| Things to know about your pet chinchilla |
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| Disclaimer - The following information is provided by the site owner as the practical application of chinchilla husbandry as I have learned it, in theory and practice. There is no warranty or liability for the contents of these pages. It is my opinion and is merely offered as a suggestion or possible solution. All information is solely that of the site owner and no ammends will be made. |
| Reproduction - Part 2 - work in progress |
| So, what is the next step? Now that you have a better idea of what breeding chins is all about, we can go to the 2nd step. If you think you can make money breeding chins, you need to hit the back botton and forget going any further. So, the only reason to breed is to work towards improving the species and working to maintain/improve the line we already have. Now, you must locate the best stock you can possibly afford. While this may seem hard to justify, you will reap the rewards in your breeding program. Along with finding the quality breeding stock you require, you will also want to make connections with other breeders and establish mentors in the industry/hobby that you can trust and work with... the more varied this group is, the better "feel" you will develope for what is truly a quality animal, and what animals are just meeting minumum standards. You will cultivate your "eye". The best way to make contact people with which share this like-minded goal is to find chinhilla shows, group clubs and international clubs like MCBA and ECBC. (mutations chinchilla breeders association and empress chinchilla breeders cooperative). You will need to become familiar with the Standards of Perfection in order to set your own breeding goals to begin your own breeding program. Keeping an open mind and keep learning. Do not become 'barn blind", meaning do not only see what you have in your breeding stock, but look for what is lacking, what the strengths and weaknesses are in each animal, each mating and in each resulting offspring. If finding local chin shows and breeders is just not possible, look to the internet and find those groups, clubs and sites that can help you. When pairing aniamls for breeding, you need to follow basic introduction guidelines already set forth. When working on getting the best and most from your breeding quality chins it is best to wait until the females are 10-12 months of age before they take to living with the male. Some breeders will tell you 8 months for the females, but I feel this is too early since some will become mothers before they are one year old. On most mutation colors it is best to wait until well over a year to start females into breeding. Black Velvets and Ebony are some of the slowest maturing, with BV(tov) being the slowest maturing and slowest breeding. I won't breed any TOV female until she is at least 16-18 months. Males should not be used too young on the chance this could affect their longevity of breeding abiltiy. I recommend not starting any male into breeding before 8-10 months, and only use him with one female until he is at least 14-18 months. Chins can breed as early as 3-6 months old, but this is NOT recommended. They need time to mature both physically and mentally. Young females are in a bigger danger of getting bred by an adult male in the cage (father x daughter) then a son breeding with a sister or his mother. But anything is possible. Keep this in mind when housing your chins together. A female can have 2-3 litters a year, but again this is not the best and most breeders will only allow 2 litter a year, or maybe 3 litters in a 20-24 month time frame. A female can be inpregnanted right after giving birth. I have heard the time frame of 4 hours to 4 days, but personal experience tells me that the male can get the deed done right after the birth. Bred-backs are not recommended and pairs should be separated prior to the arrival of the litter. If the female surprises you with a litter and the male is present, promptly remove him when ever possible . Chin males are great fathers, and really enjoy their offspring. It is best to keep him very close to the rest of the family and even allow supervised visitationwith the babies at first. Once they are familiar with each other, it is nice to allow this time for an hour or two each day. Keeping the pair close to each other also allows for the bond to stay strong. |
| Hit NEXT to go on to Reproduction Part 3 |