safely retreat without fear of persecution, since her collar prevents the female from leaving the cage, sometimes saving the male's life in this way.

It is necessary to take care of the young animals, the first time starting reproduction. The number of females for each 9-month-old male should not exceed two to four. Later, this number can be increased to 4–8 females.

After the copulatory period, in order to avoid significant weight loss (up to a fifth of the usual weight), males are transferred to enhanced nutrition.

The mating of chinchillas usually occurs at night. After 12 hours after it, the frozen seminal fluid in the form of a plug comes out of the vagina, and if the next estrus in the female does not begin after 30 days, then this most likely indicates that the female is pregnant.

With polygamous reproduction, the adaptation period of animals is important, during which they gradually get used to each other. These days it is not necessary to close the cages of females, although the male will not immediately gain the courage to enter. This is especially important for young males.

The duration of pregnancy in Chinchilla lanigera averages 111 days, and in Chinchilla brevicaudata - 125, the duration of gestation is 105-115 days. The last few weeks before giving birth, females need careful handling and careful care. At this time, in no case should they be weighed and picked up. They need rest, otherwise the offspring may appear prematurely, weak, with any deviations or dead, which is associated with the special fearfulness of females before childbirth.

During pregnancy, the female should be provided with improved nutrition, characterized by great variety and rich in vitamins. As a supplement to the diet, you can use milk, specialized feed containing vitamins necessary for a pregnant female.

The most troublesome time for a fur breeder is prenatal, birth and the first days of the life of puppies.

Approximately 10 days before the expected birth, a nest box with an area of ​​​​20 x 30 cm insulated with straw and hay and up to 30 cm high, turn over so that the hole is on top. This is done with the aim that the female could not scatter the straw. A few days before the birth, the sand bath should be removed from the nest.

Just before giving birth, the female needs to ensure complete rest. At this time, you need to ensure that there is always fresh water and juicy food (grass, carrots and apples) in her cage.

Due to the fact that as the time of birth approaches, the female's anxiety intensifies, there is a danger of sudden aggression towards her partner, despite the fact that under normal conditions they lived in complete harmony. If this is observed or suspected due to the aggressiveness usually inherent in the female, it is recommended to temporarily separate the male: make a partition in the cage or transplant him into another cage. This ensures that there is no additional irritant for the female and the safety of the male.

The activity of the female, who feels the imminent onset of childbirth, is greatly reduced, she stops eating, movements almost completely stop. She is worried about any extraneous noise, she is suspicious of all human actions. A female in this state is very dangerous, especially for offspring preparing to be born: she can kill and eat her cubs. To avoid this, you need to cover the cell with dark matter. In addition, the attitude towards the female should become even more careful and caring.

Immediately before childbirth, the chinchilla's loop increases in size, sweat often appears on the nose, and a cloudy liquid from the genitals may appear.

Childbirth in a chinchilla lasts from several minutes to several hours, which is associated with the number of puppies in the litter, as well as with the age and general condition of the mother herself. After giving birth, the female eats the placenta and takes care of the puppies.

It should be borne in mind that childbirth does not always go smoothly, and human assistance may be required, therefore it is especially important to start the morning examination of the cells with the one in which the addition is expected (birth usually takes place at 5-8 o'clock in the morning), in order to, if necessary, provide timely assistance.

If the birth is not going well, it is better to contact a veterinarian for help, and before he appears, give the female a thick sugar syrup, which is easily digested and has stimulating effect on the muscles of the uterus.

Puppies are born with a time interval from several minutes to 1-2 hours. Newborn chinchillas have a weight of 30–70 g, depending on their number in the litter (for comparison: by 12–15 months, when the growth of chinchillas ends, the weight of the animals reaches 500 g), the body length of the babies is 6–7 cm. They already have teeth, vision is developed, and a small downy cover resembles future wool and performs the same function of protection from the cold. In the event that the puppies' eyes are closed or inflamed, they should be washed with boiled water or a 2% solution of boric acid.

Sugar is best absorbed dissolved in water, but it can also be given dry, at least 3-4 times a day. A thick aqueous solution is given in 2-3 g, and granulated sugar - in 1.5-2 g. In addition, you can enter a 0.1% solution of sinestrol.

If a female has more than two cubs, it is recommended to ensure that all of them receive enough milk, as the stronger ones can repel the weaker ones, preventing them from eating. Sometimes this leads to frequent fights between puppies, which indicates a lack of food.

In such cases, you need to feed the babies with a sterile disposable syringe or plastic bottle. It is not recommended to use glass pipettes for artificial feeding, as puppies can bite through glass with sharp teeth and can get hurt. For feeding puppies, a mixture of condensed milk and chamomile infusion (in a ratio of 1: 2) is used, which is heated in a steam bath to room temperature. Babies are fed a little at first every 2 hours, then breaks are increased to 4 hours and eventually to 6. At the same time, the mixture is poured in very carefully, in order to avoid death from aspiration pneumonia, that is, caused by the fact that the baby choked.

From the very first minutes after birth, there are many different dangers that await puppies. And the main one is that their birth can take place not in a warm box prepared for this event, but on the cold floor of a large cage. In this case, babies can catch a cold, especially if the room is cool. Since the chinchilla does not drag its cubs in its teeth, like other animals, here the fur breeder must come to the aid of his newborn pets and, first of all, wrap them in cotton so that they dry out, and then provide the necessary conditions. If the puppies have been in the cold for a long time, artificial respiration should be given to them and they should be given a small amount of a 40% glucose solution to drink, and then placed in a box specially designed for them, where their mother is waiting for them.

If chinchillas are reluctant to drink a prepared formula that contains only condensed milk, you should try using a different kind of milk. Chamomile infusion can be replaced with ordinary boiled water.

One-day-old babies are not helpless: after a few minutes they begin to move independently and get acquainted with the outside world around them. It is understandable that this can have different consequences, so many experienced breeders recommend holding the box with the opening up at this time.

Chinchillas differ from other rodents in their lower fertility. It is considered to be a good result if at home the female brings 2 puppies 2 times a year. It is also necessary to keep in mind the fact that in the litter of a young chinchilla there are always fewer puppies (1-2) than an older female brings (sometimes the number of cubs reaches 7-8).

One-day birds, when they dry up, need to be registered: determine the weight, body length and gender. Most often, the content of males and females in one litter is determined by the ratio of 60: 40%, respectively. But such characteristics as body weight, its size and the possible activity of babies are directly related to similar parental properties and to the characteristics of the entire herd.

The main factor influencing the physical condition and development of chinchillas is the milkiness of the mother, since in the first days of their life, babies eat only her milk. Females have 3 pairs of mammary glands, of which only 2 upper ones function (milk does not reach the lower nipples in most cases). But for 2-3 puppies, this amount of milk is considered sufficient.

It happens that lactation in a female does not begin immediately. Sometimes milk appears only after 3 days. To avoid the negative consequences of such a delay, one should monitor the appearance and behavior of puppies: if they do not receive milk, their activity decreases, they become lethargic, incurious, lose the enthusiasm inherent in young animals, stop moving, keep their tails down. These signs indicate the lack of milk in the female. In that In this case, the breeder needs to take action, because sometimes it happens that, not understanding the reasons for this state of affairs, the puppies bring the mother to an aggressive state, in which she