Print

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

[RachelandRyan]

Hello everyone I am new to this forum but chins are a pretty uncommon pet around here and I was hoping for some advice. We had two chinchillas who were brothers, from the same litter, 7 months old. The other night as my husband was getting them out in their play area Basil ran right under his foot. My husband stepped on him and Basil died almost instantly, he was dead by the time we arrived at the emergency vet only minutes later. We both have a lot of emotions right now- sadness for losing Basil, anger, and my husband feels extremely guilty. It was a complete accident and he is so gentle with them, but still we are extremely sad about the loss.

Now we are wondering if it is best to keep the remaining chin, Chien-Po alone, or consider trying to get a friend for him. Since Basil passed very recently Chien-Po doesn't seem to understand that his brother is gone forever-he just seems curious, trying to see if his brother is out in the play area or the traveling cage he can see from his own cage. So far he seems very energetic and happy about the extra attention we are giving him. Still, he has been with his brother for all of his short life, and so I wonder if he will do better with a new friend, especially since he is still very young (I hope that means it will be easier for him to adjust to a new friend). I assume it's best to give us all some time to grieve the loss of Basil, but then is it best to look for a new chin, or might the addition of a new chin just cause additional stress for Chien-Po?

[GrayRodent]

Unfortunately chinchillas that are used to being together might not do so good if they are separated. This does depend on the individual and some chinchillas do just fine on their own. If your surviving chinchilla gets depressed and starts loosing weight from not eating you may need to get him a cage mate ASAP and at least have a breeder lined up. (If his condition rapidly declines and he refuses to eat by tomorrow you will need to intervene quickly).

Otherwise chinchillas can do very well as solitary animals. I have one chinchilla myself and he is very healthy. A very similar accident to yours occurred on this board last year and the cage mate did just fine but that is not always the case.

Pairing chinchillas that have not grown up together can be very difficult. You cannot put them together without an introduction period having them in separate cages for at least a week and sometimes several months. They need to be at least two inches apart to prevent fighting through the bars. If you don't introduce them properly there is a very high risk of them killing each other. Also be very careful that you have the right gender otherwise you will become a breeder of chinchillas. It is a very common problem since young chinchillas can be difficult to sex.

I'm sorry you are going through this. Accidents do happen and it is a sad but true aspect of owning pets. Chinchillas are very good at getting underfoot and this kind of thing is not unheard of. Please don't be too hard on yourselves. I hope you all feel better soon.

[RachelandRyan]

Thank you very much for your comment, it was very helpful! We are still new to having chins so I appreciate the advice! It has been around a week since the passing of our chin Basil, and so far his brother Chien-Po seems to be doing well. He seems a bit quieter and more nervous (ie being startled by sudden movements or noises which before he never seemed to care about) these days but he hasn't been chewing his fur or anything. He was always the rambunctious one of the pair. We've watched him closely this week for signs of depression but he eats and drinks plenty, runs and plays when we take him out of his cage, and responds well when we talk to him and say his name or offer him a treat. We'll keep watching him closely, but I think he may end up doing fine without a cagemate.

[Snickerdoodlesmom]

He knows his name?

[nkaystrat]

So sorry to hear about your little guy Basil.....I have two male bonded chins that have been together for 8 years.
But, i also have one that is seperate from them, and he does just fine---i give him extra attention. 
I think it's all about the attention they get They are so sweet and cute.

[GrayRodent]

If you're not having problems by now I doubt you'll have any. In cases where the other chinchilla gets dangerously depressed, at least those that I know of, it is very dramatic.
Chinchillas in a community will take different roles. It is likely the Basil used to be the chinchilla that would look out for Chien-Po, which means Chien-Po is now looking out for himself and assessing for danger on his own. My chinchilla does this too whenever there are any strange noises. Sometimes even when I am holding and petting him.
It sounds like he is well adjusted. Being younger also helps. The older they are and longer they are accustomed to one way of life the less tolerant they become of change.

[RachelandRyan]

Thank you all for your replies! I think what you said, GrayRodent, about the chinchilla's roles makes sense. Basil was always very cautious and Chien-Po never seemed to pay attention to anything, he just hopped about without worry. Now he seems slightly more cautious. He is doing great now- better than I could have expected. He loves all the attention and is very active in and out of his cage so I suppose he is going to be fine on his own.  I am soo glad he is doing well after the passing of his brother.

In answer to Snickerdoodlesmom- I have always felt like they knew their names (at least, after they had been with us for a while). I know maybe this is not the case, and all the books I have read about chinchilla care says chins cannot learn their names. Still, it seems like they recognized their names though they are not like dogs who would come when they are called. When my husband I would get home from work I would usually go look into their cage and talk to them. Chien-Po would hop about and often run up to the door of his cage when I say his name. Basil would always sit very still until I would say "hi Basil!" and he would usually then run into his house and peek out at me, being shy. Now with only Chien-Po here, I'll sometimes call to him while I'm doing work near his cage and he usually will run to the front of his cage or run around if it's near his playtime. I don't know, maybe they were just used to a routine but I always felt like they recognized their names.