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Breeding 101
So,
you want to breed Chinchillas...
By: Amanda M. Watkins
Cross Creek Chinchillas
Things you need to ask
yourself before beginning a breeding program:
#1. Why do you want to breed chinchillas?
Many people make the mistake of getting
into breeding chinchillas for all the wrong reasons.
They often think they just want cute little babies
without thinking of the costs, time, and energy involved
in chinchilla breeding. Others think it would be a good
way to make a quick buck. Neither of these reasons are
good ones. Breeders should always strive to improve the
species, and that means spending money to get the best
animals you can to begin with, caging, feed, supplies
and vet bills. Unless you can afford to have literally
thousands of chinchillas, there is no profit to be made
in chinchilla breeding.
#2. Do you have the space to comfortably
house your chinchillas?
If you breed, you are going to need space.
A room for the chinchillas outfitted with A/C is the
first of what you'll need. Even with only one breeding
pair, it is necessary to have extra kit proof cages on
hand. That means cages with wire spacing no more than 1"
by 1/2" spacing. You may have your male and female paired
together in one cage, but you will need a cage for the
male in case the female turns on him during her
pregnancy. When delivery is near, they will need to be
separated to prevent breed back. Females can get
pregnant again shortly before, during or after delivery
which puts strain on nursing mothers, and kits will need
cages separating males and females once weaned.
#3. Do you have the funds for vet bills
should the need arise?
Most chinchilla births are uneventful and
owners/breeders wake up to dry bouncing babies in the morning, however
there are many things that can go wrong. Breech births can happen and
according to research there is a 50% mortality rate for breech kits.
Sometimes kits get stuck or moms get too tired trying to deliver them and
a trip to the vet is needed. Dopplars, x-rays, c-sections, and medications
all cost money and can be very expensive, especially if your chin goes
into labor in the middle of the night/early morning on a weekend and you
have to see an ER vet that treats chins. In many cases, ER vets cost
triple what your regular exotics vet charges during business hours.
#4. Can you emotionally handle
losing kits or the mother due to birthing complications?
Chinchilla breeding is not for
the soft-hearted. Many complications can arise causing you to lose kits,
but even more heartbreaking is losing a mother. Sometimes a mother can
have a litter of kits and be completely fine and then two days later the
owner/breeder walks into the chin room to find the mother has expired. No
signs of illness or injury are found, but necropsies are showing deaths
such as these are often due to a perforated uterus occurring during
delivery. They are undetectable and only time will tell if your chin's
uterus was perforated, usually death occurs within 48 hours of delivery.
#5. Do you have the time to
dedicate to hand feeding or rotating kits every two hours for the first
few weeks of life up to every four hours until they are 8 weeks old?
If a mother has too many kits to
feed, fails to produce milk, or orphans a litter, you will be left with the
responsibility of rotating or hand feeding kits. This needs to be done around
the clock. You can't just do it during the day and sleep through the night.
These are babies, and like human babies, they need round the clock
feedings. This means for the first few weeks, you will have to set your
alarm and get up every two hours to feed or rotate kits. You will need to
have a job where you can take kits that need to be handfed with you to
work, or work from home (if you chose to work). Failing to stick to the hand
feeding schedule laid out later in this article can result in dead kits.
#6. Do you have an exotics vet
near you with chinchilla experience and knowledge?
You have to have an exotics vet
near you that is experienced in chinchillas and has preformed many
c-sections on chins with a high success rating. Ask your vet! You will
also need to have an ER vet that will see chinchillas during off hours.
Trying to find a vet in an emergency can be very difficult to do as many
exotic vets dont see chins or have much knowledge about them.
#7. Do you have enough people
wanting chins to be able to sell the babies to good homes?
Sometimes you may find you have
too many babies and not enough buyers. What are you going to do with all
these babies? You will need to be sure that your supply matches the demand
and are willing to keep the kits that don't sell.
Setting up your herd:
#1. I always recommend new breeders start small.
Before you go out and spend thousands of dollars on animals, cages and supplies, you will want to make sure that chinchilla breeding is for you. I always say start small with one or two breeding pairs. If after a litter or two you find breeding isnt for you, you can place the small amount of chins you have in new homes and get out of breeding without being out of thousands of dollars.
#2. Buy the best males you can afford and breed them to good females.
Buying the best males is often more economical than buying the best females. One male can be bred to several good females at the same time producing more litters of quality kits. You always want to use the best animals you can afford for breeding as they will be the ones to pass their good genes onto the next generation.
#3. Buy your breeding stock from other breeders/ranchers.
Buying from breeders/ranchers ensures you will get better quality animals, thus producing better quality kits. Breeders/ranchers give pedigrees with the chins you buy that tells the history of the animal. Because the history is known, there is less risk of getting an animal that carries genetic defects you wouldnt want to breed into your babies such as malocclusion or fur chewing. Many pedigrees, depending on the breeder or rancher, will also tell you what mutation colors that chin may carry, giving you a better idea of what to breed it to. Breeding pet store chinchillas is usually frowned upon as most pet store stock are those chins that were not good enough quality to be bred or pelted. If they arent good enough to be bred or pelted, they shouldnt be used in your breeding program, but can make for very nice non-breeding pets.
#4. Decide your breeding room preferencesPairs, Trios, or Runs.
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Which option to use has been widely debated between hobby breeders. Most hobby breeders see their chins as pets first and want larger cages and playmates for their chins, and chose to breed in pairs or trios. This usually makes for happy chins who are more outgoing and friendly. Males will need to be removed from the females cage closer to delivery, thus the need for extra cages. Also some females get cranky during pregnancy and may attack their mates. Several hobby breeders have lost males this way. Runs are generally used by ranchers and some hobby breeders with larger herds. They take up less space, thus giving you the ability to house more chins in one area. Each female has her own cage and wears a collar to prevent her from entering the run and getting into other females cages. The male can come and go as he pleases when the jump holes are open. These can be quite safe for males with cranky girlfriends as if a female decides to attack her mate, he can make a quick escape through the jump hole without her following. This also allows one excellent quality male to have access to several females.
#5. Evaluate your herd and decide who to pair
up.
The best way to do this is to look at each animal individually and grade it. Give it an A, B, or C in each category, A being the best possible and C being the worst. Categories consist of:
Build/Shape
Body-You want to be able to look straight down at your chin from the top and imagine a rectangle drawn around the outside from shoulders to hips. If you can say its a rectangle, give it an "A" ratingif its more like a triangle, give it a "C".
Face-You want your chins face to have a short nose. Look at their profiles.
  
Head and Neck-You want your chins to have thick necks. A bulge on top called a "Roach" is desirable. It should not dip in at the neck.
  
Density and Strength-You want your chin to have the densest fur possible. To check this, blow into their fur. If you dont see any skin and it springs back into place, give it an "A" rating. If you see the skin and/or the fur lays down, give it a "C".
 
Color-Different mutations have different desirable traits as for their color. Reddish tint in standards, black velvets and ebonies are undesirable. White bellied mutations should have bright white bellies. As you research colors and attend shows, you will learn to recognize what makes for quality colors in chinchillas.
Now that you know what your chinchillas ratings are, look at the chinchillas that got mostly Cs and pull them out of your breeding program. They should either be sold, or kept as pets. You dont want their traits being passed on. Take your animals with all or mostly As and pair them up first. Evaluate their offspring at 6-7 months and rearrange animals as need be to compliment each others strengths and build up weaknesses.
Introducing Males and Females:
For Pairs or Trios:
Smoosh Method- I
have found that when introducing males and females in pairs or
trios, the Smoosh Method seems to have the highest success rating.
Start off by leaving your male and female in separate cages next
to each other for several weeks. Let them get used to each others
presence. When ready to officially introduce, do so in late morning/early
afternoon when chins are their sleepiest. Put a small dab
of Vicks VapoRub on each of their noses and put them in a small cage
together. Make sure it is small enough they cannot stand upright
on their back legs comfortably and they have to climb on each
other in order to move. The Vicks VapoRub hides their scents from
one another and by climbing on each other, their scents mingle. Leave
them "smooshed for 20-45 minutes. When time is up, release both
(or all three) chinchillas into a freshly cleaned caged that none
have used before. Watch for fighting. You may notice some initial
chasing and they may even spray each other, but let them be. If
fur starts to fly, separate them and try again the next day following
the steps above. Sometimes certain chins just wont get along
at first. You may need to try again a few weeks later after theyve
had time to forget their ordeal. Other chins wont work out at
all in a pair or trio setting. In this case, you may need to use runs.
Run Method-Make sure all your females in the run are collared and
the ends of the runs are capped off to prevent escapes. Start off
with the doors to all your females closed. Open the jump hole for
the male allowing him access into the run. Allow him access to the
run for 2 weeks, and evaluate the temperaments of your females to
him during the time he is in the run. Chose the female most comfortable
with his presence in the run and open her jump hole first.
Watch for fighting. There may be some chasing, but usually if a
fight breaks out, the male will escape into the run. Within a few days
they should be more comfortable with each other and start snuggling
up together. If they are getting along, one week after you open
the first females jump hole, you can open the next. Open all the
jump holes 1-2 weeks apart from the last as opening all at one time
can often be too much for a male and cause him stress. If you go
slow and are patient, everyone should get along fine.
Hair Ring Checks-Once you have your males introduced to your females, you will need to check your males weekly for hair rings. Hair rings occur when males mate or try to mate with a female and get fur caught around the penis. If not checked and removed, the hair ring can cut off blood supply to the penis resulting in the death of your male. To do a hair ring check, you may need a helper. Have someone hold the male in a firm position that allows you access to the penis. Push down on the sides of the sheath to expose the inner penis. Grasp the end of the penis using your index finger and thumb and gently pull it out of the sheath all the way. Some males can have a penis up to an inch and a half long, so you have to make sure to fully extend it to check for hair rings as far down as the base. If you find a hair ring, you will need to remove it. Many times you can remove it with just your fingers by rolling it up towards the tip. If there is a lot of hair, you may need to use a lubricant such as KY Liquid and tweezers to get it off. Be careful not to pinch the skin of the penile shaft! If you are having a difficult time or are uncomfortable with removing a particularly nasty hair ring, a trip to the vet may be required. This is rare, but it can happen. Once the hair ring is removed, let go of the penis and allow it to retract back into the sheath making sure no hair gets stuck during the retraction.
Mating, Pregnancy, and Gestation:
Mating-Chances are mating will not take place right away. Some females are avid breeders and others need a little romancing from the male. The key is to be patient. If after one year, your female isnt pregnant or littered, you may need to consider introducing her to a different male. Some ranchers and large scale hobby breeders may perform a "swabbing" but I wont go into detail here. I do not recommend swabbing of females to be done by new breeders as you can damage the internal organs resulting in death if not done right. Weigh your females using a gram scale weekly for signs of pregnancy.
If you are lucky enough to witness a mating or find a mating plug (1" long waxy substance that may be in the bottom of the cagerarely found) you will need to mark your calendar for 111 days. Continue weighing your female on a weekly basis and keep track of her weight gain. Most females can gain anywhere between 50-200 grams during pregnancy. If you didnt witness a mating you will have to guesstimate her due date. This is where weekly weighing can come in handy. If you notice steady weight gain, hardening of the abdomen, or elongated nipples, you will need to prepare.
Things you will need on hand:
Exotic Vet and Exotic ER Vets Phone Numbers
Gram Scale
Eye Dropper or Medication Syringe for hand feeding kits
Canned Goats Milk
Gerber Rice Baby Cereal
Karo Syrup
100% no sugar added Apple Juice
Extra Water Bottles
Maternity Cage (if in multi-level cage)
Pregnancy-When you suspect your female is pregnant, you may want to add alfalfa cubes to her diet weekly in addition to her timothy hay for added calcium. Males can usually spend the duration of the pregnancy with the female until she is close to birth. If you witnessed the mating, you may want to separate them 1-2 weeks before her due date to prevent breed back. During her pregnancy, you will want to keep her as comfortable and least stressed as possible. No trips other than to the vet if need be. Some breeders/ranchers will recommend no out of cage playtime and the least amount of handling as possible to prevent miscarriages due to stress. Use your own best judgment based on your knowledge of each individual chinchilla to decide what is best and what they can handle.
Impending Birth-As time gets closer, you will begin to notice her weight gain has slowed down. A week before the impending birth, you may also notice a loss in weight. This is normal as the kit(s) move into position. Other signs of an impending birth are elongated nipples and swelling of the genital area. You may notice she is "open" meaning her vaginal opening located between the cone and anus has expanded.
Labor and Delivery
Labor-Most females deliver at night or during early morning hours. Signs of labor include restlessness, pulling or tugging on her genitals, running around her cage and flopping down, stretching, and starting the whole process over again. Contractions usually begin within hours of these signs. Make sure the male is removed and your female has peace and quiet during this time. Do not try to handle her as doing so can cause complications. Sit back quietly and watch the miracle of birth.
Delivery-When the contractions begin as they resemble full bodied heaving action, she will sit up on her hind legs and groom her genitals as the kit continues to move down into the birth canal with each contraction. She will continue to pull and tug as she dilates and the kits head becomes visible. She will grasp the kits head with her teeth and pull the kit out herself. Once the kit is born, she will deliver the after-birth and eat it. This is normal and natural as it will help give her vitamins and minerals lost during delivery. Once the afterbirth is eaten, she will begin to clean her kit. If there is more than one kit, the process of heaving contractions will begin or continue and the birthing process starts again. When all the kits and afterbirths are delivered, she will clean herself up and dry off her offspring and encourage them to get under her for warmth as they dry off. She will also encourage them to nurse at that time to help her milk come in. You will need to provide her with a second water bottle containing 50/50 apple juice and water. This helps to encourage milk production.
After Delivery Care:
Mother-There isnt much you will need to do for Mom once shes finished delivering her kits. You will need to feel her abdomen to make sure there is nothing left in there by very gently feeling around for any lumps that could be a retained fetus or placenta. You will also need to keep the male out of her cage and refrain from giving her a dust bath for 10-14 days. Males can be returned to the cage if mom allows it after that time, but I prefer to keep the male out until 1 month after the litter is weaned. This gives mom a break and helps her regain strength. Refraining from dust baths for 10-14 days gives her vagina a chance to close back up so no dust gets inside her causing uterine infections.
Kits-Once dry, you will need to weigh the kits and record their weights. Normal weight range for newborns is 40gms to 60gms. You will want to do this twice a day for the first few weeks. It is normal for kits to lose a few grams in the first 48 hours while waiting for moms milk to come in, but after that time, you should see a steady weight gain of 1-3 grams per day thereafter. Weighing the kits and keeping track of their weights will tell you if mom is producing enough milk to feed her litter. If after 4 days the kits continue to lose weight, rotating (if more than 1 kit in the litter) or hand feeding may be required. You will also want to sex the kits and record which ones are males and females. This will help you keep track of who had which weight.
Sexing Kits:
Boys-Look at the genital area of the kits. You will see the cone and the anus. If there is a space between the cone and anus you are looking at a boy.
Girls-Look at the genital area and if you do not see a space between the cone and anus, you are looking at a girl. You will also notice on girls a small line on the underside of the cone that extends towards the anus.
 
Weaning Kits:
Kit are usually ready to be weaned at 7-8 weeks old, and may need a separate cage from mom to discourage nursing. The kits should be able to eat pellets, hay and drink water on their own and still gain weight. By this time, your kits should be gaining on average of 10-20 grams per week. Keeping kits for another few weeks after weaning to be sure they are gaining weight is often a good idea.
Common Pregnancy Complications:
Miscarriage-At some point you may find a female has miscarried. When this happens, you may find a deformed or dead kit in the cage. Remove the expired infant and give mom some time to rest before putting her back into breeding. Just because this happened once, does not mean it will happen again.
Reabsorbing Kits-You may suspect one of your females to be pregnant and may even feel her belly hardening, and then one day its soft again and she has lost some weight. Your female may have reabsorbed a fetus. If you can no longer feel anything in the abdomen, you need not worry and she can stay in breeding. If you think your female may have reabsorbed a kit but can still feel something inside her, take her to the vet to be checked out. Sometimes not everything is reabsorbed and may need to be flushed out.
Possible Delivery Complications:
Breech Birth-Breeched births in chinchillas are often when the wrong end comes out first. The back end and tail are what is presented and it makes things very difficult on mothers. If you notice she is having a particularly difficult time and after 5 minutes from presentation has gone by without the kit being delivered, you may need to step in and help pull the kit out. Be firm but gentle and once out, you may need to rub the kit dry with a small towel to stimulate breathing. Once you know the kit is breathing on its own, return it to the mothers cage and watch for a possible second kit or more.
Non Delivery of Subsequent Kit or Kits-Sometimes mothers get worn out trying to deliver their young or the kits are just too big to be delivered naturally. If after 1-2 hours of hard heaving contractions no kits are born, if contractions continue after a kit is born for more than an hour and no other kits are born, or if contractions stop and no kits are born, you will need to seek the help of a qualified exotic vet with experience in performing C-sections in chinchillas.
Options and Risks:Your vet will probably run some tests to be sure a kit is actually still in the uterus or birth canal. The first thing they may do is put a Doppler on your female to see if they can hear a heartbeat from the kit. This isnt always accurate as it is difficult to find a heartbeat on kits in utero. Next they may take X-rays to see how many kits and where they are in the uterus. Finally, you will be given options as to how to handle the situation.
C-section-C-sections are preformed to remove the kit(s) who are unable to be delivered vaginally. The female is sedated and the vet operates by opening up her abdomen to get to the uterus to remove the kit(s). Your vet may also recommend spaying your female at that time as breeding a C-sectioned chinchilla usually entails all further deliveries be preformed by C-section because the uterine wall is weakened by the incision. Once the surgery is complete and kits are delivered, the vet may give a shot of oxytocin to promote milk production so she may feed her young. Risks include tears in the repair of the uterus causing perforation, infection, bleeding and death. Price for a C-section can range up to $1,300.00.
PIT SubQ-Your vet may recommend one unit of PIT SubQ to help restart productive contractions if a fetal heartbeat is found. If after 20 minutes contractions arent productive, your vet may give a second dose. If production contractions havent started 20 minutes after the second does, your chin will need to be prepared for C-section. Risks include it not working and having to go to C-section. Price for this procedure can range up to and around $400.00-$600.00.
Abdominal Manipulation-If no heartbeat is found on ultrasound, some vets may offer abdominal manipulation as an option or possible alternative to C-section providing they are convinced the kit can pass through the birth canal. They will start off by sedating your female and using their fingers to bare down on the abdomen thus pushing the kit out. They will also use tools to pull it out of the birth canal. Often times the kit will come out in pieces which is why its so important to make sure no heartbeat is found and the kit is already expired. Your female will be groggy and look terrible after such a procedure due to the ointment they use in the eyes to keep them moist during the procedure. Risks include the possibility of not being able to push the kit out, and perforation of the uterus during the procedure resulting in death within 48 hours or so. Price for this type of procedure can range from $400.00 to $600.00.
As with any medical procedure, your vet will give an antibiotic medication such as Baytril as well as a pain medication. When on antibiotics it is important to also give a probiotic such as Acidophilus to maintain the good bacteria in their system and encourage eating. Be sure to give the probiotic 6 hours before the antibiotic and 6 hours after the antibiotic medications for it to work.
Rotating and Hand Feeding Kits:
Rotating-You may find in litters of more than one kit that fighting between siblings is occurring or the smallest of the kits isnt gaining like he/she should. In these cases, rotating kits may need to be done. In this case, rotate the larger kit out to the dad and keep the small one(s) with mom for about 2 hours to nurse. After 2 hours, rotate the smaller ones out to dad and move the larger ones in with mom. You may need to continue rotating kits for the entire eight weeks on a 2 hours on, 2 hours off rotation. Most males make wonderful fathers and will keep the rotated kits warm and cozy.
Hand Feeding-If you notice your kit(s) are losing weight, mom is ignoring them, or the mother has died, you will need to take over and begin hand feeding the kits. If mom isnt ignoring and is still alive, you may want to check her for milk. To do this, simply locate her nipples and feel for the mammary glands. They should be about the size of a quarter and you should be able to squeeze a drop or two of milk out of them. If you feel no glands and cannot express milk, chances are her milk isnt coming in. Hand feeding around the clock every 2 hours will need to be done for the first few weeks of life to ensure proper growth. As kits get a little older they will take more formula at a time and you can begin to go just a little longer between feedings. There are no chinchilla milk replacer formulas currently on the market, so breeders and ranchers have made up their own recipes based on their research and knowledge. The formula most recommended is as follows:
1 Can of goats milk
1 Can of water
1 tbsp of Gerber Rice Baby Cereal
1 small drizzle of Karo syrup
Mix well and heat to a warm temperature. Make sure it is not HOT! Use a dropper to place one drop at a time on kits lips and allow to lick off. This will take some time to get used to, but they will get it eventually. Be sure to wipe the kit dry when finished as it is indeed messy! Continue to monitor the kits weight. You should see some weight gain within 24-48 hours and it should steadily rise as you continue feeding around the clock. Please note: the formula is only good for 48 hours and leftovers must be disposed of. You will need to mix up a new batch every 2 days.
Hair loss in Mother Chinchillas and Bites from Kits:
Bites from Kits-Should be kept clean and dry. You may use Neosporin to prevent infections. Monitor the bite wounds and if you notice signs of infection such as redness, swelling, or pus, you will need to see the vet as this could be signs of a serious infection requiring antibiotics.
Hair loss around the Nipples-This is very common and nothing to be concerned with. Hair loss around the nipples is normal and makes nursing easier for kits. The hair will grow back.
Hair loss on the abdomen-This isnt common, but it happens. Some females go overboard cleaning up after birthing their litter and pull fur from the abdomen. It does not hurt them and it will begin growing back within a few weeks.
Congratulations! You now know some of the basics and possible complications associated with chinchilla breeding! It is recommended to get to know other breeders and ranchers in your area to assist you with different things that may come up during your breeding career. Having a good support system in other responsible and seasoned breeders and ranchers will be of great value to you and your herd.
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