How to determine the sex of a chinchilla (photo): we distinguish boys from girls

The question of how to determine the sex of a chinchilla often arises among novice owners. Even when gender is specified by a breeder or a pet store salesperson, there is always room for error. Animals are usually sold at such a young age, when it is especially difficult to determine the gender correctly. If the animal was chosen as a gift, the question about its gender might not be asked at all, so the new owner will have to figure it out. When a new animal is introduced to one or more chinchillas, it is important to reliably know whether it is a female or a male in order to avoid conflicts and unwanted reproduction. Being able to recognize the sex is also especially important for self-breeding – the process of pair formation in chinchillas has its own characteristics, and in the future it will also be necessary to determine the sex of the offspring.

Features of males and females

Owners who get their first pet are often worried about the choice between a female and a male – are there any differences in content, who is better tamed, more interesting for observation and communication. But if you choose a chinchilla for solitary keeping, gender is not so important. External differences are usually almost imperceptible – sometimes females are larger than males, but animals have the same body shape, coat. Note that the cost of a chinchilla does not change from gender.

The difference is more noticeable in behavior – girls behave more boldly and more actively. This is due to the dominant position of females in the pack. The female chinchilla is curious, loves to explore, play, is “talkative” and is therefore usually more interesting to watch. The downside may be the possible aggressiveness during estrus, as well as the susceptibility of females to stress.

A chinchilla boy is calmer in behavior, easier to tame, almost never shows aggression. If the owner of the animal is a child, it is recommended to choose chinchilla boys – as they are safer and more resistant to stress. The disadvantage of the male may be apathy, silence and little interest in the owner.

Differences in behavior are only sometimes expressed really brightly, therefore, when kept alone, the sex of the animal does not play a big role.

Settlement of a same-sex individual

Chinchillas are pack animals whose well-being depends on the social aspect. If the animal is kept alone, it begins to yearn, lose activity, and become shy. In order for the pet to feel comfortable, a friend is often added to it. Accordingly, it is very important to correctly recognize the gender of the beginner.

Moving a friend to a chinchilla can be a complicated operation. Due to the desire of females to take a leading position at first, fights and the establishment of a hierarchy cannot be avoided. To reduce the aggressive period, the females are brought together in a neutral territory, where there are no odors, marks. To do this, you can thoroughly wash the old cage with household chemicals.

Before putting the animals together, they are kept side by side in separate cages for several days, they offer one bathing suit, so the animals get used to each other’s smell. Boys usually get used to it faster, without much difficulty surviving the sharing of a comrade. But it is also better for them to conduct a preliminary acquaintance with someone else’s smell. This will help reduce stress, avoid unnecessary aggression.

It is best to take same-sex cubs from the same litter – so they will grow together and establish a hierarchy without sharp conflicts.

Pair formation for breeding

Finding out the sex of a chinchilla is necessary if you plan to add a couple to it for breeding in the future. It is impossible to take animals from the same litter that are already accustomed to each other – consanguinity will negatively affect the offspring. Therefore, it will not be possible to avoid the procedure of bringing individuals from different litters.

It should be borne in mind that chinchillas build social groups on the principle of matriarchy. A male settled with a female, who already considers her territory, will certainly be subjected to aggressive attacks. It takes a lot of time and patience to bring the animals together, and the result can still be negative. Therefore, first of all, they always give birth to a male, and a female is added. Then she will behave non-aggressively, quickly get used to her partner and form a couple.

At what age is the sex of a chinchilla determined?

It is difficult to distinguish a boy’s chinchilla from a girl even in adulthood, and cubs up to a year look the same. Features of behavior also cannot serve as a criterion. If the animal jumps on the back of another, this can be both a natural action of the male and a manifestation of the dominant behavior of the female – matriarchy operates in chinchillas and the female takes the role of the leader of the group. Therefore, the only way to determine the sex of a chinchilla is to examine the genitals.

But inspection does not guarantee accuracy – outwardly, the organs of males and females look very similar, the difference is only in the location relative to the anus. In small animals, this gap is very small – 1-3 mm, so it is really easy to make a mistake by confusing a boy with a girl. Over time, the gap becomes larger, so the sexual characteristics of males and females are easier to distinguish in adults.

IMPORTANT: Chinchillas are capable of breeding from the age of three months, so the issue of determining sex is quite acute.

Early pregnancy (before the age of six to seven months) can also destroy the health of the female. Therefore, it is very important to distinguish the gender in time and seat the boys and girls in separate cells.

Determine gender

In order not to frighten the pet, before conducting the inspection, make sure that the animal is calm and does not show signs of aggression. Then follow these steps:

1. Remove the animal from the cage, and carefully turn the animal upside down.
2. Take it comfortably with one hand under the front paws, take the tail down with the other.
3. Carefully inspect the genitals – if the animal is not in an aggressive or anxious state, it will calmly respond to the procedure and will not break out.
4. In males, you can see a fairly noticeable gap between the penis and the anus.
5. In females, the urethra and vagina are slightly lower, so the gap is smaller or almost non-existent.
6. After completing the inspection, calm the pet with a treat, put it in a cage.

IMPORTANT: It is easier to distinguish a female chinchilla from a male during sexual hunting. This period can be determined by behavior – the animals become more restless, you can notice the rituals of “courtship” with snorts.

Hunting in females is repeated every 40-50 days and lasts 3-7 days, depending on it, the state of males changes. At this time, the genitals of chinchillas swell and the differences become more noticeable, so it is quite easy to determine the sex. But during estrus, female chinchillas can show sudden aggression, so inspection should be done with caution.

Video: how to distinguish between sexes in chinchillas