Question:
I adopted two of my rats out to a lovely familiy about 7 months ago. The mother of the family recently contacted me to let me know that she ( a housewife ), is having to take on a job to help with family problems, and now does not feel capable of giving her animals the proper care. She asked me if I would take the boys back, since she knows I prefer to take all my animals home if they can't be cared for. So I have plans to pick them up on 04-07.

This woman also happens to have two chinchillas that have been in her familiy for about three years now. She asked me out of the blue if I would be interested in them as well, since I will be making the drive down there for the boys. Now I currenlty have two chins already. We have two girls who live apart. The chinchillas she is offering are a male and female who live together ( smaaaaaart ).

Apparently one of her children brought them home from school, and then left for college or something like that. She said that she was left with the two of them, and a few weeks later their were babies. She said the babies were born three years ago, and there have been no litters since then.

So here's this nice lady with two chins of the opposite sex that live together (hey, I said she was nice not particularly smart). They need a home, and at least I'm familiar enough with them to care for them properly. I have the room, but mostly it's the concern of keeping a boy and a girl together.

Driving 4 hours to relocate will be stressful enough on the chins. I would hate the idea of driving them up here, and then separating them. So my question is this: is there ever a point where chins stop breeding? If they have been together for three years is there any type of "guarantee" that there won't be more offspring one day? I have a big feeling that the answer is NO, but I want to make sure of these things before I make any decisions. And if I do decide to take them in, what would be your suggestions?


Answer:
Hi, I'm in MI but do re-homing internationally through IPCR. The trip isn't a big deal as long as you're careful with heat levels in the car and take a few other precautions, like not giving water only at stops and using a cloth, like a pillowcase slip, to cover the carrier bottom in case they pee (so they're not sitting in it).
Yes, especially if they've had a litter before, they're both obviously "functional" and can breed again, there's no guarantee they won't. Hey, if you're in Chicago, you're not that far from us (Jackson, MI), so if you'd like maybe we can meet and I can take the chins from you and re-home them.
They'll be separated, but they can still find same-sex buddies and I'm going to be fostering for a friend in OH while she moves so we may be able to find them buddies among those we're fostering. Let me know what you think, or if you have other re-homing plans, that's great!


Answer:
You could get the male castrated and then you would know for sure that there wouldn't be anymore babies. I haven't had any of my chins fixed. You'd want a really good vet who has done several of them before....


Answer:
The chins should be separated as soon as possible no matter who rescues them. They are of unknown origin and they could possibly be related even. It would be irresponsible to take in these chins and leave them in the same cage. I'd find an extra cage (borrow one if you have to) and keep them side by side during quarantine.


Answer:
The chins should be separated as soon as possible no matter who rescues them.
Yep, GWOS, definitely. Tess and Ashley, just wanted to say that I updated my email here, just let me know if I can assist.


Answer:
There is also the possibility that the female may be preggers again, if they are living together. I definately would seperate as soon as possible. We also rescue and have seen this same situation over and over. Let us know if we can help. Also having the male fixed isn't really all that safe unless you find a really good expert. It'd just be easier seperating them and finding them same sex cage mates.


Answer:
It'd just be easier seperating them and finding them same sex cage mates.
Yeah I get that I'll have to separate them. But I have little hope of them finding same sex partners. My two girls hated one another with a passion, and it just seems sooooo hard to introduce chins and have them like one another.


Answer:
We've actually had a few that really hated other chins. Unsure really why, but it does happen. Then some cages we've had 4 or 5 males together no problem. We currently have 5 cages of threesomes. It seems to be easier to intro a younger one into an older ones cage. But that's just our experiences. Others may have the opposite. we have never done the smoosh method although some people swear by it. Best of luck.


Answer:
Howdy a'll. I'm new. Don't know about 'chins' - used to raise rats. Loved my rats - quit cause they die too soon....2.5 years without co-enzyme q-10, and my lines of rats seemed to be those bred to get cancer. Very --heartbreaking.
You got rats with longer life spans and no cancer? ??? I am interested.
Ref: Why would you break up the chins when they've been together for 3 years with no issue? Strikes me as not nice. Not to be antrhopomorphic - but it's like the nursing homes taking longer term married couples in and not letting them sleep with each other. What's the saying? If it ain't fixed, done' broke it.
Also. FYI. There is a holistic product called Bach's Flower Formula Rescue remedy. I use it for horses, chickens, dogs, ME... it's a herbal tranquilizer, with no side effects. I give it to horses before trailering, etc. etc. It's like a magic potion. Rescue the animals before transport. Life is easier.
My credentials? Hmm. Have loved and cared for everything from a multiple fresh and slat water fish, rats, sea turtles, a skunk, deer, goats, chickens, horses, dogs, cats, rats, parrots, fish, lizard, ducks. multiple kinds and sizes of dogs - three at a time.... (no snakes- I think that snakes need to either be outside doing their job of holistic rodent control - or they need to be converted into a nice belt, or boots. No cows or sheep, so far. Oh, 15 years 4-H leader, coach of national winning teams, research on any animal we take in. Skunks are interesting animals, by the way ....
oh yeah. guenea pigs, hamsters, real pigs, and Veitnamese potbelly pigs - most excellent animals.
RED


Answer:
Ref: Why would you break up the chins when they've been together for 3 years with no issue? Strikes me as not nice. Not to be antrhopomorphic - but it's like the nursing homes taking longer term married couples in and not letting them sleep with each other. What's the saying? If it ain't fixed, done' broke it.
Just as your rats were bred to get cancer, there are many genetic diseases that can be passed to offspring in chins. It is irresponsible and quite risky to breed chins of unknown background...especially given that we don't know if they are brother and sister. "Not nice" would be to keep them together and breed a litter that develops heart murmur or malocclusion.