Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Chad_13nich]

I was thinking about getting another male chinchilla and putting in a separate cage from my original. Going through the introduction period to get them used to each other and then just connecting their cages together with a little tunnel. Any comments would be appreciated. Not sure if this is a good or bad idea with the territorial issues I hear about.

[GrayRodent]

I'm not sure. What you're describing almost sounds like a ranch run for chinchilla breeding but with those one male runs through the tunnel and the females cannot enter because they wear collars that prevent them from getting through the hole.
If you do that I strongly recommend paying special attention to the construction. I have experience with cage modifications and you might be surprised what can injure a chinchilla. There cannot be any sharp edges or gaps their feet can get through and the floor it runs on has to constructed in a way that any wire mesh floor cannot act as a ledge for a chinchilla to drop down from. Their feet are very fragile and break easily and lacerations to the toes or foot can easily result in fatal complications.

[Chad_13nich]

I was planning on making a soild wood short tunnel (maybe 2 to 3 inches and all the way on the bottom) and screwing it to both cages. I want to put the cages right next to each other and make one sort of a play area and the other just feeding chewing and bedtime area. I wasn't sure if they would have problems with the two being their actual cages after they were friends. I dont want them fighting over something like that just would like to give them more space.  (more like two seperate rooms rather then cages)

[GrayRodent]

If your chinchillas have not been introduced to each other first and prove they are not going to harm each other you should not connect the cages.
How long have you been trying to introduce them? Sometimes having the cages side by side for a few weeks will work.

[Chad_13nich]

I havent got the new one yet. Im hoping to go get him this weekend  !!! This connecting of the cages isnt going to take place for a while i have to introduce them first and get them to be friends. I have been reading ALOT about introducing them so I know how that process works and know its going to take time. I just wasnt sure if people thought this would be a good or bad idea after everything was settled and they were in the same cage.

[GrayRodent]

That's awesome. I have no experience with anything like that and have only had one chinchilla at any time but I've seen a lot of posts here on the board where people have had problems with pairing their pets together. If you try it the best I can recommend is to watch closely and have a way to stop them if they try to do anything crazy and certainly make it so you can disconnect the tunnel easily.

There actually are good advantages to keep them separate. The best one is that you can monitor the food and water intake of each one and watch for any kind of developing health issues as part of your daily routine. Of course the disadvantage is that it might be difficult to allow them to be together during playtimes.

I will warn you though that sexing young chinchillas is sometimes difficult and that sometimes unexpected breeding will occur when having a pair that turns out to be, well, a pair. And separating a breeding pair can be very difficult. I've seen that happen on this board lots of times. Make sure the person you get them from has good experience with that.

[Chad_13nich]

Thanks a bunch i just picked him up yesterday. First night went great already using his wheel, his hammock everything in the cage. Hes only a little guy (8 weeks) ill keep u updated on how things go.

[GrayRodent]

8 weeks is a really good time to get your chinchilla. Handle him often and he will get very tame. I had mine at 12 weeks and he has far exceeded my expectations after having him for about a year.

[Chad_13nich]

I appreciate all the tips theyve been doing so well with theyre cages close tonight i decided to let them have play time together and once again they were like little angels. Im so excited its going to work out. I didnt push things tho, Im going to let them still share out of cage time for a while until im certain they are buddies. I dont want to ruin anything. Have you ever heard of introducing chinchillas in less then a week.

[GrayRodent]

A week seems a little premature to me but you are also starting at an unusually young age if both are 8 weeks. The older the chinchillas are typically the more difficult it is to pair them. I'd still wait another week just to make sure if it were my pets but I'm no expert on that.

[Chad_13nich]

one is 8 weeks the other is about 7 months im not sure either any advice helps they are doing really well and the younger one seems to be more aggressive but they both seem to have fun when they are together

[Heoke]

Just watch that they don't chew a hole in the tunnel and escape! I know that is what my chin would do

[Chad_13nich]

ill keep that in mind but knock on wood mine both havent chewed hardly anything they have been really good. Then again i spoil them to death so they dont really need to chew anything that isnt theres..