When breeding you must be aware of certain birth defects, lethal factor, & many other illnesses & such that can happen.

The chinchillas generally will breed at night, & at night only. They will on occasion during the day. But its rare to see it ACTUALLY taking place. Many people think they see it, when really they see them "dominating" one another.

Wheat germ is a good supplement to give them when trying to breed. (It helps sperm count, & a female with folic acid.) Good all around!

The females should be around 9 months of age AT LEAST to breed. (Although I do not feel the female will breed until she is ready, but that’s my opinion!)*BUT I DO NOT SUGGEST BREEDING BEFORE A YEAR OF AGE!*

Breeding a female too early can lead to many illnesses such as hunchback, & will stunt her growth.

The female has to feel secure enough to mate with her male partner before she will actually mate. Once a chinchilla pair has mated & paired up, they are normally fine for life, with little fights! (But of course here & there!) When the chinchillas breed, you will notice them being a bit more aggressive. They will start to make a more I don’t know how to explain it, almost a hiccup noise or a broken squeaky toy.If the chinchillas have mated you normally also see a good amount of fur on the bottom of the cage floor.

The males will also start wagging their tails & they both will start doing a little "hop" or something of that nature. *like a mating dance or something* You’ll know it when you see it! haha!

A female goes into heat every 30-35 days, & it latest for around 5-7 days. The female will release a waxy plug, known as the heat plug, or mating plug.(You normally will not find this. It’s RARE! This same type of plug will occur after mating as well.)

The females gustation period is approximately 111 days. (Give or take, they like to fool you.) They normally do not show much, until the last portion of the pregnancy. It’s also hard to tell how much they female will gain. They all are different, like us humans. The female will probably eat either a lot less, or a lot more, & drink A LOT MORE! She will start to lay more on her side, get warm easier, not move around as much, & sleeping all the time!

Before she gives birth make sure she has plenty of room to deliver & most of all somewhere warm to keep the kits in .You have to try not to handle her as much as possible during all of this time as well. (She still needs to get exercise) but shorter amounts. You will need to give her a lot more dust bathes since she will be extra oily at this time, & fur will be shedding from her. The kits normally do a number on her coat while she has them, like chewing the fur around the nipples, & just messing the fur up.*be sure to not give a dust bath to the female 10 days before having the kits & 10 days after!*