When the Female goes to have the babies, its’s generally known for them to deliver in the morning hours.(6-10 AM) The daddy chinchilla may be kept in the cage up until the day of birth. He will help the mother clean, dry, & keep the babies warm! (She will need all the help she can get)Especially if she has two, three, or more! (I always leave my males with their mate up until that day.)

Then you must remove him, since the female will go directly back into heat. (& you don’t want to breed her back, its bad for the her & her kits!) Female chinchillas rarely need your help to deliver (But if you suspect a problem, take her to the Vet. ASAP!) It has been known for a kit to get stuck leaving the mother helpless.

They normally will have the kits within a few minutes or up to an hour apart. The mother will also have an afterbirth like a human. This is VERY important you let the mother eat the afterbirth. It maybe be nasty to you, just don’t watch!!  She needs it, as it contains a lot of vitamins, & other things she needs to get her strength back. It’s up to you if you let her or not. Some do, some don’t. I do, I think it is something they do in nature, so im not going to stop her.

Once she has given birth you want to keep her in a quite place. (Make sure the kits are warm & everyone is getting a nipple.) Sometimes you will have to hand feed one if the mother runs out of milk due to having so many or if its her first few litters. Other reasons you may need to hand feed is if the kits start to fight or there are more than two kits. (Some mothers can supply enough for all the kits, but with 3 to 6 babies sometimes thats questionable.) You also may need to trim the hair around the nipple to help the kits find the nipples. This isnt needed, but if you think the kits are having problems latching on i would recommed doing so. (Just be VERY careful!!!) If you need to hand feed you can use condensed milk out of a can with water added, puppy milk, human breast milk, or human baby forumla. You can use a number of things, but i would always add a bit of water & ask your breeder or Vet. Adding in some baby rice or oatmeal cereal can also help your babies maintain a good weight. Use a little dropper & touch that to the nose, be careful not down them though!!! If they dont want it you may need to force a little in their mouth before they will start on their own. Be ever so careful though, being overly forceful can cause more harm than good. After the baby eats a little you may need to run their belly a little to help get things going. If you have questions its best to contact your Vet or breeder for more help & information.

You can hold the babies right away if she will let you, but not for too long! Take your pictures & get out of there! haha! If you just had a baby im sure you would want someone walking off with it for too long either! Be respectful to your new loving chinchilla mother.

Feel the babies bellies & make sure they are warm & full. If they feel cold & not plump you need to hand feed a bit & relocate the cage in a warmer area. You also may want to provide a hut & or other nesting things. (NO FABRIC - If they eat this it can cause an obstruction!)

After she has given birth, you may want to give her a bath, because she looks terrible. But do NOT do that! It can cause her to get an infection & will end up causing you & her more problems than you need! Refrain from this for about 10 to 12 days.

Provide a bit of apple or pear juice mixed with water for her, but always provide pure water at all times too! Dried or fresh apple can also be givin after birth too. (This helps with milk production!)

It’s also VERY important to make sure the mother hasn’t made her nest up too high in the cage. You want her to be at the lowest level with the kits so they do not fall & so she cannot get away from them. They need to feed several times a day & night, if she can get away she may neglect them.  

You also should watch having the kits in a cage with a lot going on, they are dare devils from the start & will fall & hurt themselves since they don’t have the right balance that they need! Also watch tubes & other chew blocks as they can sometimes crawl into them & as they grow they can possibly get stuck.

Remember your cage HAS to be kit proof as they WILL escape if they can!!!!!!

*I have seen quite a few litters of kits born & have also gotten photos of some of them. My proudest moment was when I saw Cheech Jr. & his siblings born. It's a really neat thing. They amaze me how they clean them & make them squeek to get the fluid out of their lungs!* It's a cool experience that I'm sure you will enjoy! I dried Cheech Jr. off & saw him before Jetta even got to! *sigh* *LOVE*

Good Luck & we wish you a happy, safe delivery!