The main methods of successful breeding chinchillas

Breeding chinchillas is very interesting and very profitable. Domestic specialists conduct large-scale breeding work in state-owned factories and in private nurseries. Chinchillas are successfully grown at home in country houses and even in urban apartments.

Paraphrasing famous satirists, we can say that "Chinchilla is not only valuable fur!", It is also a friendly, playful animal that quickly becomes the favorite of the whole family.

Modern experts distinguish The two most productive methods for breeding chinchillas are:

doubles (for home);

polygamous (for industry).

Each of them has its own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. What they are, try to understand this article.

Short description

"How to breed chinchillas?" - This question worries many. Productive ways to increase the livestock of these beautiful animals are the basis of the successful business of most entrepreneurs.Both state and private animal farms are engaged in active breeding work, and pet lovers successfully grow chinchillas in their own country houses and even in city apartments.

Chinchillas are valued mainly for very beautiful fur, its products are exquisite and very expensive. Chinchilla coat, mantle or just a cape - the dream of all fashionistas. These animals are also propagated as pets, because they are playful and friendly, have a cheerful and kind disposition, it is impossible not to admire them. Chinchillas are quickly becoming the favorites of the whole family.

Currently, experts identify two promising types of breeding of these animals: pair (for the home) and polygamous (for industrial breeding).

Double breeding

The peculiarity of the method lies in the fact that for breeding they use one male and one female.

In order for breeding to be productive, it is necessary not only to know perfectly the rules of breeding, but also to be able to select animals with the same character. They must have excellent tribal characteristics, as well as the same habits and preferences.

The pair scheme is most often used at home, for this select the female and male:

• with similar color and quality of fur;
• in good physical shape (sick, too fat or thin animals give weak offspring);
• having kinship before the third generation;
• about the same age (most often ten months);
• with excellent pedigree.

Advantages and disadvantages

This method is considered the most comfortable for animals, it is used at home, if they grow pets for their own pleasure. For a rapid increase in livestock for industrial needs, it is not suitable.

Pairing

Puberty in chinchillas occurs 6, 7 or 8 months after birth. They begin to mate more often after 9 months. There are exceptions to this rule. There are cases when the female was covered for 66 days old, while bringing one dead another full-fledged puppy. Some chinchillas begin to breed only after 3 years, such individuals are rejected, they are not considered breeding.

Cyclical willingness to mate occurs in the female 41 days after the last mating and lasts from two to one week.Reproductive time can be determined by the behavior of animals. They become active during the daytime (although they usually prefer daytime sleep), the male cares for the female (rushes her around the cage and snorts), the female loses her appetite, she often does not eat, but scatters feed. During this period, the appearance of the genital organs of the animals changes, in the male individual they increase and turn pink, in the female individual they open slightly.

In order to accurately determine readiness for mating, it is important to know when it took place the last time. To do this, it is necessary to find a characteristic vaginal plug in the cage, it is a wax flagellum, about 3 cm long. If you did not succeed in this, then it is necessary to carry out a control weighing. The female is weighed every 10 days and an increase in weight from 40 g to 140 g by the end of pregnancy is noted. It is the difference in weight that indicates the presence and approximate number of fetal calves. For chinchillas, the most reproductive period in the year lasts from November to May, with a peak in January.

Pregnancy

Pregnant females increase the volume and provide a variety of food.Milk, juicy fruits and vitamins are added to the diet. Experts recommend to introduce sugar in solid (granulated sugar 1.5-2 g) or dissolved (prepare a sweet syrup 2-3 g). It is given before giving birth 3-4 times a day in order to optimize the performance of muscle mass.

Before the advent of babies, the nest is insulated; most often, electric heating is used, and an additional layer of hay or straw is laid. Temporarily remove the sand bathing and isolate the male, because in the prenatal period he becomes aggressive (he is transplanted into another cage or separated by a flap).

Duration

The duration of pregnancy usually does not exceed 110-120 days. In the last 7-14 days of pregnancy, females must be treated very carefully and carefully, because they become very shy.

This condition can cause the appearance of defective puppies. The female should be provided with rest: you cannot take her in your hands and squeeze, and you also need to stop the control weighing. Alarmed female can kill or eat puppies.

Childbirth

Immediately before giving birth, the animal completely or partially stops eating, it becomes fearful and reacts to every rustle. Therefore, the cell is usually covered with a dark veil.

Before the birth, the female has a tight loop, droplets of sweat appear on the nose, and a turbid liquid is released.

Childbirth lasts from several minutes to several hours, roughly from 5 to 8 am. The duration of the generic process depends on the amount of offspring, on the age and general well-being of the female. Mom-chinchilla quickly recovers, eats afterbirth and begins to take care of the babies.

Usually the animal gives birth independently. If the process goes with a complication, then you need to call a veterinarian. As a rule, the female is supported by sugar and glucose, which stimulate the work of her muscular system. If this measure is not effective, then chinchilla is stimulated with a solution of synestrol (injections of a 0.1% solution are made). Please note that the success of childbirth in the least depends on the efforts of the veterinarian, the responsibility lies primarily with the farmer, who took care of the pet.

Polygamous breeding

The method is based on the mating of one male with 2 or 4 (sometimes 8) females. This method is used on an industrial scale in nurseries and on animal farms, and is applied to expensive unique breeds.

Advantages and disadvantages

The polygamy method "1 by 2" is often used in Russia by beginning animal farmers, it is considered to be not rational, because one healthy male can cover 4 females.

The polygamous scheme of a rapid increase in the number of chinchilla "1 by 4" is deservedly recognized as the most productive and economical. It provides for the use of a special cell placement system. Females are kept in isolated cages, each of them is provided with access for one male.

The method allows to ensure the maximum population density of animals, as well as significantly save on the purchase of breeding livestock. It is important to adhere to the optimum density of the settlement and correctly measure it with the size of the room that contains the chinchilla. Do not place cells in five or more rows, otherwise it is very difficult to provide full ventilation, to carry out sanitary treatment of the room, and to avoid mass diseases and epidemics.

Pregnancy

Chinchilla females are ready for mating in 6-8 months from the moment of birth, and males - in 9 months. Most often the litter consists of 1-3 babies, on average - from 1-6 cubs.A healthy individual is able to feed 4 kids, the rest do not survive.

The female gives offspring for 2-3 times a year; it is not recommended to increase the number of whelping up to 4 times, because it can lead to exhaustion and even to death of the individual.

Duration

The pregnancy lasts 110 days, the duration of the rut is 2-3 days, whelping can occur 41 days cyclically (if the female has brought offspring, then after 41.30 or 50 days she is again ready for reproduction).

Childbirth

In most cases, the birth is swift, after which the mom-chinchilla eats the placenta and begins to care for the babies. They are born fluffy weighing from 30 g to 60 g and up to 3 cm long. They have excellent eyesight and well developed teeth.

Newborns are able to move without assistance. Animal producers point out that in some cases, two-day babies successfully climb the second tier of the cage. Chinchilla moms have three pairs of mammary glands (most often the first two or four are active), of which the young drink milk. To increase lactation in the diet of nursing mom-chinchillas include apples and nettles. After 50 or 60 days after birth, babies are weaned from the mother.

Feeding

Chinchillas from the first days of life need for full development of breast milk. Often, mother's lactation begins on the second or third day after birth. This is immediately evident in the babies, sluggish and unhappy, they sadly sit with tails lowered.

In such cases, they are planted in individuals, with excessive lactation, or artificial feeding is organized.

Artificial feeding puppies

The babies are fed with an aqueous solution of condensed milk in a ratio of 1: 2 (one part milk two parts water). It is allowed to use fresh cow or goat milk, they remove "tops" (milk fat) and interfere with oatmeal (2 tablespoons of decoction per cup of milk).

On the first day, the baby eats half a pipette at a time, after a few days - several pipettes. The first week the baby eats every 2-3 hours.

Adult Chinchilla Diet

The health of animals mainly depends on the usefulness of their food. Currently, there are three types of feeding chinchillas:

dry;

They use granulated food for chinchillas, many experts consider them to be the best, most economical and safe food. It is acquired through chinchilla nurseries.In pet stores sell food concentrates that increase the shelf life, but not beneficial to the animals.

Hay meadows must be added to the ration, preferably from alfalfa containing dandelions and clover. It is not recommended to introduce hay bogs. You should give preference to the young weed, which has not yet been kicking. The color of hay must be dark green, without admixture of branches, debris and straw (15% content of yellow blades of grass are allowed). Hay should not smell like mold, it can not be used as a litter.

It is recommended to introduce lure consisting of twigs of trees (apples, pears, willows, currants, raspberries), seeds of flax, oats, corn and rosehips, cleared of seeds. Do not recommend giving branches of resinous wood: peach, apricots, cherries, plums.

Fresh drink should always be available to the animal. Pour filtered water into the drinker, wash it once a day and scald every two days.

The granulate can be replaced with a homemade mixture of oats, darts, barley, buckwheat, flax seeds, crushed maize, etc. There are many recipes for preparing such mixtures.

Experts say that the animal will be cheerful and healthy with this diet, if you follow these rules.

wet;

Chinchillas are herbivores; in the wild, they feed on grasses, berries, small fruits, shoots and bark of young trees. At the same time, they are very mobile at large, which improves digestion. Wild animals instinctively seek suitable food, pets lose this instinct, so the person is responsible for the full value of the diet.

In autumn and winter chinchillas are fed root vegetables: carrots, celery, parsley. From fresh fruits, give preference to apples, from dried fruits choose plums, apples, barberries, rosehips. In the summer it is worthwhile to offer garden salad, chicory, spinach, raspberry leaves, as well as fresh grass, especially alfalfa. In the form of a treat it is worth treating a pet raisins, but no more than 2-3 times a week for one berry. It is not recommended to give fresh white cabbage, it causes bloating.

It is important to provide a variety of diets, with a constant alternation of products. In addition, it is important to offer hard bark to chinchillas in order to give them the opportunity to grind off ever-growing teeth.

combined.

This is a balanced diet that successfully combines a wet and dry food system.

Conditions

Domestic chinchillas live about twenty years. So that the animal always remains healthy and beautiful, it must be kept clean.

They are settled in metal cells 70cmH50smH50 cm, preferably with a removable bottom, which makes it possible to easily and quickly change the litter of sawdust. The animal does not have a characteristic strong smell, the poet can do it once a week.

Two- or three-tier cages are equipped with artificial minks, a running wheel for running, sometimes with a nest (house 30 cm X 15 cm X 15 cm).

Feeder and drinker firmly fixed to the walls. Once a day they are washed in hot water, cleaned with soda and soap. So that the animal could grind its teeth, soap stones or pumice stones are put in the cage.

Wild animals "splash" in volcanic dust, their wool repels water, so chinchillas cannot be bathed in water. For them it is necessary to arrange a bath of special sand with antiseptic properties. Get it in pet stores. To reduce the consumption of sand, it is possible if it is sifted or ignited once in 2 weeks.

The room

They contain animals in well-ventilated, spacious rooms that are regularly subjected to sanitary and hygienic treatment. Animals must have a large living space.When polygamous dilution is not recommended to arrange the cells in five (and more) tiers.

Temperature

The optimum chinchilla temperature should not be below 16 C and above 25 C.

Humidity

Since the natural habitats of animals are arid, the permissible humidity of the room in which they are contained 55-60%.