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[olivia41]

Ok so as most of you know, i've had my one chin Liv for about 4 months now but my boyfriend and i just got a second chin and hes only about 2 months old. Today was the first day that we introduced them to each other and it was in a closed off room and everything and naturally Liv tried to establish his dominance by humping the baby but the baby kept running away from him everytime he tried. is this normal? I know that dominance is a big thing with chinchillas and the older one will naturally try to become alpha but i didnt know if the younger is supposed to fight it. Also, Liv was nipping the baby and i know that is normal. But it almost seemed like when he would hump the baby and the baby would get away, Liv would just jump and act a little flustered. is he going to get upset if he cant dominate the baby at first? One last thing.. the breeder i got the baby from told us to switch their cages after the first time of introducing them but i dont understand why, anybody know? help please! 

[Jo Ann]

   Are both chinchillas the same sex?

In nature, there is always a struggle for the "survival of the fittest" ... size, age, health, determination and situations will often decide the one who becomes the dominate one and for how long.  How the most dominate one rules is another part of the situation.  Survival of the fittest can determine everything from who becomes the breeder of future generations to how much each gets to eat.  The extent of the dominance and/or compliance determines the extent of the struggle.

Each chinchilla has it's own special personality, no two are exactly alike.  As a general rule, most chinchillas will get along with other chinchillas, but there are always exceptions to the rule.

Please keep in mind:  Two or more chinchillas in the same group/cage (regardless of age) can have a dominate personality.  Just because one is smaller or younger than the other, it does not always mean it will or will not be the alpha/dominate chinchilla.  When two or more dominate chinchillas are housed together, there can be trouble and fights that may result in physical damage inflected by one or both and even death, if it gets really bad.

... and naturally Liv tried to establish his dominance by humping the baby but the baby kept running away from him everytime he tried. is this normal?  I know that dominance is a big thing with chinchillas and the older one will naturally try to become alpha but i didnt know if the younger is supposed to fight it.

The kit is choosing the easy and safest way out, available at this time.  Wouldn't you try to run from a bully when in a strange/unfamiliar place, especially, if he/she was twice your size?

...  Also, Liv was nipping the baby and i know that is normal.

That depends on how hard he is nipping the kit ... with the difference in age and size ... that would not be acceptable to me ... dominance is one thing ... fear is another.  Just my opinion.

...But it almost seemed like when he would hump the baby and the baby would get away, Liv would just jump and act a little flustered. is he going to get upset if he cant dominate the baby at first?

Probably, and that is where the problem may start.

One last thing.. the breeder i got the baby from told us to switch their cages after the first time of introducing them but i dont understand why, anybody know? help please!

  This is to familiarize each with the other one's scent.

   Jo Ann

[olivia41]

yes they are the same sex. we originally were told olivia was a girl but we discovered he's a boy  but anyway, i think they are getting along pretty well there is just the natural argument over who's going to be dominant but i think liv (our new nickname for him) is upset that theres a new baby or jealous maybe. he seems not as hyper and a little more heldback. hopefully this will pass?