New to Group new to Chinchillas

[northernstar40]

Hello every one. We are very new to rasing chinchillas. My name is Peg and I am in Michigan. I came home from a trip last Sunday to a regular zoo at my home. My husband had rescued 4 Chinchillas 2 males 2 females (we were told) and one female seems to be pregnet, at least that is what the owner claimed and due any day now. which she was and gave birth to 2 babies this morning. :banana: We also have taken in 5 birds. One Austrilian Parrot a parkett a love bird and 2 doves. we all ready have 3 Degu's 2 cats and a dog. not to mention the 4 fish tanks full of fish. ok here is my questions.... WHAT DO I DO? How do I feed them? I bought chinchilla food, dust, timothy hay, alpha and Alpha cubes. banana and apple chips, what else? they are very shy little buggers. nothing like my degu's. I am sure that the cage was way to small for 4 adult chins. So my hubby added on to it last night now I feel much better about the living arrangements. where do I start? I have seperated Mom and the twins so she can rest without the "group" Any special care need for the babies? When will she be able to get pregenet again? should I have left Mom in with dad and others? as you can see I have no clue as to what to do and when. So any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. oh and by the way can they eat Apple tree branches and leaves? (Hubby all ready tried so I hope it is ok to feed) sorry this is so long but as you can read I dont have a clue.

thanks!!!
Peg

[Mysfitz]

welcome :)

first, keep mom and babies seperate, and make sure the cage is baby proof, 1/2 x 1/2 or smaller holes in the wires, or you will have loose babies.
check sexes of the other three, make sure males and females are seperated so there is no more breeding.

mom is hopefully going to do all the kit care for you, but if not there is a great faq and tons of threads you can read up on everything here on the forum,

avoid giving treats except 1-2 a week, make sure everyone has pellets/hay/water and take deep breaths :)


if mom was in with a male when she gave birth, she could already be pregnant again, if the cages are close together(touching) then she could get pregnant, cages should be 1-2 inches apart to avoid matings.

what kind of pellets are they on?
do you know ages? pedigree/histories?

apple branches are perfect treats, (ok they are chews but they love them so much you would think you are giving them a treat)

do you have a gram scale? if you do weigh everyone, specially kits(they can loose weight really fast)

and most of all

we need to see pics ;)
and congrats on your chinnie additions amoung the other new gang you have inherited.

post questions and read threw some threads, you should get all the answers you need, plus many helpful tips from members.

[Chinmama]

Welcome to Chins-n-Quills! Sounds like you have a lot going on!

Here is a link to the FAQ section in the Breeding & Babies Section of the forum:

http://www.chins-n-quills.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66524

At the bottom of that page, there is a link for FAQ's on kit (chin babies) care.

Since you are a "newbie", your posts will be moderated for a period of time. If something comes up and you need advice or help, you can Private Message (upper right hand corner of the forum - just above "quick links") someone to help you. You can tell who the breeders are from reading through the Breeding section, and they would be your best bet, as they are the most experienced.

Good luck with your babies!

[Sketch]

Welcome to the boards!!!!

[fellnlove]

welcome and good luck with everyone..you came to the right place!

[Karin]

i don't know exactly how to do it, many members on here do though... you need to make sure the apple branch's you're giving, are already cooked.. you can't really just go out and pluck branch's off a tree and give them out...
can't imagine just being *thrown* into chinnie care.. they have particular needs, and such... but you're doing whats best so far, and as already said... read the forum, ask questions.. after a bit, you'll feel almost as if you've raised chin's all your life..:)
offer the treats in very limited amounts... and none to any under 6 months of age.. (less its a small piece of shredded wheat)
try to offer the nana chips sparingly.. more healthy options are rose hips, cheerio, unfrosted mini shredded wheat.. you can find tons of toys, food, dust, treats, etc... in the classified's section here..

[pro2ter]

Welcome. You will get all your questions answered here. I was new to chinchillas but not exotic pets in April and now feel like a pro because of this forum.

I've always wanted to take a trip to the Upper Peninsula. I've bookmarked lots of web sites. Where are you in Michigan? I'll probably never travel as I have 11 animals but I could always plan on retiring there?!?

Enjoy your new chins. Adopting is always a wonderful thing.

[SquishyChinchi]

:wecome6: to CnQ! Wow sounds like you have your hands full. Good luck with everything!!! :)

[heidi55529]

Welcome to CnQ! Definately feel free to ask any questions that you may have and we will all do our best to help and answer them! =)

[northernstar40]

We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. All 6 chins hubby and I. I am so grateful to find such an informative and pleasurable site. From reading all the post you make me feel right at home.