Introducing our new chinchilla

[ArmyWife]

Yesterday my fiance and I were able to rescue a female chinchilla from their owner. We currently have a 7 month old male (was told it was a female) chinchilla named McKinley. He's a very friendly but has his tendoncies to run away when being picked up. The new chinchilla, we named her Jade, is said to be a 3 month old from Petsmart. She's actually bigger than McKinley so I'm thinking petsmart had no idea what they were talking about OR she's just a big baby lol. Is there any way to really know how old she is? She's VERY friendly and loves to run around.

Right now I have them in separate cages side by side with about 6 inches apart. Should I have them farther apart from each other? I'm still new to owning my first chinchilla but have done a TON of research and want to breed my chinchillas one day and become a breeder. I am definitely not going to put the two of them together yet since Jade is so young. How old should chinchillas be before introducing them to each other? I've done a lot of research about introducing new chinchillas and feel that the cage to cage introduction is the best and most humane way of introducing them. Is it ok to allow them to play together as long as I watch them the whole time and stop any fighting?

I would have preferred a same sex pair but Jade needed to be rescued from the living situation she was in and I have a huge heart for chinchillas. She was in a cage locked up a bedroom where they never visited her or played with her. The cage was VERY bare with no chew toys or any place for her to hide. She was soaked in her own urine and feces and seemed to not have a dust bath in weeks. The previous owners did no research about chinchillas and just wanted one because it was "cute". They just couldn't handle the responsiblity yet they just got a new kitten.... :banghead: It made me so incredibly sad to see this poor thing living like this. Once we got her home and in her cage we immediately went out and got her some chew toys and a place to hide in. She seems MUCH happier here and is so comfortable that she lies down and lounges around all day

 

[tunes]

These two chins should never be together. You have no information on either of them, and at least one is from a pet store. If you want to be a breeder, then you should get your chins from a reputable source, i.e., a breeder. With the chins you have now there is no way to know if they are malocclusion carriers (or will develop it themselves) or any other parts of their health history; and even though the odds are slim, if they both came from pet stores you could be breeding brother to sister, etc.

If you are serious about wanting to breed, and want to do it the right way and for the right reasons, find some shows in your area and attend them. Also, find a reputable breeder (not a back yard breader who only wants fuzzy kits) and visit them. See their set up, learn how to pair up chins, buy some pedigreed breeding stock.

Again, these two should not be put together now or at any other time.

As to her age, no, there is no way to know without a pedigree. Another reason to buy from a reputable breeder so you know when she's of an age to put into breeding. Also, if she's a baby, you don't know if she will be of a good quality to put into breeding.

 

[ArmyWife]

Thank you for all the information. I appreciate your honest opinion since I'm still new to owning chinchillas. Our first chinchilla McKinley is from a breeder... not sure how reputable they were since they didn't sex him right. They owned a couple chinchillas and breed in the past. I would never actually buy a chinchilla from a pet store. I decided to rescue this one because of the condition the little thing was in and it's living situation.

I've also thought about getting our male chinchilla neutered so that they could live together. Is this recommended or should I just keep them separate and not neuter him? There are a few vets around here that specialize in exotic animals but I'd make sure to meet them with and ask several questions about their experience before going through with it.

 

[ArmyWife]

Also, Jade still has a lot of discoloration on her underside due to the urine and feces which causes a sour smell. I gave her a dust bathe but that only does so much for her. Any recommendations on how I should go about cleaning her? Do I just let her do her thing or should I take action?

 

[ticklechin]

Think about how good it felt to rescue that chin and repeat that rather than breeding, rescues are full all over the USA, we need more people to step up and become rescues, we don't need anymore breeders.

 

[RDZCRanch]

Neutering is a surgery that comes with high risks as does any surgery performed on such a small animal. It's possible to have neutering done, just make sure the vet you choose has done many successful surgeries on small animals. I know a lot of people that will say not to risk the surgery, but if you really want to pair these two, that is the route to take. He will need 6 weeks after the surgery to himself before he could be placed with her since the sperm is still viable for that long.

I disagree that we do not need more breeders. We need more reputable breeders and less "breaders". The breaders are what contribute to the rescues, not reputable breeders.

 

[ArmyWife]

Thank you for the information Tabitha. I would really love to pair them but I'm going to give it at least two months to make sure Jade, the female, is healthy since the last owners mistreated her. I want to believe that they will get along, I'd hate to risk McKinley's health and then they don't even want to live together. Than again, I would be happy if they just had play-time together.

I would love to become a reputable breeder but I know that would come over time once I have way more experience and chinchillas with pedigrees. Right now I'm happy to have my little furry friends to keep us company.

 

[ticklechin]

Enjoy having pets and spoil them, not enough people do that.

 

[Dewdrop]

In addition, to what's already been said. be sure to watch your male for any signs of illness. Since the female came from bad conditions and you didn't quarantine..

 

[liewwan]

Been through the same situation as you. I had to choose between neutering or separation and I ended up choosing separation. Asks the vets a million questions and should they hesitate in an answer it's time to call the next vet.
Also you mentioned "just keep them separated and let them play together" They can still breed when playing together, you'll be surprise how fast the boys will get at them. I have my boys and girls play time separated. Due to my stupidity I'm in pregnancy watch with Sparkle. I took them in as a rescue and now I'm the one putting her in **** mode.
Oh just keep dusting her. Tinker's fur was pretty knotted up when I got her and I ended up doing 2-3 baths a day, 2 weeks later she was nice and soft.

 

[Dragonflye]

You cannot let them play together even if you watch them closely. They will mate, it happens quickly. If you let them play together you are basically breeding. We see this all of the time on this forum. (People think they are being careful, but...)

 

[ArmyWife]

I will make sure to keep them separated during playtime unless I decide to eventually neuter McKinley. I am a little nervous about her possibly being sick since she was very wet on her underside and stuck in a room closed off that had a AC directly blowing on her. They were smart to worry about the temp of the room but I know her being wet could definitely make her sick. The poor thing's fur is so matted and discolored, I feel so bad for her. I will absolutely spoil her, I already spoil my 1st chinchilla too much

 

[ArmyWife]

Also, I've noticed she hasn't been eating a lot or going to the bathroom. Is that normal for a chinchilla who is in a new environment?

 

[Brittany]

not sure how reputable they were since they didn't sex him right. They owned a couple chinchillas and breed in the past. I would never actually buy a chinchilla from a pet store. I decided to rescue this one because of the condition the little thing was in and it's living situation.

An experienced breeder will know how to sex kits properly. If you want to get into breeding look for a breeder/mentor that attends chinchilla shows, and is constantly working to improve their herd.

I've also thought about getting our male chinchilla neutered so that they could live together. Is this recommended or should I just keep them separate and not neuter him? There are a few vets around here that specialize in exotic animals but I'd make sure to meet them with and ask several questions about their experience before going through with it.

If you do decide to go the neuter route make sure the vet has the equipment to use gas anesthesia. Also make sure that they have experience neutering chinchillas and other animals of a similar size. Once the surgery is complete you'll need to wait a minimum of 6 weeks before introducing him to your female inorder to allow all the sperm to get out of his system. He should be healed by then, but if there are any complications you'll need to make sure that he is completely healed up. As Dragonflye said breeding happens in seconds, so you can't even let them play together unless he's neutered. It can happen, and has happened to many forum members.

 

[StevieP]

Also, I've noticed she hasn't been eating a lot or going to the bathroom. Is that normal for a chinchilla who is in a new environment?

Yes that is normal for some chins. Feed her some alfalfa hay if you have any. Alfalfa is irresistible.

Congrats on rescuing her

 

[ArmyWife]

I put an alfalfa cube in there for her to munch on. They were feeding her alfalfa pellets and timothy hay. I mixed the alfalfa pellets with timothy hay pellets I feed my other chin and keep feeding her the timothy hay.

 

[ticklechin]

What is she wet from and where is she wet?

 

[ArmyWife]

She was wet from her lying in her urine since they didn't clean her cage or give her a dust bath. Her undersides were wet along with her legs.

 

[javachin]

With hearing what's going on with your rescue, quarantine is a must. I would hate to hear if your boy catches anything.

 

[RDZCRanch]

With hearing what's going on with your rescue, quarantine is a must. I would hate to hear if your boy catches anything.

If quarantine was not observed from the moment that chinchilla entered the house, it is not possible to do now. Quarantine means separate rooms, no going between rooms or chins without washing hands and changing clothes, not feeding them out of the same container, etc. Since the chins cages are 6 inches apart, quarantine was not observed from day 1 so it would be a pointless endeavor now.