Author: JoAnn
Of Luv'n Chins
Do you have what it takes to be a breeder?
There are many pros and cons to being a breeder and MANY things that need to be considered BEFORE deciding to become a breeder. I am going to be very blunt in what I say, but, for all the chinchillas of future breeders, I feel this is necessary. I will start with the hard questions you must ask yourself, and then go to the questions on the better side of breeding.
(1) Do you have the love of animals (particularly chinchillas) it takes to be a dedicated breeder?
Don't answer that question to quickly ... as chinchilla owners, we all feel we have an abundance of love for chinchillas and that it would be absolutely wonderful to have as many of these furry, loveable creatures around us as possible all the time. It is wonderful, but there are sacrifices that go along with the rewards. Are you willing to give up your yearly vacations for them? They can not safely be left for more than 2 or 3 days alone. Are you willing to go through the heartbreak of raising one only to adopt it out? Can you handle the heartbreak of having still-born kits, kits that only live a few days, or having to put one down? This is a reality you will have to face, should you become a breeder of chinchillas. Are you willing to see one dying and know all you can do is hold it and comfort it, then bury it? Often they will hide their illnesses until it is or is almost to late to save them. Are you willing to bottle feed a kit (or kits) every two hours around the clock for days, sometimes even weeks, to assure it just a possibility of surviving? On occasions a momma chin will not survive the birth of her kits, or will give birth to more kits than she is able to feed and care for herself. All of this goes along with breeding chinchillas. Note, I ask if you have what it takes to be a DEDICATED breeder, not just a breeder. If you don't, do not consider breeding, it's not for you.
(2) Are you ready for the costs of breeding chinchillas?
You have to consider the price of the chinchillas, the food, the cages, bedding, vitamins, supplements, water bottles, feeding bowls, lava stones, chew sticks, hay and vet visits. None of these are cheap, especially when the prices are multiplied by the number of chins you have and the months in the year.
The price of cages and the space they take up is a big item on the agenda and more than one cage will be necessary for each breeding pair. The parents must be separated before or during birth of the kits and after the kits are born. By the time the kits are 12 weeks old, they will have to be separated from the parents and possibly from each other, should there be both male and female kits.
The bills from an exotic pet veterinarian are not cheap and with a chinchilla, this is who is necessary for the proper care of your chin. Chinchillas can get sick quickly and must have the proper care immediately. Can you afford these unexpected bills, especially knowing it very well may not survive?
(3) Do you think you can make a lot of money off of raising chinchillas?
Forget that idea. Chinchillas do not reproduce like gerbils, hamsters and other animals. Some chinchillas do not produce at all or will take several years before they do produce. They have only one or two litters a year and have, as a rule, only one or two kits per litter. The kits that are produced and sold will barely cover the costs of raising and feeding them and the parents. Unless ... you have a large number of chinchillas (over 100) and can breed them in runs instead of pairs. Of course, this takes the out-lay of a large amount of money on the front end. I have been breeding for several years and have yet to use anything but red ink on the bottom line. But I breed because I love chinchillas and enjoy them tremendously. I am retired and spend the majority of my time with them and/or learning about them (at least 12 to 14 hours a day as a rule). They give me an added purpose in life and a way of feeling useful.
(4) Are you willing to take the time (or do you have the time) that it takes to be a dedicated breeder? Do you have the time to help those who get one of your chins, then run into problems with it?
If you have a full time job ... it is doubtful that you would have the needed time it would take to properly raise a large number of chinchillas or have the time and energy to help those same chins and chin owners after the little ones have left you. You have family that will help you care for them. Great ... if ... they want to dedicate themselves and their free time to help you raise chinchillas ... but ... they have a life of their own, too, and may not always be available when needed.
(5) Are you willing to take the time to study and learn about these wonderful little creatures?
As a breeder, it is your duty to learn all you can learn about chinchillas. To learn what is safe and healthy for them. What they can and can not have to eat. Equipment that is safe or not safe for them. To learn the genetics of breeding so that you do not breed chins with lethal factors to each other or color combinations that will give the kits a 'drab' look. Learn how to breed the highest quality chinchillas possible ... not only for your benefit, but mainly for the benefit of the future quality of and quality of life for the future generations of these chinchillas. Learn to know the signs of illness in a chinchilla. Know that it is their nature to hide their illness. All of this takes many hours, weeks, months and even years to learn. For everything you do not know, it could cost the life of a chin. Every time you fail to check on each and every chinchilla in your herd, it may prove detrimental to one or more of them. This is a huge responsibility.
(6) Who are you going to sell your chinchillas to?
A better question may be, who are you willing to sell your chins to? When you have to consider the time, the investment of your money, love and time you have given these darling little fur balls ... who will you allow to have the responsibility of their future? Something to think about, isn't it? If they have other animals or situations that may endanger its safety, are you willing to say 'No' to a big sale? In my opinion, if you can not say no, you do not deserve the privilege of raising chinchillas. Sorry if that offends you, but with me, the chinchillas come first.
(7) How much time is involved in raising chinchillas?
The simplest answer is ... how much time do you now spend with your each of your chinchillas? Multiply that time by the number of chins you intend to raise. Do you have that much time to spare?
(8) What are the rewards of raising chinchillas?
All the laughter you can handle as you watch their antics.
The amazement of how different each and every one of them is.
A restful night's sleep after allowing them to help melt your troubles of the day away.
The amazement you feel each and every time you see a new life come into this world.
Watch a caring mother raise her little one(s) in such a loving way.
All the special things that make a chin special.
The delightful smiles of the new adoptive parents as they hold their new little ones for the first time.
The follow up e-mails with tales of their antics for that day or week.
The beautiful pictures you receive as they grow up and as you keep tabs on them.
The most delightful satisfaction you feel when you know you know you have helped make just one small part of this world a better place to live. :)
(9) Why become a breeder?
For yourself ... to feel you have accomplished something others may not be able to do in the same way.
For others ... to spread the love and laughter they are missing or need more of in their lives ... non of us have enough of that.
(10) Why am I a breeder?
Because I enjoy it ... if it ever becomes a 'job' ... then, I will no longer be a breeder.
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