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[wvdreamer]

We got our 1st boy in january, not sure of his age but very young, and got him a playmate a month later same with the age, , both boys, they got along great, after 2 or 3 months i saw some dominating behavior..one trying to mount the other etc....but no fighting..then we got a female, she was much smaller than the others when we brought them home. Anyway we kept their cages in the same room and they were fine, around the beginning of summer the boys started fighting so we seperated them..common sense should have told me to move her..well then thats what i did, but we put boys back together in a cage that had them seperated with plexi-glass. Again with a dumb move i had her in the same room temporary, they started again..so now i have her in my room..alone. Boys are great, they sleep cuddled up to each other. Her on the other hand, she barks alot on some nights. i feel bad for her..i guess maybe thinking she is lonely, but definatly in no hurry to introduce her to one of the males, i dont' want to risk her life by breeding her to young, and honestly i do not know at what age they go into heat i've heard alot of different answers on that one and am unfamiliar with what their behavior would be,  and was wondering if that could be whats up with the boys and how they act when she is around, or with how she is behaving.

Also what about some new ideas for toys..what sort of "home" things are safe to play with, i saw someone post on another thread that a teddy bear with no buttons...things that can pull off..but won't they chew it up?? they play with the cardboard tubes..blocks..things like that, but i am looking for inexpensive ideas.

[chinclub]

You are correct that you can't house two males in the same room as a female.  You did the right thing by moving her to a new room.  Female chinchillas are just like people you never know when the first ovulation will start but the fact that the males are fighting over her makes me think she has already started.  That being said, she won't be large enough to breed until she is at least 8 months old.  If she is a black velvet, ebony, or violet it can be a year or more before she is fully grown.

[1newChinmom1]

We have a mother and her (almost) three month old male kit. For toys we use willow baskets, empty largish boxes formed into mazes, empty canned goods boxes, with holes for entry and exit and wood treats like apple branches stuck into them (line these up and watch the fun). Also we have a large chinchilla ball that we put on the floor with the door OFF, and they jump in and out, rolling it around the (chin safe) room.
Also we recommend kiln dried, clean, blocks of NONTREATED wood (pine). We have a small hardware store close by which saves us the bits and pieces from cuttings for customers' projects.  I sand them smooth before giving them to the rascals. They stack up nicely, are safe to nibble, and the little Sir loves to drag them around and 'redecorate' the play room when he is out for play time. Another fun 'toy' is a strawberry pot made out of non-painted, plain,terra cotta clay. The little boy jumps on, through and around it, like it is a park jungle gym,lol.
All these toys ( except the baskets) were free, or already around the house. I hope you enjoy your chins, we love ours so very much.
I won't risk giving relationship advice on your little bundles of joy. Other than, the more you handle and love them, the sweeter they are.

The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know 

[sarahlydear]

Something to play with: if you go to Lows or some store that has carpet, its rolled up on a cardboard 'tunnel' they will give it to you for free then you can cut it up and make runways, my chin loves 'em. Another thing, just stack boxes in a way that they can jump/climb up and down them, also leaning the tunnels against something so they can climb up into them. Another thing my chin likes is i will hang my longer silver necklaces and he will chew on them and try to separate them, see how high he can stretch, those sort of things.

[ABC Chinchillas]

I hope the momma and 3 month old kit are separated... Males can and will mate with mom at 8-9 weeks

[Courtney]

^^ Yes, inbreeding is bad to do. You can't breed with siblings.