Hi All!
to introducing them you just have to put them in the room together and see what happens all chins are different and have different personalities ... you just have to be there to supervise for a couple hours
You were EXTREMELY LUCKY most chinchillas will not get along that well, that quickly. Yes, all chinchillas have different personalities BUT ... sometimes PERSONALITIES MAY CONFLICT ... when they do, they can fight to the death. Your situation was the exception to the normal rule.
When I put two together in the same cage, even if they have gotten along during play time, I watch them for 6 to 8 hours.
I have heard that every herd of chins will have a different gut bacteria (good bacteria) they need that quarantine period to adjust their levels to the appropriate bacteria amount for your home.
Don't know ... that's another one I'll have to research on. Anyone else remember that and/or where it came from? (so I won't keep my nose in books for the next week.
)
They do need time to adjust to the new surroundings, regardless. Chins do not like change. (they're like us ole fogies)
That is why you have to get food from the breeder and mix it slowly over a week to 10 days to change him over.
Find out what treats they are use to getting. When giving them a new one ... give it and only it (as a treat) for a week to make sure it is not going to play havoc with it's digestive system and/or to make sure he/she is not allergic. Yep, it is rare, but true, they can have allergic reactions ... unfortunately, if severe, it can die in less than an hour.
You have to keep the little ones emotions and feelings in mind constantly. Would you want some giant steal you away, put you in a house with a bully or some one that would get on your every nerve? Not knowing where to turn for comfort?
I have tried on occasion over the years to introduce 2 males or let 2 males play together and EVERY time we have ended up at the emergency animal hospital to have finger/toe and nose surgery from serious bites.
Now this most likely has something to do with the fact I do have females in the same room. ... If you don't have any females you may not have a problem, but be very cautious and supervise! I would think introducing 2 very young males would be easier. Sometimes the one year olds can be set in their ways.
True. But regardless of age, the personalities of the two chins will do the most to decide if they can live together in harmony ... at least until a female is introduced into the home. (Even if it is caged separately.)
The only time he seemed to get scared was when my little boy was in the kitchen and he dropped a glass. It made a really loud noise and he took of and got in his PVC pipe, but other than that he has been great.
Chinchillas love peace and startle very easily ... he was scared.
I heard that if you introduce a baby male to an adult male they are more likely to bond. I don't know if that's true.
Usually, but not always and
NO if there is a female in the room. A male chinchilla has been known to kill his own sons over a female, even if they have been in the same cage for a long time.
We have decided that Cheech is a boy but we haven't actually checked. When we do we want to get him a same sex companion, so for the sake of easiness it would be good if he was actually a she. However if he is a male, is getting a baby a good idea?
I think
I would make sure before I add another chin in the same cage. If there is no space between the front and back privates, it should be a female ... if there is a little space between them, then it should be a male. NEVER put a female in with a male unless she is old enough to breed. I do not put my females in breeding until they are at least a year old.
I just started letting a new kit play with his sibling from the last litter, same parents, both standard males.To my surprised the older kit acted just like the females do. Almost look him in his arms and groomed the daylights out of him. He was so excited that younger kit was getting upset. I had to take him out after just a few minutes the first time.
This is not unusual, I have seen kits except other kits when the parents would not.
On the quarantine ??
What if you take back one of your own kits after say 6-12 months, should you still quarantine?
Would it have been kept as a single or with others make a difference?
DEFINITELY ... You want to protect the chins that you now have ...
you do not know if the one that was adopted was exposed to anything or not.
I would keep it in a cage to itself, in another room, for a period of time.
My daughter is finding that with her new addition. The older gals are just too rough with the younger kit. She lets them play but as I am doing she is waiting until these young'ens get a bit older and bigger.
How many of the chins are in the same cage and what ages?
Jo Ann [/i]
