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This information is all about breeding chinchilla's
  Breeding- When deciding to take on the responsibility of breeding chinchillas, the breeder needs to pay close attention to several factors including conformation, color, personality, and size.

Chinchilla conformation depends largely on strain influence). Brevicaudata chinchillas developed at higher elevations, at around 15,000 feet elevation. They were known for being large with short ears and tails, and have docile temperaments compared to Lanigeras and Costinas. Brevicaudatas also generally have a brownish tint to their coats. Costinas developed closer to sea level, have longer ears and tails, and tend to have a pointy head and body shape.. Lanigeras developed at moderate elevations. Regardless of which strain is most predominant in the animal's background, the chinchilla should be large and blocky when viewed from above The chinchilla should not be pinched in at the shoulders. A skinny or "pie shaped" chinchilla is very undesirable.

Despite whether the chinchillas being bred are standard grey, or color mutations, they should have a clear or blueish tint to their coats, and no red cast. To clearly view colour it takes awell trained eye and the proper lights. GE daylight fluorescent bulbs generally show a true color spectrum under which the animalscan be correctly judged. Chinchillas should have very white bellies, showing no creaminess, and no brown tip on the white hairs, especiallybetween the front legs. This grey/brown tip often indicates the presence of the charcoal or ebony gene in the background of the animal. This is very undesirable unless that animal will be going into breeding with other ebonies. Chinchillas with the black velvet gene should show complete veiling from head to the base of the tail with no break in veiling at the back of the neck, or elsewhere. It can take up to a year for chinchillas with the TOV (touch of velvet or black velvet) gene to completely get its veiling. Also, black velvets, males in particular, tend to be slow to mature, and often are slow to breed.

personality should always be considered when selecting animals for breeding. personality gets passed on through both heredity and environment. Chinchillas should not bite or be excessively high strung under normal circumstances. Nervous animals also tend to be "fur chewers" and although there are several other reasons why an animal may chew, chewing is considered to be largely hereditary.

In general, female chinchillas are larger than males. It is important that the females are large so that they will have less complications when littering. A general guideline for good breeding weight is 1 pound 6 ounces to 1 pound 14 ounces, with more leniency for males and certain colour mutations. Violets and sapphires especially have the tendency to be smaller. It is very important to let females attain their full size before they are put in breeding. They usually don't reach their full size until 10-12 months of age. Some take even longer, up to 18 months. Females usually gain approximately 2 ounces per baby during pregnancy, but individuals vary. If they get pregnant before they are full grown themselves, they can have more problems delivering, they will usually not reach their own full size, and will tend to have smaller babies. Males need to attain their full size before being selected for breeding primarily so that the breeder can be assured that he will be the appropriate size himself. All in all it's well worth the wait to let breeding animals mature fully before putting them in breeding.

The best way to keep breeding chinchillas is in pairs. In captivity monogamous pairs work out well for chinchilla and owner. In the wild the female will sometimes mate with more than one male during a heat cycle. The father, if in a pair situation, usually takes part in caring for the kits. They can be kept in colonies of one male and several females, but this is only advisable to those who have experience already in raising chinchillas. There is a lot to know about establishing and maintaining a safe and successful colony.

Females should be about one year old before they are bred. Their gestation period is 111 days. If the father is left in with the mother throughout the entire pregnancy, he will probably be welcome by the female and will help out with the kits. One thing to be aware of, however, is that the female can get pregnant again immediately after littering during a heat which can last several days. If she is bred at this time, it is called a breedback. This is not advisable, especially if she has more than one kit in the litter. It is extremely taxing on the mother to be nursing one litter while carrying another. It is not uncommon for the babies to be accidentally trampled by an over anxious father during the breedback, especially if the cage is small and there is no place for the kits to find refuge. The father should be placed in an adjacent cage where he and the mother can see each other and still sniff noses through the wire until she is no longer in heat (usually about 3 days, but it can be longer). Watch carefully when reintroducing the male to be sure that there is no conflict between him and the mother or the babies.

The kits should be left with their mother for about 8 weeks. Don't leave them in more than 10 weeks to avoid inbreeding among the occasional early maturing offspring. Weanlings should be weaned together to help them through the stress of weaning. This seems to be an especially trying time for young chinchillas. Weanlings have a high mortality rate and should be stressed as little as possible during this time. Also keep an eye on their food intake. Weanlings tend to over eat when subjected to the stress of weaning.

Chinchillas are naturally grey with a white belly (Standard). Many "mutation" colors exist in captivity. The most common dominant mutation colors are white, beige, and black velvet, and the most common recessives are ebony, violet, and sapphire, with many hybrid variations like Tan/Pastel (Beige and Ebony). There are many misconceptions surrounding the "lethal factor" in Whites and Black Velvets (or any other TOV). Basically, there is no harm in breeding two whites together or two TOV's together other than you will get 25% less offspring. The lethal factor refers to the genetic inability for the white or TOV gene to exist in the homozygous form. Beige is the only common dominant mutation color gene that can exist in the homozygous form. Therefore, when you cross a homozygous beige with a standard, 100% of your offspring will be heterozygous beige. In general, it is accepted among breeders that breeding mutation to mutation does not produce as good of quality an animal as breeding mutation to (good) standard.

Two chins curled up for a rest
  Housing- The general rule in chinchilla keeping as a hobby concerning cages is "the bigger the better." The absolute minimum amount of space per chinchilla should be 2'x2'x2.' 12 and 14 gauge 3"x1/2" aviary wire can be used to make self-supporting cages, and 1/2"x1/2" or 1/2"x1" wire can be used with a frame. Wood frames are not advisable because they cannot be sterilized in the case of sickness or an outbreak of fungus, and it is difficult to remove the scent from the wood when adding new occupants to a cage. Baby chinchillas can get out of any wire size larger than that listed above. If only adult chinchillas are going to be kept, 1"x1"wire is small enough. Wire bottom cages are not advisable for chinchillas because new born babies can get chilled on them and die before they are dried off, and also because they are uncomfortable for the animal. A solid bottom cage with untreated white pine shavings is the best flooring. Do Not use cedar or redwood shavings in chinchilla cages. One way to find inexpensive large versatile cages with 1/2" x 3" wire is to look for used aviaries. They often come with walk-in or large easy access aluminum doors.

Shavings purchased from a (horse) feed store are considerably less expensive than shavings from pet stores. Remember to ask for untreated white pine shavings only!

Cedar, Redwood, Eucalyptus, and some other hardwoods are highly toxic to chinchillas. Also make sure that if you use wood inside the cage for shelving or boxes that you use only untreated white pine. Do not use plywood as the adhesive glues are toxic. If you make nest boxes, leave the bottom out so that the chinchilla is sitting on shavings, therefore, unable to urinate on the wood box bottom. Then, whenever the cage is cleaned, so is the nest box. Make sure the nest box is large enough so that if the mother litters inside of it, the babies are not smothered (12"x12"x9" minimum). There should be one hiding place per chinchilla so that each has a retreat from more aggressive cohabitants. Chinchillas like shelves in their cages, and tend to spend most of their time at the highest spot possible. Terrace the shelving so that babies and careless youngsters don't have far to fall. Be sure that either the cage is up high, or there is a solid partition above the cage. Chinchillas are especially frightened by movement above their heads because their most common natural enemy is the bird of prey. Keep the chinchilla cage out of direct sunlight, out of heavy drafts, and in a quiet cool spot. They are primarily nocturnal, being most active at dawn and dusk. They need to be kept quiet during the day, but be aware that they can keep you up at night, so bedrooms are not a good place to keep chinchillas. They should also be kept away from any area with a high humidity level and away from moisture.

Most importantly, keep chinchillas out of the heat and direct sunlight! Never house a chinchilla in an aquarium or any cage with glass or plexi-glass siding. Heat is the biggest killer of chinchillas. 80 degrees Fahrenheit is the absolute maximum temperature they can stand. Use a reliable thermometer to monitor the temperature. If they do survive a warmer temperature, they are a great risk of having suffered brain damage, or of having become sterile. On the other end of the scale, they should be kept above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It is better if they are kept warmer than this. A little above 79 is far more dangerous than a little below 40, however. Babies should be kept above 65 degrees, and at 70-75 degrees from the time they are littered until they are dry.

The exercise wheel is probably the chinchilla's favorite cage feature. A 14" or bigger wheel made for chinchillas is suitable. The 12" size is common, but is hard on their spine and tends to be too small for any but the smallest chinchilla. Make sure to leave at least 3" clearance on all sides of the wheel. Take the wheel out of the cage from the time a mother litters until the kits are at least 5 weeks old.

good size cage!
  Dust Baths- Chinchillas should be given a dust bath to roll in at least twice a week but once a day is preffered. A bowl of dust can be left in the cage at all times. They will, however, soil the dust if it is left in the cage, and it will need to be changed at least weekly. They need the dust to help keep themselves clean. It is their only bath.

Recommended Source: Blue Cloud Chinchilla Dust, it can be ordered at most feed and supply stores. It is produced in southern California, and shouldn't cost more than £8 which is roughly . per 50 Lb. bag at the absolute most retail. Blue Sparkle Chinchilla Dust is available in the eastern half of the United States and probably the untited kingdom.

Glass squat fish bowls that cannot be easily tipped over make good easy to clean dust bowls. Wal Mart usually has them for about .50 which is about £2.

two chins in a dust bath