit colors reverse mosaic?

« on: July 05, 2013, 08:12:43 AM »

This topic has been moved to General Breeder Chat.

http://www.chinchillaclub.com/forum/index.php?topic=4208.0

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General Breeder Chat / Re: DianeKS from Bel Air, Maryland. Kit colors reverse mosaic?

« on: July 05, 2013, 08:12:10 AM »

So both mom (Sugar) and dad (Honey) are white? If I am correct in that you need to separate them. Two whites shouldn't be bred together. There is a lethal factor there so 25% of the babies will die in utero.

If Sugar's sister is a hetero ebony, and they had the same parents, then Sugar carries ebony. That mean the babies are white ebony an so is Sugar. (Ebony is a wildcard gene that can be carried and not shown) Does Honey have pink ears and reddish eyes? If so he is a pink white, and I believe the violet looking one is light tan. Both parents would have to carry violet to get a violet baby.

Ebony whites change a lot as they grow. You will want to take pictures because how they look now is nothing like they will look at 8 months or even 2 years. The black and white will change over time.

Can you take a picture of the babies? That would certainly help.

25

Cages / Re: BEDDING AND SHELVING HELP!!!

« on: July 04, 2013, 04:20:28 PM »

Untreated pine boards are great for making shelves.

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General Chat / Re: My Girls!!!

« on: July 04, 2013, 04:19:45 PM »

They are beautiful!

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Memorials / Re: R.I.P. Gaia

« on: July 04, 2013, 04:19:19 PM »

I am so sorry. I know that she was well loved and that her life with you was very happy.

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Health / Re: Another health question :(

« on: July 03, 2013, 05:39:37 AM »

There isn't a good answer for this question. I have ready articles claiming that they can't catch colds from humans, but I have also read cases where chinchillas did get sick after an owner got sick. I always stick with the "better safe, than sorry" motto. When I am sick I wash my hands before feeding and watering and I don't handle my chins unless it is absolutely necessary.

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Q & A / Re: Rabbit Feed for Chinchillas?

« on: July 02, 2013, 06:01:58 AM »

I also feed the Purina Show Rabbit and have had great results with it. Is see you feed that at the Professional. You need to stick with JUST the Show for the chins.

Chinchillas do have a breed standard and there are are chinchilla shows. They are usually in the winter because it is much safer to travel with them then. There are two major organizations that host sanctioned shows: MCBA and EMPRESS.

Standards are still based on pelting guidelines. The shoulders should be as wide as the hips. The fur should stand up straight all over the body with no lay down around the hips, no swirls, parts, ect. (Although you will see parts in the fur while they are out of prime) You only want to show a chinchilla when it is in full prime, and the best is its first prime at around months.

There are all sorts of color rules depending on the color of your chinchilla but all should have a blueish tinge under light. Yellow or red is bad.

Here is an article I wrote awhile back that goes over the basics. http://www.lowcountrychinchillas.com/0804pair2.shtml

You might also find this one helpful http://www.lowcountrychinchillas.com/fur.shtml

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Q & A / Re: Reintroducing male to female after weaning babies

« on: June 25, 2013, 10:33:20 AM »

The boys need to leave mom before 3 months of age so there is no breed back. Have you tried introducing mom and dad in a neutral place like your bathroom?