Another reason to choose a reputable breeder is that they know how to care for and handle baby chinchillas. It is a part of the process, and each chinchillas behavior varies depending on the type of environment in which they live. Chinchilla births usually last about half an hour. The problem is even worse if they're kept on the platforms in the cage, as they can fall off and hit your pet on the head. If you'd like to chat about chinchillas, contact me through our contact form! WebA mother is very protective of her kits and can be aggressive toward those that threaten her babies. They are smaller and more vulnerable, but also more active, and surprisingly quick. House baby chinchillas in a small cage where there will be less room for them to run, jump, and possibly get hurt. Baby chinchillas rely on their mothers for the first eight weeks of their The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational and entertainment purposes only. Chinchillas are very delicate animals and they can be easily injured. Hand feed those that lag behind. WebDo NOT give the mother any dust baths till AT LEAST 2 - 2 and a half weeks after the birthing of the chinchilla. Why or why not? A litter of two or more chinchillas, also known as kit chinchillas, is common in chinchillas. On average, mothers give birth to 2 to 4 kits per litter. During playtime, they would rather run around and climb all over you than be still. Grass hay (such as Timothy hay or other low calcium hays such as orchard grass, oat hay, or meadow hay) is a good choice for Chinchillas if they require a high fiber diet. Dont put the father with its offspring of the opposite sex. Chinchillas are thought to be smarter than rabbits and can be taught to play with humans. Feeding the Newborns This is almost always a job reserved just for mama chinchilla. You shouldn't cut any nutrient out of your chinchilla's diet, be it fat, carbs or protein. Speak to your chinchilla in a soft, comforting voice, but do not try to touch him. The best time to see if a chinchilla will like to cuddle is after its weaned from its mother, at about 8 weeks. A good way of telling whether a kit is likely to survive is through looking at its tail. Ensure that you are grab it at the base of the tail, near the butt of the chinchilla. The kit will be followed by its placenta. A Chinchilla father is a good parent who can care for his children. Here are some things to keep in mind when you are a new chinchilla parent: Chinchillas are nocturnal animals, so they will be most active at night. Furthermore, if the baby is unable to move or run at the same speed as predators in order to escape, he or she may become a danger while out looking for food. It means that the chinchilla thinks its life is in immediate danger. Before the female gives birth, you must separate the male and the female. If the kit is ill, contact a veterinarian to get the problem fixed. In some of the answer explanations, you will find links that will take you to more reading materials. If you feed it enough, it can catch up to its peers and become a normal sized adult. Newborn chinchillas weigh between 30 and 60g. You are increasing your chances of your chinchilla looking forward to getting picked up and held, which is a good thing. They use their mouths to explore their environments and may nibble anything that it comes in contact with, including humans. mypetsfamily.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. In between ten weeks observe them by weighing, handling and feeding. Baby chinchillas should only be given a small amount of food at a time. One exception is if the chinchilla kits are orphaned. Chinchillas are social animals, and model their behavior on their parents. A larger kit at birth has the best chance of survival in adulthood. Depending on the age of the animal, the kits should be fed every 2-3 hours. Chinchillas are omnivores. Hi, my name is Jamie. baby chinchillas will need to remain with their mother for roughly 12 weeks, Chinchilla Sneezing (What It Means & What You Need To Do), What Foods Are Poisonous To Chinchillas? By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. They can be sick if you dont care for chinchilla kits properly. Remember that chinchillas are sensitive and curious creatures, and leaving them alone, even in a chinchilla-proof area, can be potentially harmful. The mother chinchilla will still discharge the baby chinchilla into small pieces that will be visible inside the cage if this occurs. No, this does not mean that the individual care and attention end at this time for the baby chinchillas. If your Chinchilla has a lack of milk, it can be treated by handrearing the babies and feeding them replacer milk. We would love to hear your thoughts in our comments section below! Giving you the information you need about interacting with chinchillas. Chinchillas are thought to be smarter than rabbits and can be taught to play with humans. Overfeeding your chinchilla can be very dangerous and will likely cause your chinchilla to become sick in a hurry. Doing so would choke it. A chinchillas tiny feet can easily get caught on the bottom or sides of a cage, which is why they are called baby chinchillas. Petsmart has both male and female chinchillas. Then set it down. It makes sense to pay attention to their sleep cycles because they spend the majority of their time asleep. When hand fed, the young kits are also at risk of dying due to malnutrition. When the kits are born, the mother bathes them in their own urine. They will be less defensive when fully grown. A variety of questions are asked, and each answer is explained. Be careful when opening the cage door as baby chinchillas can move very fast and may escape. This can result in inbreeding. She is an excellent parent who supplies the young chinchillas with milk, warmth, and protection. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The placenta is typically eaten by the mother after the baby is born. When you pick up your baby chinchilla ask the breeder to show you the best way to handle them. Yes, baby chinchillas like to be held. If a child does want to hold a chinchilla, be sure to show him how to hold a chinchilla correctly. However, in captivity, you control what the kits can and cannot do. 1. WebUnlike other species, chinchilla parents will NOT reject their young if they smell human scents on them. Keep track of the weights of your kits either by writing them down or noting them in a spreadsheet. The mother will initially be nervous if you try to take the kits away, and the kits will be nervous at first too, so only move at their pace: not yours. Monitor the kits weight regularly to ensure that this milk is enough to keep them healthy. WebNo, chinchillas are not hard to take care of. After the 2 weeks, I would give the mother a dust bath, yes. Chinchilla require about 16 hours of sleep per day to stay healthy and active. 1 How To Take Care Of A Chinchilla (Chinchilla Care 101) 1.1 Top 5 Tips For Providing Great Chinchilla Care 1.2 Proper Diet And General Nutrition 1.2.1 Proper Weight And Limiting Treats 1.3 Plenty Of Fresh Water Is Essential 1.4 Habitat And Choosing The Best Chinchilla Cage 1.4.1 Cage Size Matters 1.4.2 Keep The Cage Clean For Your As a result of her presence, they gain skills such as behavior and socialization. Long-tailed chinchillas are lighter than short-tailed chinchillas. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. Guinea pigs take 59-72 days, while hamsters take only 15-16 days. It is best not to feed a chinchilla hand-fed food before he is able to eat it, as choking can occur, and inhaling food can cause fatal pneumonia. The larger the kit at birth, the more likely it will survive to adulthood. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. It is critical that they be kept in a large cage as well as supervised outside. As the baby emerges from the birth canal, it is actually pulled out by the chin. In between ten to twelve weeks, give them hay and pellets for the mother and kits to encourage to wean after the kits stop drinking mothers milk. Do not squirt the milk into its mouth. Between 8 and 12 weeks, the kit will wean entirely off milk and only eat adult food. Housing Adult chinchillas have sure footing and can do all sorts of acrobatics around a nice tall cage. Keeping a baby chinchilla upright while feeding it should be a top priority. They are smaller and more vulnerable, but also more active, and surprisingly quick. This will ensure that your chinchilla will be better at responding to you. Litters of a solitary kit are common, while any number of kits higher than four is uncommon. She must have weaned within the past 1-2 days otherwise its milk production will have stopped. They must be fed every two hours for the first two weeks of their lives, then every three to four weeks until weaning. When the chinchillas are old enough, they can live on their own. However, housing female offspring with their sisters or male offspring with their brothers is fine. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
, Your email address will not be published. Youll have to keep the mother and its babies together in this new setup until the young are old enough to leave. The end of week 12 marks the finish line. By using Karo Syrup and a small amount of rice cereal, you can quickly and easily add this sweetener. Are chinchillas good cuddle pets? Before attempting to breed and mating chinchillas, most breeders introduce them to males and females during the introduction phase. It is not recommended to handle a baby chinchilla for more than a few minutes to keep them from overheating, becoming stressed, or becoming scared. All rights reserved. This process continues when the chinchilla eventually reaches old age, at which point it will become even less active. Take the kit and sit upright in the palm of your hand. In chinchillas, a condition known as agalactia is more common than others. Keep an eye out for underweight kits and hand-feed them as necessary. They are a popular breed animal due to their small size, ease of care, and playful nature, making them excellent house pets as well as a fun source of entertainment. Instead, place a small drop on its lower lip. It is good to buy milk of your own. Unlike other species, chinchilla fathers make good parents, and can help the mother take care of young. Chinchillas can eat their babies, although it is rarer than in other animals. You have entered an incorrect email address! Hold the kit in your hand and have it sit upright to easily feed and prevent choking. Overfeeding your chinchilla can be very dangerous and will likely cause your chinchilla to become sick in a hurry. You will frequently find your pet lying on your chest or lap with his head resting on your lap or chest. They can walk within an hour of birth. A male should be kept separate from his female counterparts whenever he reaches the age of 8 weeks. House baby chinchillas in a small cage where there will be less room for them to run, jump, and possibly get hurt. They can have up to four kits per litter, on average. Female chinchillas will have a very difficult time providing for large litters so in these cases you might need to rotate kits being fed, hand feed, or give babies to foster chinchillas. How long can a foreign object stay in your ear? In some cases, the smaller will not gain weight at all. Their mother will provide them with milk for the first few weeks of their life, but after that they will be weaned onto a diet of hay, pellets, vegetables, and water. Some males can be good fathers, but others can be aggressive to the kits and even try to kill them. This will ensure that your chinchilla will be better at responding to you. The best way to pick up a chinchilla is to slowly approach the chinchilla with outstretched hands. They should be held gently and supported underneath their chests and hind legs. Your chinchilla is shriekingit almost sounds like a baby crying at the top of its lungs. All chinchillas have their own personalities and enjoy handling to different extents. This book teaches you everything you need to know for your chinchilla to live a long, healthy, happy lifeand for you to build a strong, loving bond with them. Chinchillas Are Affectionate. In addition to its mother's milk a newborn chinchilla will start nibbling on stalks of hay and soon it can eat pellets as well. Violet Chinchilla Fun Facts And Interesting Information, Sapphire Chinchilla Fascinating Facts About A Beautiful Shade. But, not a lot. This results in the survival of some kits rather than of none. They can be purchased at veterinary clinics, pet stores or online. Butt of the chinchilla thinks its life is can you touch newborn chinchillas immediate danger a commission if you 'd like chat! Section below alone, even in a small drop on its lower lip their if... 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