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[LittlePony]

Hello,

I got my chinchilla, a little boy, (Barley) in December. After years of wanting a chinchilla, my boyfriend bought me one just in time for Christmas. We did a lot of research before getting Barley, and since we only bought him, we make sure he gets constant love and attention. Barley gets time out of his cage for three hours almost every single night. The only time he doesn't get out is on the rare occasion that we're away for the night or up early for work the next day. He has a big cage full of toys for him to play with. However, he's recently been biting at his cage as soon as we put him back in for the night. I'm worried that our constant attention is not enough and we have decided that we'd like to get another chinchilla. However, we cannot afford to do this right now. Barley is now eight months old. Is there a time limit on when we can get him a companion? We're already aware of the process we have to go through to gradually introduce them to each other, we're just not sure if there's a time that we have to do this by. If anyone could give me any advice I'd really appreciate it.

Also, one other question. When Barley is out of his cage, he spends a lot of time hiding behind the bed. He seems to have a thing about just standing upright next to the wall. Is this common? He seems perfectly happy, I'm just not sure if this is normal chin behavior.

[GrayRodent]

The thing about animals that get constant attention is that they crave it. Sometimes you just need to let them be without being too fussy over them or they'll pick up on that and become a nuisance. One thing that can help is to establish a routine so the chin knows when it is playtime and when it is bed time and stick with that. Consistency is important. After a few days you'll probably see a change once you establish boundaries.

If you want to introduce another chinchilla keep in mind that introductions are not always successful but male chinchillas tend to be easier to pair together than females. There really is no age limit but at 8 months the chin is likely going to be set in its ways. Usually a chin that is used to being solitary is going to prefer that. As is oft repeated said here if you want two chins get a chin for your benefit not the benefit of the other chin.

About him standing upright next to the wall on a regular basis that not something I have observed personally. Usually when a chinchilla is standing upright on the floor they are watching for predators. Animals can have their quirks though. It could just be something he does.