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[GuapoWithAGun]

A few months ago I bought a chinchilla from our local pet store and named him Charlie. He's gotten along very well and is happy and healthy. However, when we bought him we separated him from his little roommate. About a week ago I went back to the pet store for supplies and noticed the other chinchilla had still been there even after all this time; so we bought him and named him Geronimo.

Charlie and Geronimo got along sort of okay. Charlie tried to mount Geronimo a few times but we always separated them and eventually just kept them in separate parts of the same cage; albeit quarantined from one another. It's been about 3 or 4 days and I haven't ever seen Geronimo eat except for the occasional raisin treat. He drank a tiny bit of water when I fed it to him like a baby. I don't see him eating pellet chinny food but he may when I'm asleep or at work (?). He also doesn't eat hay or play. He just hides in one spot for hours. At first I thought it was because he's new and scared but now I'm beginning to get very worried. I don't want to take him back to the store - if there's any way we can get him to be happy with us we'll do it.

Any advice? 

[mojito]

I wouldn't seperate them. They were just restating thier dominance with the mounting. I have two males and even though they have already done that, you will see it occasionally and its okay as long as it's not aggressive (fighting each other, etc.) try putting them back together and see what happens, because it sounds like they are depressed. You could also try getting him to play with a dust bath.

[GrayRodent]

Four days without eating is extremely bad for a chinchilla and often causes serious complications that can also cause depression. However, just because you don't see them eat doesn't mean they are not eating unless you are with them all day. During the day my chinchilla wakes from his sleep and eats about every three or four hours during the day and is most active at night. Most chinchillas sleep during the day and are like that. Some chinchillas don't like to be bothered during the day at all.

You will need to know if he is still defecating normally. If there has been no sign of defecation in a 12 hour period you may need an emergency appointment with an exotic vet. Same goes if you the feces are very small and hard and it has been like that for the last four days.
You may need to start hand feeding a recovery diet because that would mean your chinchilla really has stopped eating to the point where his digestive system has been effected and may not eat on its own without intervention. With these cases there is a point of no return so it is important that you determine this.

Chinchillas are creatures that don't like change. They sometimes eat very little when they are stressed or relocated from one environment to another. It is not unusual for a chinchilla to cut back on his food the first two or three days after relocation. Sometimes they may eat nothing the first day but should eat something by the next morning.

Sometimes chinchillas will get depressed when separated from their cagemate and will get depressed to the point where they stop eating and die. Not always but sometimes and I think more often with breeding pairs.

With that being said, if your chinchilla is eating and pooping you're probably okay. It can be a couple of weeks before he starts acting normally because he has been relocated to an unfamiliar place. It is probably okay to put them back together if they've only been separated for a week but keep a close watch on them for fighting since it can be difficult to re-introduce chinchillas. Dominance mounting is not fighting but hair pulling is a little more serious.

I pray all goes well for you.

[Jasonred79]

If you're separating them, maybe separate food bowls too, so you'll know for certain whether he is eating or not?

[Jenova]

As Grey Rodent said, not eating is extremely serious and life threatening. You need to go to an exotic vet and get fluids, gut motility drugs and some liquid food to get him going again.

Keep the bill and if the pet shop is reputable they might help pay.