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1

Q & A / Second chinchilla?

« on: May 08, 2012, 05:38:16 AM »

Hello,

My boyfriend and I have a one-year old female chinchilla named Yuffie, and she is our baby - we give her lots of attention, but I still worry that she might be lonely while we are at work, or at night.  We've been thinking about getting a second chinchilla as a companion (and man, chinchillas are such great pets...).  Yuffie's cage is a very large, four-tiered habitat, so there should be plenty of room.  We also have an additional, smaller, three-tiered cage that we could use to keep the new chin in until we are able to slowly introduce them to each other.

My question is, is it a problem to introduce two new chins to each other after one is already established in a home?  Would it be more distressing to Yuffie, in the long run, rather than helpful?  I've also heard that chinchillas tend to bond better with their pet parents if they are housed alone, and tend to be more aloof with their owners if housed with others - has this been anyone's experience, or have they bonded just fine with paired chinchillas?

Thanks. 

2

Q & A / Owner preferences?

« on: April 26, 2012, 04:17:17 PM »

Hey guys,

Just joined the forum!  My boyfriend and I have an adorable chinchilla named Yuffie who we've had for about a year.  She was skittish and timid for the first month or two, but now she is completely adapted to her new home - loves chin scratches, being cuddled, and is generally very friendly.  When we get home, she comes right up to the front of the cage to be played with.

I've noticed, however, that she seems to favor my boyfriend or me for certain tasks.  She's very, very comfortable with leaping right on to my boyfriends hands and being brought in for a cuddle.  She has never been comfortable with coming directly onto my hands...she'll put her front paws on my hands and snuggle, but won't come all the way onto my hands.  Yet, she is happy to have me scratch her belly, but doesn't like my boyfriend to do the same. 

Is this normal chin behavior, to have preferences between two owners?  Has anyone else had a similar experience?  Does anyone have any suggestions for how to get her comfortable with coming onto my hands?