First off a little background...
My girlfriend and I have been looking for some smaller pets for quite some time now. As we live in an apartment we can only have something up to the size of a bunny. So naturally a Chinchilla was in the running as one of the most popular to us. Tossed between a Sugar Glider and a Chin we didn't know which way to go. After getting into our research and seeing how much work it takes to deal with Sugar Gliders and how hard some of the items are for their diet to come about we put them on the back burner. As we started our search for more info on Chinchillas we came across this website. Now hearing all the good things everyone has said on this site with all the negative things we read on the internet, we didn't know what to think. We talked to a lot of people to find out their opinions. Once we visited a few places and looked at a few Chins, it was all but over. We contacted a few breeders from this website who didn't have any babies ready and was to say the least bummed. On a whim my girlfriend an I went to Petco to look at fish as she is in love with them. As we walked in we see a gorgeous little gray fluff ball curdled up in an igloo house. We go over and ask the associate about her info (age, sex, where they are bought from) and if I could hold her. I never knew you could love a little pile of fur so much after just one moment, quickly that moment spread to my girlfriend and well shall we say "Welcome to the family Gizmo". We knew that it would be a matter of time before we would end up with a chin so we were prepared with a 3 level cage and accessories needed. After the first week goes by and the intro period with her getting used to us goes by things turn fantastic. Gizmo comes running to the front of the cage to be held, scratched, and just well anything. Now we know most people are against pet shop animals, but our chin could not be any happier or more perfect for us. 2 weeks later on a general trip to the store for some bedding and toys we walked in to see the store getting a gorgeous white mosaic baby girl. On an impulse I had to have her, "Welcome to the family Luna". We bought a small cage and toys and everything we needed to go through the quarantine period and general meet and greet (cage next to cage) for a few weeks. After the first week we started to have a non-home turf play time for the kids in the kitchen walled off to just them. There was some chasing and barking and a little bit of fur pulling. At the first signs of a fight we would pull them away from each other and re-cage them. After a week of this with no signs of change we started to get disgruntled that they were not going to be friends. Which is what brought me back to this website. I took advice from all the elder chin owners on patience and time and a few sleek tactics on what to try. Using Vanilla extract on their nose and trimming the whiskers of the dominant chin, it was as if a light switch had be flipped. Over the next 3 days, play times were getting better and they were getting along. On the 3rd day I found them sleeping together in the corner all huddled up. So we then proceeded to try a few days of switching cages. Each night they went to each others with no problems. On the first day of supervised same cage visit, no fights, no barking, no nothing. They stayed for 8 hours together until our bedtime when they were separated. The entire night we could her talking between themselves. 5 days of supervised visits with no problems led to their first night together. We were on edge the entire night, as we woke up early (We aren't the early type) nothing more than 2 very cute chin fluff balls asleep together. Weeks have passed with no issues, we have 2 very happy chins living together, who make us very happy and very proud parents.
The point of this story is not just as a way to say thank you to all on this site for their previous questions or answers, but possibly to show others that through the little stress Chinchillas can bring for a new owner, the good far surpasses the bad. I want everyone to know how thankful and happy we are for having a forum like this to help us get through all the problems we have had, big or small. Neither my gf or I had to ask one question, as all the info we needed was here already. Thanks!!!!!!
P.S.- I know everyone isn't a fan of pet store animals, which I am not usually. But all animals deserve a good home.
Thanks
Justin and Venessa
Gizmo (Standard) and Luna (White Mosaic)
