Author: JoAnn
Of Luv'n Chins
In Season, Mating & Delivery Time
How Can I Tell ?
In Season First Signs ... You will probably notice the male being more 'amorous and aggressive ... the female will probably scuffle with him ... you'll see fur flying ... unless you see blood ... don't worry. Females can become very aggressive in fighting the male off at this time, this is normal.
In Season Second Sign ... You might even get to see the male do the 'Swish-Swish Tail' dance. The 'dance' is where he will move his tail from side to side, do a little hop-hop and swish his tail again. This dance is what the male does when the female is in season and she becoming more agreeable with him.
In Season Physical Female Sign ... You may notice she is in season if you have a real good nose - you may be able to catch a slight smell from her ... mark it on the calendar and count 111 days for a possible birth just encase you do not see anything else.
When in season, the female will have a moisture (with a little red mixed in) on her vagina and it will 'open' ... normally it is closed ... but when in season, it usually remains slightly open.
 
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Tale-Tell Signs After the Fact ... After they 'get together' you may find her removing the white waxy plug or you may find a white waxy 'plug' in the bottom of the cage ... it is about 1/4" x 1" to 1/2" x 1-1/4" ... usually you will not find it ... it can get lost in the bedding and/or it may be eaten by the female. The waxy plug in the picture was partially eaten and appears almost opaque, but is really white and not opaque.
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Weight gain ... Weigh the female before putting her into breeding and keep an eye on her weight ... she will show the most weight gain during the last month.
Signs of Delivery Time ... When it gets closer to her time to deliver, you will be able to feel the babies move ... do not press or poke in the area around where the kits are, you could kill them. If you can get her to sit still with her belly resting in your hand (fingers covering her lower belly) you can usually feel the kits moving during the last 2 or 3 weeks. This is not always an easy thing to accomplish, but is best done with her in your lap, left hand supporting her hind legs and right hand under the belly.
During the last week you will be able to see her teats become more elongated and turn pinker in color.
Usually in the last 24 hours you will notice a big increase in the amount of water she consumes.
Precautions to Take ... The last 1 to 7 days before the kits are born, is when I usually remove the male ... he can not be with her during birth or the first 7 to 10 days after ... this is when he can impregnate her again and you will have 'breed-back'. This is very unhealthy for the female, the nursing kits, and the new litter of kits trying to form. A female chinchilla can not produce enough calcium for herself, her nursing kits and her unborn kits all at the same time ... all will suffer and some may even die.
If, by chance, she delivers before you realize it and the male is still in the cage with her ... remove him immediately and start giving her extra calf manna, yogurt and vitamin C (not a multiple vitamin), just to play it safe. It surely would not hurt her ... I usually give the extra calf manna, yogurt and vitamin C to the females in breeding, while pregnant and while nursing.
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