Written By Amanda Dean-Wilson
of Fuzzy Chins
Father’s Perspective on Pregnancy
Joey’s Story
There is nothing more exciting than the arrival of chinchilla kits into the world. The growing anticipation over the very long 111 days, and the worry about the health of the kits and the mother is very emotional for an owner, the soon to be mother and the soon to be father. Our focus is usually directed more on the soon to be mother, especially if it’s her first litter. We as owners wonder how she will carry the kits, will she be a good mother after they are born, will it be a difficult labor and will she produce enough milk? Her body is going through so many changes and stresses, and we want her and babies to be healthy and happy. However, with one pair of chinchillas that we own, our focus is not only on the mother, but also on the father.
Let me introduce you to Joey and Raven. Joey is our handsome 2-year old heterozygous beige chin. He has always been extremely laid back, so sweet and willing to get along with any other chin or any human. Raven, his 2-year old homozygous ebony mate, is just the opposite. Her energy level is never low; she has so much spunk and can be extremely feisty. We were thrilled on November 3, 2003 to find a mating plug inside of their cage. I immediately made notes in our calendar that Raven would be due on February 23, 2004 if the mating was a success. I couldn’t wait to see what color kits they would have and what their little personalities would be like.
From November 3rd, I started to keep a daily log of Raven’s weight gain. I wanted to monitor her closely, especially since this was her first litter. I started to see her gain a few grams here and there and her mood swings could not go unnoticed. Joey also noticed the drastic change in his cage mate. She became extremely irritable during the first month, nothing satisfied her. I am sure she was confused with the hormones racing. Joey didn’t know how to please her anymore….he tried grooming her, snuggling with her and just letting her be, but he too, seemed very confused and unable to deal with the changes. I noticed in December during a nightly weigh in of all the chins, Joey’s weight had plummeted. He was full of energy, actually more wild than I had ever seen him. During playtime, he would race around trying to avoid Raven. Raven was doing great, she was gaining weight at a great rate and starting to settle into her new role as a pregnant mom. I started to monitor Joey more closely. His weight continued to decline, but the energy was still there and his poo’s were normal. I observed Joey and Raven’s interaction in their cage. Joey was refusing to eat, leaving all the food for Raven to eat. He wanted out of the cage whenever I walked by. Raven was not harming Joey nor was she barking at him by this point. It was almost like Joey thought for Raven’s health and for the kits health, he needed to sacrifice his food for them, even though there was enough food for all of them. I became extremely concerned when Joey’s weight reached 500g and his bones were showing. I began to supplement him with nutri-cal in a critical care diet. He loved the mix and ate it up every night like a ravenous animal.
To be on the safe side, I took Joey to see our vet, Dr. David, to reassure myself that an underlying cause was not lurking. Joey got two thumbs up from Dr. David from his nose to his tail. I was relieved but still anxious about his lack of eating.
I was still feeding Joey critical care, but also wanted to try to encourage him to eat on his own. It was a juggling act that I was not winning. One night, Joey’s lack of eating caught up with him. During playtime, Joey had a seizure. I had never seen one of my chins have a seizure before, so I was very scared. The seizure lasted about 10 minutes, and I just held Joey’s head and talked to him quietly until he came out of it. He was back on his feet 10 minutes later like nothing had happened. I knew it had to do with his hunger strike and then racing around like he had the energy to do so. Separating him from Raven didn’t work either; he was intent on not eating until his babies were born. I knew from this point on, February 23rd would take forever to arrive.
Over the course of the final month and a half of Raven’s pregnancy, Raven gained a total of 250g. Near the end of her pregnancy, she was so large, she didn’t move around too much. She was comfortable just to snuggle with me and give me kisses. Joey on the other hand, continued to loose weight. Despite the extra feedings and providing nutri-cal, which he ate happily, Joey lost over 100g by the end of Raven’s pregnancy. He also had another seizure that I observed about 2 weeks before Raven was due. Joey was there for Raven to sleep on during her last month and he always put her needs ahead of his own.
On the morning of February 20, 2004, Raven delivered triplets, 2 boys (one pastel “Kody” and one medium hetero ebony “Chula”) and one girl (light hetero ebony “Sadie”). Raven had her hands full by herself in the maternity cage, especially because Sadie was just like Raven….wanted to be the boss of her younger brothers. Raven produced enough milk for of them and was a very attentive mother. Joey was introduced one night in the playpen to his beautiful children and was immediately the attentive caring father I knew he would be. He let them climb all over him, nibble on his ears and he even let them attempt to nurse (of course the kits had the big surprise when they couldn’t find Joey’s nipples).
A week after the birth of their triplets, Joey started to eat on his own and pack back on the weight that he had lost. There was no need for my supplemental feedings and my vigilant watch over him. Joey had a healthy and happy family and was a very proud poppa!
A mother chin has many things happen to her when she is pregnant. The changes in her body can take a great toll on some mothers and it is definitely not an easy job. However, I have learned not to overlook the father, his feelings and the changes that he may be experiencing. I am so blessed to have Joey as my child, but also because he is such a great mate for Raven and a great father.
We are pleased to announce that Joey is a daddy again as of August 17, 2004. Raven’s second pregnancy went much smoother than the first. Joey did not drop any weight, but still went the extra mile to take good care of Raven. I think we can all relate to Joey’s anxiousness about becoming a parent for the first time. Now I guess he has figured this parenting thing out and is looking forward to spoiling his two new little girls, Godiva and Kahula.
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