Well, Bella’s little fella (must not keep referring to him as “shorty” or it is going to stick!) seems to be doing great considering how wobbly he was when first born. Bella is now in full mothering mode and is very protective of him; open the cage door to take him out to weigh him and she’s there like a short, all grumpy and defensive.

He’s putting on weight slowly but surely and the tell-tale curly tail has appeared. He spends most of his time tucked happily under his mother, back legs waving in the air as he’s upside down.

He’s looking more chin-like too.

Bella's Kit at 2 days old

Leila’s kits, on the other hand, are being complete monsters. They have been climbing the bars and pinging off backwards and are currently still jostling for teat position. Leila is being brilliant, bless her, and is separating the offenders when scuffles break out.

What is not so helpful is that Leila also seems to be grooming off the pen marks we put in the kits’ ears so we could distinguish them. We ut fresh marks on today – what’s the betting they are nowhere to be seen again tomorrow?

Anyway ……….. kit photos as promised. These were all taken by Talie yesterday.

Leila with the male kit

1st standard female, just born

2nd Female Kit Born

Looking for milk

Bella gave birth today. When I went into the chin room at 6:30 there were no signs of any activity but then a chin started manic barking at 7:15ish. Talie went in to see who was making the commotion – yeah, like they are going to admit it. LOL – every chin sat there looking angelic, silently proclaiming their collective innocence. I wandered along to check on Bella again.

There was a little kit, slightly cold and a bit wobbly but beginning to dry off. I gave the kit to Talie to pop into a towel so she could help dry and warm her up and then went to see what else was happening. Bella was soaked and a little bloody and was pushing again. Unfortunately this second kit was breech and Bella had overdone it a bit on the clean up operation. The kit was stillborn – the legs and tail were intact (surprising because chinchillas often damage legs or tail during breech delivery) but she had removed the umbilical cord and had coninued to nibble the kit. I could not determine its sex because the genitalia were missing and some of the intestine as well.

Losing kits is always difficult but sometimes there it just nothing you can do – had I been in the chin room 5 minutes earlier I might have been able to help the kit out and it might have been alive ……….. you can drive yourself crazy with “might have” or “what if”. Some things are just not meant to be and nature can sometimes be a cruel mistress – knowing that does not make it any easier though and each loss is felt. If  each death did not touch me then it would be time to stop keeping chins – everybody who knows me knows that I’m too soft for my own good really! A sucker for a sob story and a push over for a misfit.

I took the poor little kit away from Bella and left her to settle a bit and pass the afterbirths (which she did successfully). Talie had, by this point, dried the first kit off some more but she was still a little cold. I popped her down my pyjama top and waited for the wriggling to start. Sure enough, after 5 minutes or so, the little kit was moving about and was nice and warm.

I popped her (keep saying “her” but need to check properly later) back in with Bella, changed the cage’s bimble pad for a clean one, made sure the heat mat was nice and warm, and left Bella to it.

So far all is quiet ………………. Bella seems to be settling with the little kit and the kit seems to be gaining in co-ordination.

Bella had twins in her last litter but the little charcoal only survived for a few hours and died snuggled on my chest. It seems she is destined only to have 1 kit survive.

Good grief! How time flies. Tonka (aka Fingerbobs) is a year old today.

He celebrated his first birthday with an extra mini shredded wheat and a good old tickle under the chin. The shredded wheat went down well; the tickling did not. “Mr Independent” has become a stroppy adult, even more so since he lives with Gracie. Oh yes, he’s quite protective of his Mrs. Tickling, it seems, is not dignified for a chinchilla in his position – I had my hand firmly shoved aside and he proceeded to nibble me in disgust. Gracie just watched from her dust bath.

Today was also marked by the sad passing of dear Maya. Recently she had begun to show the earliest signs of discomfort when she was eating and would only take the syringe food. Debbie and I discussed her future and we both agreed that the time was right for her to be given a dignified, peaceful, and pain free rest.

I took her to see Jade after giving her one last syringe feed – she went in her beloved cozy bed, warm and with a full tummy. Just as I promised.

Putting any animal to sleep is heartbreaking but putting a spirited one to sleep is even more heart-wrenching. Maya had such a zest for life but her body (her teeth in this case) betrayed her. I popped her in the anaesthetic box still tucked up in her bed and bless her she just sat there…. and sat there ….. and stubbornly sat there! She fought the anaesthetic. There was no struggling, just an iron-willed defiance as she sat in her bed. For a few moments I agonized over whether I was doing the right thing for her. I almost asked Jade to stop – just for a split second – but I looked at Maya’s little face and I just could not put her through any more. To do so would have been incredibly selfish.

In some respects it was the hardest euthanasia I have participated in – others were excruciating in different ways but Maya; dear, stubborn, feisty, precious and amazing Maya had made me question my decision. No other chinchilla has ever made me do that – regretted having to do it because the loss is painful, yes but question the decision? No. When I took the emotion out of it and looked at the situation from a purely clinical viewpoint I knew it was the right decision.  Maya had rocked my confidence – even though, in my heart of hearts I knew I was doing the right thing for her.

Jade was brilliant – she has carried out so many euthanasias for me over the last 3 years or so and she knows me very well. When Maya was gone she felt Maya’s bottom jaw and simply said “1 million percent right decision”. In that moment it was one simple sentence which meant so much.

I brought Maya home, now forever sleeping in her beloved bed – she will be buried in The Manor alongside all the other precious little souls. I should imagine chinny heaven is in for a wake-up call.

Sleep well, Maya – I hope you’re causing chaos wherever you are!

Maya on her cozy towel

Maya the grump - love her attitude!