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[littlejaypops]

Hello,
I got a new Chinchilla about a year ago, adopted him from another family. Not sure on the age, about 5 or 6. He is a male.
I was recently told that Chinchilla's feel more comfortable with a "friend".
My question is, is he to old to be introduced to another chinchilla? I would absolutely love to have another one with him, I feel bad for him when he is alone.
If he isn't too old, would it be better to get a male or a female to put with him? I am aware that a female would have a few litters a year, so what would your opinions be on that?
Thank you!!

[GrayRodent]

Here is my opinion, perhaps others will differ. I feel that unless you're leaving your chinchilla for long periods of time (like maybe you won't have much interaction for weeks at a time) that you are better off with one chin.
If you want two because you would like to have two instead of one then go for it.

However, having two can present some difficulties you'll have to be prepared for. I recommend that you have two complete cage setups available in case your introductions don't work out. If one chin gets sick you may have to house it in a separate cage depending in the illness temporarily. Once they are bonded (especially a breeding pair) If one dies there is a possibility the other may go into a terminal depression.

I also feel that five years is a pretty long time and your chinchilla may have an issue getting used to having another chin in the cage. Pairing with another is possible but may be difficult process.

As far as breeding please believe me when I say I know what I'm talking about here, and that is if you want to breed you want to have a pedigree and two high-quality chinchillas to breed with. If you don't have a good line or an unknown line, you can be breeding potentially lethal genetic defects into your kits. Unless you bought a chinchilla from a reputable breeder who was selling them with breeding in mind please do not breed your pets. It can have a degrading effect on the chinchilla line as a whole. Secondly unless you are well educated in breeding chinchillas (not saying one cannot educate oneself) you may not understand the risks of breeding which some pet owners may not be willing to take.

I hope everything goes well for you.

[littlejaypops]

Thank you for the information!!
I do have another cage that would work well for a chinchilla.
Right now I have a four story ferret cage for my current chin.. along with a very, very large, wired dog cage that can easily get shelves added into it.
But like you said, he may be too old, and that is my concern.
IF I do decide to get another one, I would keep the other one in its own cage for a long while, and slowly let them out in my room together, supervised by myself.
Eventually I would switch their cages, to get them use to each others sent... Or I would do that step first.

I would rather get a male, as breeding could become more complicated, and my intentions aren't to become a breeder...

I work, and school, so by the time I get home it is late, I have a couple hours a night with him, so I feel bad when he is alone

Thank you for your opinion, and if you have any other thoughts you'd like to share, I would LOVE to hear them!!

[GrayRodent]

If you have any questions I'd be glad to try to answer them.
Chinchillas do well as solitary animals for the most part and seem to gravitate towards that. A pair of chinchillas is more likely to tolerate being separated and once they are separate sometimes it is difficult to re-introduce them. Some pairs, although it's somewhat unusual, cannot tolerate separation at all. This is more likely to happen with breeding pairs. Some pairs that have been together for years will sometimes fight and kill each other for no apparent reason. I do think that in some cases it is because the cage doesn't have a place like a box for a chinchilla to run and hide in.
Sometimes when you have multiple males in the cage and then bring in a female into the same room the males will fight each other to death. Usually there are no problems with same-sex pairs and most owners who have multiple chins don't seem to have any problems once they are introduced. The introduction can take weeks or months though. I've seen some strange things on the board but we are kind of a magnet for extreme cases here.
I think it really does depend on the animals how it will work out which is why I recommend having the ability to house them separately long term if need be.

[littlejaypops]

This is the cage that I have for my Chico,, I have changed his plastic house to a bigger wooden one.
I also have a dog cage that is the same wiring,  for a large dog that I could turn into a good set up for a chinchilla..
I was told that if I did get another one to put with my male, it would be best to get a younger one, that way the younger one knows Chico is dominant, and Chico would look at it sort of as his baby,, what do you think about that?
Of course, if I do get one,, I would keep the new one in a separate cage for a few months, introducing them slowly.
If they got to the point that they would be able to live together in the same cage, I would have to houses, two water bottles, two food dishes.. in order to avoid fights over anything.

[GrayRodent]

The cage in the picture is a popular design for chinchilla owners and is a good choice for chins when you have a good metal litter pan. If the cage is based on the Ferret Nation cage you can get an aftermarket pan designed for chinchillas.

Definately keep them separate for at least two weeks in the same room and no closer than 2" separation. You may start on opposite sides of the room to see how they react to each other.
I've heard too that putting a younger one in there is a good idea. In practice though I think some chinchillas are naturally dominant or submissive and it is mostly hard wired into their personalities. Be careful putting a small one with a big one since the small one can be more vulnerable if there is a fight.

Looking at the photo there are a few recommendations I can make. Most importantly is get rid of the ramps. These are notorious for killing chinchillas. They get their feet in them and go off the side and this results in fractures to their back feet. This is a problem for all pet rodents and a very common cause of foot fractures. Chinchillas don't need them and can jump 6' straight up if they really wanted to.

Secondly is the plastic cage items. It is never advisable to have plastic in a chinchilla's cage. It should be either wood or fairly sturdy metal. The reason is that plastic is known for causing fatal bowel obstructions in rodents. It is not as common a problem but it's also not always diagnosed. I recommend a wooden hutch.

The wheel you have is probably better for hamsters than chins. I recommend getting a metal wheel that is 15" or larger. A wheel that is too small will cause irreversible orthopedic injury over time. A 14" wheel is okay for chinchillas that weigh around 500g, which is about the average size for a male chin. A proper wheel is a little expensive so you may want to just remove that one and save up. I recommend not providing a wheel to a chinchilla that is younger than 8 months old so they can grow faster.

I strongly recommend not using an open watering bowl. You are better off with a water bottle. It is less likely something can contanimate the water and cause the growth of mold or bacteria, which can result in a respiratory infection. Such infections, once contracted, are difficult to cure and often fatal. I recommend getting a glass water bottle that cannot be chewed through the bars. You can go with plastic if you have a metal shield to protect it. Otherwise, as I have learned the hard way, you will have a mess and a chin with no water.

The bedding you are using is inappropriate for chinchillas. They will get it wet and it will be a source of problems very soon from mold to irritated and cracked skin on their feet. I've seen these cases and they are very hard to treat. I recommend using artificial "fleece" lining which is popular. (However if you go that route and your chins chew the fleece, which is rare, you will have to remove it). Ideally you can use pine chips in the cage pan which should have come with the cage. You don't need to line the floors. It will all fall through and once the levels are connected both chins will urinate only in one corner of the cage.

Chinchillas should also have wooden shelving in their cage. They will spend most of their time on them. You can build them yourself or order them online. This is standard practice for keeping chinchillas.

Lastly you should be providing loose timothy hay for your pets. They should have constant access to it. It is an essential part of a chinchilla's diet and if they don't get it their teeth will overgrow resulting in a condition called malocclusion. Malocclusion is very expensive to treat and not always treatable. It is a very common problem with chins unfortunately and usually (but not always) tied to an improper diet. Malocclusion is fatal if not treated.

Hope this helps.

[littlejaypops]

Wow, thank you so much for all that information!!
I forgot to make clear that this was the cage when I got it!
I switched the plastic house for a large wooden hut, I still have the wheel and litter... i will change those to medal!!
Thanks for the info on the ramps, Just took those out as I was reading this!!!
The bowl is the food dish, I have a large water bottle on the side of the cage, it just isn't visible in the photo.
I took the newspaper out of the cage, and don't line the bottom, I only have recycled bedding from the pet store in the litter,, I like to keep the floors clear, giving the extra chill from the floor for Chico!
And I do have timothy hay for him! I have a hay holder that I bought since taking this picture!!

Thank you so much for the info!! I really appreciate it!

[littlejaypops]

I will also add wooden shelving!!   

[GrayRodent]

If those are wire shelves remove those too ASAP. Same issue as the ramps. Be careful with hay feeders that is another problem people have, especially with the ones that look like wire balls. Chins get their heads stuck in them and sometimes hang to death. I've seen a few close calls with those. Personally I just put my hay onto the floor and it works.

[littlejaypops]

They aren't wire shelves and the cracks for the hay holder are not large enough for his head, only or strands of hay to come through,, but in all honesty it was a waste of money, the hay falls out and lands on the floor of his cage, so he just eats it from there!:)

[GrayRodent]

If it's a wire hay ball please just remove it. I've seen this problem two or three times on the board. They get their head through the large spaces and then it slides towards the smaller spaces and they get stuck until their owner comes home and finds it. On another board a chin actually died when that happened and then it slipped off the shelf. You can just as easily put the hay on the floor and there is no risk. Since it falls out anyway you have nothing to lose.

Sounds like you have everything under control. I'm very glad your chins have hay. They should live a long time.

[littlejaypops]

It's not a wire one:) but I will remove it either way, for extra precaution thank you!!

[littlejaypops]

So I did it... I ended up adopting another chinchilla.
They are separated, and will remain that way unless I see that they will get along.
His name is Pika, he is 2 months old as of today. His birthday is May 9th.
Super cute, and I am so in love!!!!