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 Chinchillas diet should consist mostly of hay, fresh vegetables, and a small amount of pellets. As a rule, the runt of the litter will grow still be smaller when it grows up. If all is well, gently pick up the chinchilla by its torso for a few seconds. Chinchillas have a slender body, a long tail, and very soft fur on their backs. You are rewarding your pet for allowing you to pick him up. You should consider a number of factors before deciding on a pet. WebDo NOT give the mother any dust baths till AT LEAST 2 - 2 and a half weeks after the birthing of the chinchilla. Place baby chinchillas in a cage with a solid bottom and small spaces. Before breeding chinchillas, you must be prepared for the eventuality that the kits will not survive. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The end of week 12 marks the finish line. They also need to be around other chinchillas. They have access to this facility from the moment they are born and can interact with the cage. It is possible that a kit was born incorrectly and has become lodged in the birth canal. Giving you the information you need about interacting with chinchillas. When you pick up your baby chinchilla ask the breeder to show you the best way to handle them. stop drinking milk. But it does mean that the most worrisome days are now behind you. Some chinchillas tend to be a bit high-strung, so it is best that young children do not handle them. They will be less defensive when fully grown. Each chinchilla will tip the scales differently. Chinchillas are very clean animals and they groom themselves often. Thank you for your purchase, and wed like to give you a $30 gift card (available at GoNift.com). Do, not give the baby any treats when young. Baby chinchillas need to be held and touched regularly in order to acclimate to humans. 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. (What You Need To Know), Can Chinchillas Eat Grapes? A Chinchilla kit must be kept in the same cage with its mother as an adult. Can food bowls be dangerous for chinchillas? Even rough handling by adults can lead to bites. This would be of inconvenience to you as an owner. If you have any other adult chinchillas in the house, it is best to relocate the chinchilla baby to a different cage. Chinchillas are fully furred, with eyes and ears open for the first time. This can rupture its stomach or gut lining. 1. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. It is possible that the mother will not feed her young or will not produce milk in a rare case. They can be sick if you dont care for chinchilla kits properly. Is it okay to hold a chinchilla by the tail? You must separate the father from the mother, otherwise they will mate again. Because chinchillas are mammals, the processes of reproduction and birth are similar to those of other common pets, and to those of people. Can you touch newborn chinchillas? Over the first day of life, they curl up like those of adults. If you try to take the kits away, the mother will initially be nervous. This results in the survival of some kits rather than of none. If, however, the dog is easily excited and rowdy, the chinchilla might be in danger. If your chinchilla wont stay in the bowl, place it in a small container with a lid. After birth, a baby chinchilla must live in a special enclosure with its mother. Start doing so earlier. They are very social and live in colonies that consist of hundreds of chinchillas. Some males can be good fathers, but others can be aggressive to the kits and even try to kill them. Then, place each individual kit in the bowl and weigh it. Chinchillas Are Affectionate. They are born fully furred and with their eyes open, and are able to eat solid food immediately. Chinchillas are good pets for pet parents who are looking for a pet to socialize and cuddle with, but who are also able to handle them gently to prevent injury to their delicate ribs and limbs. Chinchillas are thought to be smarter than rabbits and can be taught to play with humans. With good care, chinchillas can live up to 20 to 30 years. Cute Guinea Pig Names 200 Unique Names To Choose From, Cow Names Over 400 Amazing Names For Your Cattle. Move at their pace, not yours. No, chinchillas are not hard to take care of. This can be mostly prevented by good and attentive care. If you'd like to chat about chinchillas, contact me through our contact form! Baby chinchillas rely on their mothers for the first eight weeks of their Chinchillas will go to sleep for four hours every 24 hours, according to their body clocks. Baby chinswill try to be acrobatic. Try to get all the kits used to you handling them, in case you need to hand-feed them later on. The smaller is known as the runt. Chinchillas are prone to biting when they are new to their environment, frightened, irritated, untrained, or not properly socialized with humans. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Chinchillas are said to eat their young, but this is very uncommon. But whatever the case, you want to see each kit making progress towards these weights. ), One for the father chinchilla who cannot be around the mother chinchilla or the female baby chinchillas. Start doing so earlier. The mother chinchilla will still discharge the baby chinchilla into small pieces that will be visible inside the cage if this occurs. Sometimes, the kits can be born early (prematurely) or late (overdue). The kits begin to eat food other than milk at 3-4 weeks. Chinchillas can bite for a variety of reasons, depending on their environment. According to studies, survival rates for kits range from 70 to 80 percent. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Doing so would choke it. In cases where the kit is dying or dead, eating it prevents the spread of disease to other kits. Give your pet a treat for being so kind enough to let you pick him up to begin with. 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. Some of this energy can be directed into play, e.g. Owning a chinchilla is one of the best decisions you have ever made. This means that they can explore and interact with the world from their first moments. Are chinchillas good cuddle pets? A chinchillas tiny feet can easily get caught on the bottom or sides of a cage, which is why they are called baby chinchillas. A kits weight should be doubled 3 weeks after birth. No, baby chinchillas do not need milk. The cage should be outfitted with everything that a chinchilla needs. Should You Get a Chinchilla Or a Hedgehog? A litter of two or more chinchillas, also known as kit chinchillas, is common in chinchillas. Copyright 2023 - Mypetsfamily | All Rights Reserved. It is possible for a mother chinchilla to eat her own baby if it becomes ill or develops a disease. If it does occur, separate the mother from its kits and hand-rear them instead. Observe how much weight baby chinchillas gain during their first few weeks. They also need to have access to fresh water. Can you let a chinchilla out of its cage? 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. Baby chinchillas rely on their mothers for the first eight weeks of their It makes sense to pay attention to their sleep cycles because they spend the majority of their time asleep. She is responsible for their care and protection. Baby chinchillas have tiny feet that can easily get caught on the bottom or sides of a cage with large gaps. WebChinchillas are small animals that require a small amount of food to maintain their health. If the mother is unable to provide enough milk and nutrients for her kits, you should avoid breeding this female chinchilla. As a result, they can begin exploring and interacting with the world as soon as they are born. You should handle juveniles as you would handle adults. WebChinchillas are small animals that require a small amount of food to maintain their health. That means: Pick them up from the bases of their tails. Avoid picking them up by or squeezing their middles. It is critical to understand that some chinchillas will not tolerate being handled, whereas others will. Chinchillas are generally not suitable pets for small children due to their skittish nature. Take the kit and sit upright in the palm of your hand. Chinchillas are easy to care for. After the 2 weeks, I would give the mother a dust bath, yes. You are unlikely to find this kind of special attention in a pet store. cage placement, temperature and humidity monitoring, gentle handling and so on. WebUnlike other species, chinchilla parents will NOT reject their young if they smell human scents on them. Petsmart does not get chinchillas from the wild hence they should be very gentle and easy to handle. Along with the answer to that all important question do chinchillas like to be held? That means: Pick them up from the bases of their tails. If you want to see a successful litter, you must work hard to help the mother chinchilla. No, this does not mean that the individual care and attention end at this time for the baby chinchillas. Picking your chinchilla up any further down the tail can cause the tail to break and your pet to be in pain. Housing Adult chinchillas have sure footing and can do all sorts of acrobatics around a nice tall cage. Also Read : What Kind of Oats Can Chinchillas Eat? When a Chinchilla baby is born, it is critical for an experienced owner to quickly identify them. The most common problem a mother encounters is litter. Required fields are marked *. This quiz features questions on every topic of chinchilla care, from behavior to nutrition. How Long Can a Chinchilla Go Without a Dust Bath? Animals of a similar size to chinchillas, like rabbits, have shorter gestational periods too at only 29-35 days. Chinchilla puppies typically have six nipples and can be weaned at the age of two months. Chinchillas are prone to a number of health issues that can be caused by a variety of factors. So, separating the pair is the ideal solution. Additionally, chinchillas need social interaction at least once per day. If you do not properly care for your chinchilla, it may become ill, injured, or even die. New baby chinchilla parents are often excited to get their first chinchilla. When a Chinchilla reaches 8 to 12 weeks of age, he or she should be left with their mother until the baby is older, and depending on the kits personality, the mother may teach the baby behaviors and socialization skills. Chinchillas are thought to be smarter than rabbits and can be taught to play with humans. Bloating in chinchillas is much more serious than in people, and can even kill. Its easy for a chinchilla to lag in development, but much more difficult for it to catch up, as it requires even more food than normal to do so. Chinchilla moms and their puppies can be kept in a cage with a solid floor and wire gaps of less than 1/2 inch. This sets the weight down to 0g, so that you can accurately measure whatever you put in the bowl. WebA mother is very protective of her kits and can be aggressive toward those that threaten her babies. Chinchillas have access to an unlimited supply of fresh hay, but they are unable to gain weight by eating it. As an older kit, you can reduce the number of times your pet is fed to four per day. You want to first know whether the newborn kits are of a healthy weight; if they are not, they are unlikely to survive. More often than not, Chinchillas do not prefer to be handled. Baby chinchillas need to be held and touched regularly in order to acclimate to humans. 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. If you try to take the kits away, the mother will initially be nervous. The runt of the litter will not be noticeably larger as it grows. They will be less defensive when fully grown. A Guide To Hamster Hibernation. 3 Is it okay to hold a chinchilla by the tail? By gentle pushing her stomach, she should feel squishy, but if her stomach still feels hard and you can still feel lumps, she still has kits inside her. Biting, Scratching & More. The floor of the cage must be solid so that the babies dont injure their feet on it. The most convenient way to separate chinchilla kits from their mothers is to use the same technique. 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