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[SaraSue]

Hi.  I am new to the group and had a question about my chins.  I had 2 chinchillas and one passed about a year ago.  My, almost 4 yo, chinchilla has been living solo ever since.  I had been wanting to get her a companion and few weeks ago I found 2 female chinchillas on craigslist.  I don't have much history on these 2 chinchillas.  I was told that they would take some time to warm up to me, but would be friendly.  I had no warm up period with the other 2 chins, they were just automatically friendly.  Anyway... at this point they are still fearful of me.  When I come to the cage they don't run up to me, they run away.  One even sprayed me with urine (had never had that happen before) the other day.  Also, I would like them all to be able to live together eventually...I did try to introduce them a few days ago and they chased each other.  I have a large ferret nation cage and 2 are on bottom and the 1 is on top.  I have switched their cage accessories around and also flipped sides of the cage so they will get used to each others' scent.  Am I rushing things?  Are there any tips that you can give me on introducing them and getting them friendly with me?  Is it possible that these 2 will never enjoy my company?  Any advice you can give me would be great.  Thanks in advance.

[GrayRodent]

One thing I learned first hand is that if you get chinchillas from a breeder they are typically more socialized with people than chins from a pet store. Also you don't know how they've been raised and handled when you get them second hand.

My first chinchilla was attained second hand and from a pet store. He was very hard to tame and it was a process that took months. He never really seemed to like being handled until two months of being trained. He was a difficult animal to handle and also very territorial and nippy at times although was never afraid of people. He was also a urine sprayer and a male chin. It is unusual for males to do this but females are known for this. He only did it when I had to corner him in a room or if I invaded his wooden chinchilla house. I handled him consistently and as if I didn't get sprayed. This method was very beneficial and minimized these problems although I did get bit a couple of times! His bad behavior may have been partly because he was in constant pain from malocclusion which wasn't diagnosed until he started wasting. He was promptly euthanized.

I then got a three month old chin from a breeder and I couldn't believe how tame a chinchilla could be. This new one was a little wild compared to his siblings but he was the youngest so I took him hoping it would be easier to raise him the way I wanted. I am not sorry I did but he has a hyper disposition which I do enjoy but has to be worked with. This is also something that has mellowed out with age and handling. Today I consider him a very tame chinchilla. He'll sit still on my shoulder like a bird and I can walk through the house and do things despite his overall hyperactivity. Generally if you want a chinchilla like this you have to get it from the breeder and start training him at a young age.

Introducing chinchillas is also a process. Before you try make sure they are all the same gender or you will likely get babies.
It's probably best to keep them separate and in the same room for a couple of weeks before letting them run together. Standard practice is to have at least one inch of separation between cages or a separator in the cage to facilitate this. If they fight through the bars it can lead to a fatal injury. Switching their cages was the right thing to do. Since your chinchilla is used to living alone it may or may not be possible to put her together with the others.

To tame a chinchilla you ought to leave them alone for a few days or even a week or two and not let them run outside of the cage until they do come up to you instead of running away. This gives them time to adjust to their new environment and minimizes stress. If you hang out in the same room with the cage they'll eventually get used to you.  After about three days their stomachs will settle after the initial stress. You may see some loose stools during this time. If the stools are normal you can feed treats. (No more than two raisins a day or equivalent, no nuts, no fresh fruits, berries, or vegetables). If you chop a raisin into three or four slices you can make it go farther but not too small so they still can grasp the pieces. Feed them through the bars to help them get used to you. Some chins will take alfalfa pellets from you. Then try to pet them in stages through the door once they are no acting afraid. If you get sprayed ignore it as much as possible to try not to reinforce the behavior by letting them have their way. It is true some animals never warm up to people. I recommend you take things slowly and I'm sure you'll see progress.

[chinclub]

You may not want to put the three together.  Once a female gets pregnant she can get really nasty toward other females around her and again when she gives birth she can be nasty. Some females will tolerate other females some chinchillas will try to kill them.