Young chinchilla behaviour, dominance or play? Solutions?

Hi there, I have 3 chinchillas, two adults, Princess & Potato, and their 7 week-old offspring, Popcorn. Popcorn was born as a single kit 5 days after we adopted Princess and Potato and is currently housed with Princess, as he is still nursing.

Potato is in a cage next door. Generally, play-time has been quite gentle and enjoyable for all 3, with a lot of grooming and cuddling. However, my husband and I have been noticing some behavioural changes in the little guy. While he is still quite gentle and snuggly with Princess, although he does occasionally mount her, he seems to be getting a bit aggressive with Potato, who is about 3 times his size! Potato is quite gentle and tolerant with this behaviour but will occasionally pin Popcorn. We're concerned that Popcorn is already trying to establish dominance, or are we getting ahead of ourselves and is this just play?

We're wondering how to ensure the safety and happiness of all 3 critters without having to keep them in three separate cages. My husband has read a few things about whisker trimming to control dominance but I'm hesitant, as I know that whisker trimming is a controversial issue and not a solution I'm leaning toward, but will consider if others have had success.

Also curious to know thoughts on neutering, although I've read that it really isn't an option before 1 year of age. We're pretty sure Princess will be quite content to have a cage to herself once Popcorn is weaned and we already have a well-established routine of highly supervised playtime to prevent further pregnancies. We're also aware that it is almost never recommended to spay a female chinchilla.

While we weren't leaning toward neutering either of the males, we're wondering if it is something we should consider. Potato is such a gentle soul and we would hate for him to be bullied or injured by Popcorn as he grows up.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Castration is becoming a safer option with chins, as chins become more widespread and popular in the pet community. You need to be absolutely sure your vet has experience with chinchillas, their surgeries, and their overall health. The biggest issue is the anesthesia. I have had many chins have surgeries for various reasons and never once had an issue because I had experienced vets who knew what they were doing.

As far as the dominance issues, it's hard to say. He's pretty young, but he might just be a really aggressive chin. It does happen sometimes. I have a male here I can't even put with females because he beats them up. Whisker trimming is a controversial issue? Why? It doesn't hurt them, they don't care, and they grow back. I trim whiskers every single time I do an introduction. I rarely have to bother with any of the other steps involved in introducing chins in a full-time living together situation. I used to go through the cage switching, the cage in a cage, etc., but now I only resort to one of those if there is a blow up after the whisker trimming. I've had chins for 15 or so years and never has whisker trimming caused an issue.

I personally don't advise neutering a chin, there are no known health benefits and there is no guarantee it will fix dominance problems. As Tunes said in areas where chins are popular it is becoming safer to get chins neutered, but it's still a risky operation, they do poorly under anesthesia. If you go the neuter route make sure the vet not only knows and has treated chins (not just guinea pigs and rabbits) but has successfully preformed neutering and other operations before on chins. Your profile says you are in Ontario? The Canadian Chinchilla Rescue is in Ontario, I would try reaching out to them to find out what vet they use or might suggest.

Also keep in mind that chins are slow to heal, it takes about 8 weeks to fully heal from the neuter, and up to 12 weeks before all the sperm is gone for sure. During that time you may need to hand feed, give meds, and watch the chin 24/7 to make sure he doesn't chew at the wound. A lot can go wrong before, during, and after the neutering. You can do a search on the forum here to read other people's experiences with neutering.

I also agree that trimming whiskers is not harmful, it's not like trimming a cat's whiskers. Just trim them back so they are shorter then the other chin's though, like an inch or so, don't cut them off completely. Mother chins even to do it herself to her own kits who are getting too out of hand. They grow back and it does cause them to loose a bit of confidence if they just think they are in charge, but aren't actually aggressive.

Unless you are making sure that Princess and Potato aren't getting anywhere near each other during playtime you aren't 100% preventing more pregnancies. Mating can take a split second, hop on hop off and they have mated, faster then you can stop them, unless you are hovering over them the whole time they are playing and separate them as soon as the male gets anywhere near the rear of the female. Also keep in mind that if the cages are less then 6" apart they can also mate through the bars.

Thank you both for your perspectives on whisker trimming and neutering. My concerns about whisker trimming come from the equine community, where it is a major welfare concern, as it affects a horses sense of proprioception and has been banned in several countries. Naturally, I assume whiskers serve a similar role in all animals. Admittedly, I have only come across once source advising against if for chinchillas.

This is the first I've heard about chinchillas being able to mate in a split second or through the bars, but sound advice. Potato is beginning to show signs of what my husband and I can only interpret as sexual frustration. Furthermore, he had a barking episode last night when face-to-face with Popcorn. I didn't see it, but my husband was quite concerned. The dynamics are becoming more complicated by the day.