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[yayamag]

I just brought home my new little guy today (i am so excited!!!!) I was just wondering how long should i wait to introduce my two togehter. I know that I need to do it slowly and the process itself will take a few weeks. I just don't know how long until I actually start the process. Should I wait a while to give him time to conform to me and the new environment before introducing my other chin? If so how long?

[Debbie.nl.ca]

You should quarantine the new Chin for 2 weeks. Making sure he is healthy, happy and no longer stressed by the move.
This also give you time to bond.
I call it making him yours before you intoduce him to another chin.
Some chins get along right from the start, others have to learn to like each other, and then some will never ever get along.
I start by letting them sniff each other through a cage. One in my hand and one locked up.
If they seem eager to meet and I see no hostility after a nose to nose sniff I'll let them run together, have baths and see how that goes.
Some can spend weeks side by side in separate cages before they stop being nasty to each other.Then I do the above.
If they don't stop trying to fight you can try the "smoosh" method, not sure on the spelling, of putting them both in a very small space, like a tube so they don't have the room to fight.
I'm not fussy on doing this, and have only tried it once with a breeding pair, it did work.
I find with only the 2 they would rather have a buddy than be alone.
Give him time to bond with you first though, he'll love you for it.

[Jo Ann]

How old are each of the chins?

I think, on another thread, you said your first one is a female and this new one is a male.  Right?

What colors are they?

 
Jo Ann

[yayamag]

The girl is a little over 10 months old and the boy is about 6 months old. He is a Pink White and She is a black velvet

[yayamag]

yeah but I dont think I am going to start introducing them for like another 2 months. I was thinking about it and I would rather have a connection with him before letting them bond, so I can have a relationship with them.

[Romeosgirl]

One thing you need to consider about introducing your two chinchillas is that if they spend time together, most likely your girl will get pregnant.

Breeding chinchillas is a big deal. You don't want to do it if you're not knowledgeable or at least willing to take the time to learn. You also have to consider what you'll do with the kits when they come. Perhaps most importantly, you shouldn't breed the chinchillas if you're not familiar with their pedigree-you might have chinchillas with heart problems or teeth problems, and you don't want to create more unhealthy kits. Also, some colors should not be bred together-I think this is what Jo Ann was trying to find out when she asked the colors of the chins.

You mentioned specifically that your female is from a breeder, does that mean your male is from a pet store? Most owners will agree pet store chinchillas should never be bred.

I'm not a breeder, just a pet owner, so I'm sure others can pitch in more information. I just wanted to point out some things you'll need to consider.

[yayamag]

no they are both from breeders, I took a long time before I settled on each, and I got both of their family lines. I have actually been researching breeding for months now. I am not saying I know everything yet but I do know a lot of information on them. I have been researching it since almost the time I got my girl, I knew I always wanted a pair for her I just wasn't sure if breeding would be right for me. It took me a long time to decide on it, and even now I am still waiting a few months before they will even be allowed together at all.

I am also prepared to keep them in seperate cages if they do not ever seem to get a long, I love them both and ultimately their safety is my first concern.

[Jo Ann]

Very glad to hear their health and safety is what you are most concerned with!   

Different breeders do things differently ... 

I never put a female in breeding until she is at least a year old (sometimes 18 months old)
or a male in breeding before he is at least 9 months old (sometimes a year old). 
Depends on the size and colors of the chins.
The female must also weight at least 600 grams before I will put her into breeding and be able to pass the thumb test. 

You can get some beautiful kits from a white mosaic and a black velvet.  But, I would not advise any of their kits be matched with a black velvet ... here you would have to be concerned about the lethal factor ... even if they are not showing the black velvet genes, they will be carry it.

Their standard kits would be carrying both the white mosaic and black velvet genes and could be matched with a standard, preferrably, or a white ... depending on the quality of the kit.
 
Any white kits would be classified as white/black or white/black/TOV carrier ... even if it shows no black ... it is still carrying the black velvet genes.

Any black velvet kits could be mated to standards or whites.

Personally, anytime I mate two mutation colors, I like to see the kits mated with standards only, this assures the reintroduction of the stronger standard gray genes.

I have 200+ chinchillas and have been breeding well over a decade ... I am still learning!   

 
Jo Ann

[yayamag]

Okay so today is the first day i put their cages next to each other, and I got to admit i am a little worried because they keep trying to bite each other through their cages!!!! I expected it to be more from my girl because I have had her longer, but its my boy who keeps initiating it...is this normal? Are they likely to calm down after a few weeks? I am not worried about them hurting each other through the cages though, because i kept the cages just slightly seperated so they can only touch each other with the tips of their noses, but no room for actual biting. I am still not planning to do any actual introducing for another month at least, because I am really scared of them hurting one another and I am waiting for my little girl to be at least a full year. Just wanted to update I guess.

[chinclub]

That sounds normal.  Good thinking in keeping the cages slightly apart.  Chinchillas have been known to bite off the fingers on another chinchilla if they can reach them.  After awhile you can try letting them out together in a neutral place.  Remember that your female will be territorial so make sure you put them together in a place she is not used to.

[QTPie61282]

I usually put their cages together for a few weeks when introducing, this is after the qurantine period of 2 weeks.  If they are biting, just pull the cages apart a few inches.  They can still smell each other and communicate from this distance.

I also dont breed my pairs if the male is larger than the female.  This is very dangerous if you breed two, and the female is smaller than the male.  She could develope very large babies and there is always a chance that they wont fit through her small birth canal.  So make sure he is smaller than her.

Jo Ann is 100% right when saying you should worry about what the kits are going to be bred to if they will be bred at all.
The lethal factor is very scarey and I would never risk it.  They should all be bred to standards just to improve on the mutation and to prevent the lethal gene from kicking in.