Finally, all the worries about choosing and buying a partner, quarantine, and imprisonment are over. The couple no longer fights at the feeder, does not spoil each other's fur coats, peacefully sleep side by side on a shelf or in the house. You may even have already caught them implementing your plans to expand the family. But in order to learn how to recognize pregnancy in a female chinchilla, you need to follow a few rules.
It is necessary
Kitchen scales in increments of no more than 1 gram; notepad on the cage for taking notes
Instructions
Step 1
Remove the display case with a pair of chinchillas from which you expect offspring as often as possible - preferably every day. This will increase your chances of finding a plug that comes out of the female with successful intercourse. The presence of the plug does not mean that the female is pregnant, but it already indicates that the family has successfully tried to expand. Look for a cork, of course, is during estrus with a female. This period can be determined by the characteristic behavior of the male: he will take revenge with his tail, sing special songs to the female, try to cover her at any opportunity. The loop of the female during this period is swollen, slightly open. On average, a female is in heat every two months, although the individual characteristics of each female can greatly expand this range.
Step 2
Be patient: the first two months after the detected (or not detected) cork, pregnancy in chinchillas is extremely difficult to identify.
Step 3
Check weighing every week. Pregnancy in the second half (in total, it lasts about four months, from 105 to 125 days) will give a serious weight gain. Although this is also not a mandatory indicator - the female can simply regain her usual weight if, during sitting with the male, she lost a lot due to stress. If a female over one and a half years old has gained more than fifty to one hundred grams above the usual weight in the last month, this most likely indicates an expected replenishment.
Step 4
Be careful when examining a chinchilla that is pregnant. It is already dangerous to hold it by the tail, especially upside down - even with the support of the second hand.
Step 5
Observe the female two months after the supposed fertilization. The girl often lies down on her side or even her back, her sides have become noticeably denser, her belly is no longer soft on at least one side. A month before giving birth, you can see movements in the tummy. Often during pregnancy, the female becomes more affectionate, sits more willingly in her arms, jumps less and sleeps more.
Step 6
Check the condition of the chinchilla's nipples. In a non-pregnant female or female in the early stages, they are light pink, hardly noticeable. Closer to childbirth, the nipples swell, turn red. Finding them is very simple: take the female in your arms and blow on her tummy, closer to the barrels. A chinchilla has three pairs of nipples, but, as a rule, one or two pairs are active, so it is advisable to examine everything.
Step 7
Pay attention to the female's bowel movement. Often, closer to childbirth, the female simultaneously releases not one, but several boluses at once, which indicates an increased pressure in the abdominal cavity.
Step 8
Check the condition of the loop closer to the expected date of birth. She, as in heat, will be slightly enlarged and slightly opened. This period will give out the characteristic behavior of the male, which, as in the beginning, will attract the female with special sounds, wagging its tail and trying to cover it. This should not be allowed. If you haven't already transplanted the female into a specially prepared birthing cage, transplant the male. Late transplantation just before childbirth can be stressful for the female, the consequences can be dire. It is worth planting the male, since in the first three days he can again cover the female, and it will be much harder for her to feed the babies, endure a new pregnancy and maintain health. In addition, the female can begin to drive the male away from the babies, which will take away her strength from the main process. However, if re-fertilization has already occurred, do not panic. Observe the behavior of the male. If he does not offend the kids, he can become an excellent helper for the female, as he will take an active part in raising and warming up the babies.
