couple of questions

[arieschin]

Ok so the plan was to get two girls but I found a mating pair that are so cute and happy looking that I got them instead. The girl is a standard and 2 ½ years old and the male is a black velvet and is 2 years old. I have found a local pet shop that will buy the babies from be but I have some questions before this day happens.

1. When she does end up having her babies is it a good idea to separate her and the kits from the father?
2. At what age would you separate mom from babies?
3. If I separate mom from dad will I have to re-introduce them?
4. I keep finding her sleeping on her sides. Is this a sign that she is pregnant?

I’m sure I will have more question, but this is a start.

[Chinny Otaku]

Congrats on getting your chins.

Since you only have one breeding pair I'd recommend finding people to buy them yourself, rather than selling to a pet store. Many pet stores don't know how to properly care for chins, and even if they do, they often don't invest the time to teach new owners before selling them a chin. After raising the babies, you'll want to know they go to a good home.

1-Did the breeder tell you if she's given birth to kits recently? If she gave birth, then got pregnant again right away (a breedback) it is usually best to remove the male for a week or two, to give her body a break before getting pregnant again. Otherwise it should be okay to leave him with mom and the kits.

2-Chins will usually wean themselves around 1 1/2 months to 2 months. They should be removed by 3 months (especially females) as some parent will mate with their kits.

3-This really depends on the chins. I have some pairs that I can serate for months, then put back together again. Others take some time to reintroduce.

4-It could be that she's pregnant, but she could just prefer sleeping like that, like many of my chins do.

[arieschin]

I got my chins at an exotic animal auction, so I didn’t get to talk to the breeder. I know that isn’t a good thing but I looked at all the chins there and this were the healthiest ones in my opinion. I just liked the way these looked. The tag with all their information said they were a proven breeder pair. I would have rather talked to the breeder, but I couldn’t find them.
Another question I have is about baby safe cages. What would you put in them? How big should they be? Is it ok if I put the cage next to the males cage?

[MickeynSadie]

This is just my opinion, but I'd separate them since you don't know their background. If she's pregnant, you could hope for twin kits, one boy, one girl. You could separate them then by putting the mother and daughter together, then the father and son together. It really isn't the best idea to breed a pair you have no idea of their background on. Besides, pet stores don't really provide for their chins very well and usually sell to anyone, even if they know nothing about chins, whereas when people go to reputable breeders, the breeders can turn people away if they seem incompetent.

To answer your question, maternity cages need to be one level with spacing no larger than 1/2" by 1". No levels so the mother can get away from the kits. The cage can be put next to the male's, but keep the cages a few inches apart.

[shadowchins]

1 yes
3 if they are apart for a long time yes.
4 most times yes but I have a chin who sleeps on her side when I know she isnt pregnant.

[arieschin]

On the maternity cage is it ok to have a solid bottom as long as it is cleaned out every day? And if it is a solid bottom what bedding so I use?