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[Beth]

Hi all!  Some of you may be familiar with my trials with Louie, the unholdable 7 mo old male chin.  I've posted about him on Q&A and please see that thread for additional info about us!

It has been suggested that maybe a kit, well handled, could maybe help Louie, come around to liking humans more.  So, I've been contemplating the idea.  But won't that just make them bond closely together instead of just Louie bonding with me?  I realize that nothing is a given with chins, but I'd love to hear people's experiences with this!  Thanks again!  This is a wonderful forum.

[KCchins]

Giving Louie a friend should not change how he bonds with you.  Cagemates still love human attention.  A cagemate may teach Louis the you are OK.  However if you are not able to have a second smaller cage I would not get a second chin.  You will need to quarantine the new chin plus if there are ever problems between the 2 chins you may need to separate them - illness too. 

[pink]

I think it might help him come around a bit, but be sure that you know that there aren't any promises that the new kit and your louie will get along at all! I bought a younger chin from a breeder that socialized them well in hopes that he and my fiance's chin roger(a petstore chin that wasnt too freindly to humans, very skittish and didnt like to be held at all. very self sufficient and didnt need humans for anything is how he acted lol) would get along, and all his wants to do is attack him lol. luckily i had wanted a chin for almost a year regardless of if he got along with the other one, but from what i understand you should always be prepared to house two separate chinchilla's in two separate cages for the rest of their lives. and like kcchins said, dont forget to quarantine! from what i understand thats really important too. =)

[nemue]

After I got my two girls, I did some reading, and with any domesticated animal it is advised that if you have more than one they are less likely to need you as much as if they were lonely.  This is why I have two cats (they're less needy), but if you are wanting Louie to be your best mate, you will always be second to the one who lives with him and speaks his language. 

Also remember that he's only 7 months old, which makes him 3 or 4 in human years.  Do you know any three year olds who want to be held a lot?  They mostly just want to run around and let out their energy.  I know they're not all like this, but it's something to keep in mind.  My cats didn't become lap cats until they were older.  My girl was almost three, and my boy is working up to it now at the age of five!  That kind of intimacy has many factors:  personality (of you and the animal), age, patience and comfort (feeling of safety for the chin).

Another point against it, is the added stress a friend would bring in, when he isn't even comfortable around you.  From what I understand, introducing chins to each other can be stressful on the little guy. 

I adopted two thinking it would be easier on them, but am now realizing it might cause me problems with them since one is so aggressive and the other follows her.   But, in the end you will never know until you try, and I'm sure there are many people who have more experience than I do. 

Really, they're so cute, you can't go wrong either way!

[Beth]

  Oh, I want to be his number one so badly!  He's my number one!  Thanks for the posts, please add any other experiences with getting another chin!

[ChillinChinchillas]

It is all dependant on the chin. I have some chins that just absolutely DO NOT like other chins. Regardless, you will need to quarentine them for a bit to prevent the spreading of any illness a chin might have that is not showing up. I saw on your other thread that Louie might have something wrong with his toes. If you are going to get another chin, you will want to have Louie checked out. If he does have a fungus, it can easily spread through a shared dust bath or even airborne spores. They are sweet when they do well with a cagemate, but as previously stated, be prepared to have two wonderful pets that might not be the best of friends. Chins are addictive!

[Jenova]

Cheech was a pet store chinchilla who was sociable and loved to be tickled but would kick and scream if we picked here up. We basically could not pick her up. She came and sat on out laps, out shoulders but if we tried to restrain her at all she would go insane. We have had her for a year and a half now and she has only just started to let us hold her.

We got Chong to be her cage mate at the end of June because I was adamant she was lonely. They hate each other. Really hate each other. or more to the point, Chong is obsessed with her and she has grown to hate that obsession. The more we put them together the more he tries to mate with her and the more vicious she becomes.

I can hold Chong. He isn't particularly comfortable with it but but we got him a lot younger than Cheech so I made sure I handled him a lot. However he hates being touched and tickled, even under the chin which makes Cheech almost roll onto her back she loves it so much. Since we got Chong, Cheech has become holdable more so than Chong. Chong has not learned to like being touched. They learn a lot off each other behaviour wise. Cheech has learned to climb off Chong which she never did before and so on, but their behaviour towards me has not changed to be like each other. It is just time and trust. it might take you a year an a half to hold your chinchilla but would it be worth it? Cheech loves us so much, she gets excited and jumps all over the place when we go in the room. she gets upset if we go on holiday. she loves us. She doesn't love Chong and they have to live in separate cages which annoys me because I want them to be friends but it's never going to happen. I love Chong just as much but it might take him a year an a half to love us as much. But considering how long they live for that's no time at all. It's worth it.

Having another chinchilla isn't an easy thing. If they're like mine and hate each other you then have to split your time, have two cages at all times, perhaps even let them out at separate times. If they love each other it's a different matter. And one more thing, chinchillas bond better when they are younger. Now might be the best time to get a mate for your chin if you wanted to do that. Anyway, this isn't so much advice as personal experience, I hope it helps.

[Leslie]

I had the exact same thing as pink posted.  One skittish unfriendly pet store chin, and we bought a second one a few years later from a breeder in the hopes they would get along, and now I have two cages, twice the work.....two chins that will never get along.  Be careful!

[Beth]

You both are totally right.  I love Louie and waiting for him to become more lovable is no problem at all.  Plus, when school starts again, I won't have time for two chins.  Thanks!  You've really helped!

[nemue]

Just remember what a reward it will be when that animal, who is causing so much havoc, becomes your friend.  You'll have worked hard for it, and it will feel good.  Just hang in there, eventually he'll figure out your'e not so bad!