::silly:: Hi Luann,
Welcome to the Wonderful Crazy World of Chinchillas!
... I am new to the chinchilla world.... I picked up my very first chin on Aug 20... I have done research on chinchillas and I think I am going to start breeding them. On Aug 23 I picked up 4 more chinchillas (3 females and 1 male)... I handle them once a day so they will learn that it is I that needs their love ::silly:: The lady that I bought the 4 chins from said that the beige chin is pregnant and should be giving birth sometime in September. I would love to become a registered breeder, but I am unsure how to go about it..... any helpful tips?? Also, is there really a high demand for chinchillas? Like I stated before, I really would love to breed them, but then again I do not want to end up with 50 chins running about.
You are taking on some mighty big responsibilities when you become a breeder. They can live to be 20+ years old, that's a long-term obligation.
How old are your chinchillas?
Do you have them caged separately, or together?
The beige one that is pregnant, do you have her in a separate cage away from the others?
What size is the wire on the cage that you have the pregnant female in?
The chinchilla is relatively new to the pet world. There is much to be learned about it. Most people that see a chinchilla thinks it's cute. When they touch it ... they are in aw at how soft the fur is. But most people do not know much more than that about a chinchilla.
If you want to breed for the money in it, you will be very disappointed. If your chinchillas are properly cared for, they cost you more (money-wise) than you will ever make off of them. With new breeders joining the ranks daily, many of which know very little ... compaired to what they need to know.
Sadly, the price and quality of chinchillas will be/are going down. Sad about the price going down has nothing to do with income and everything to do with it. If a person can not afford to pay much for a chin, how are they going to afford the exotic pet vet bills, should it become ill?
If you are thinking about breeding, keep in mind you are responsible for where you place your chins and for the proper education on chinchilla care of the new chin owner.
You might want to read: Do You Have What it Takes?
At: http://www.geocities.com/jobernstein1949/ I like to see someone go into breeding with their eyes wide open, so they will not go into shock afterwards.
::wave::
Jo Ann