A new chinchilla

[Tom]

I need help! I thought Tom was kinda lonely and he needed a friend. We always play with him and let him run around the house for a really long time, but my mom got mad because he poops every where. My mom told me that we should get another chinchilla so Tom can spend more time in his cage. HE PROBABLY SPENDS LIKE 8 HOURS IN HIS CAGE!!! and the rest of the time he is running around and playing with us. So we did we just got a new chinchilla (male) but since my chinchilla has been a lone for 1 year he seems to be really upset. I put his leash on and he was really aggressive and tried to bite the other chinchilla he also tried to pee on him!! i dont know what to do. The other chinchilla is really sweet and not aggressive at all. I put them in different cages but i dont know if it was a bad idea to get a chinchilla and if i should return it. Please help!!!! i dont know what to do!! In the pet store they told me i have 14 days to return him.:cry3:
thanks in advance

 

[tunes]

Well, first no leashes. Chins should never, ever be in a harness and leash.

Second, a 30 day quarantine should have been observed before you attempted to introduce the two chins together.

Third, it's very possible your chin will never want another chin as a companion. Some chins just don't. For now keep them separate, in separate cages, possibly even in separate rooms. Wait a few weeks, then try and do a proper introduction. You can find several methods in the FAQ under introductions.

Lastly, chins poop. If your chin wasn't pooping, he would be very ill. Two chins are going to poop twice as much. More chins, more poop. Keeping them in the cage isn't going to stop poop from going everywhere. My chins don't get play time at all and their poop is everywhere. It's the nature of the beast. You can try and cut back on how much poop goes all over by letting them have play time in a restricted area, like a playpen, and by putting guards up around the cage, but other than that, if you have chins, you have poop.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

I agree with Tunes. Another thing you said your first chin tried to pee on the second. Was it like spraying (standing up and peeing at the chin)?? If so the first chin might be a female not a male. If you got the chins from a pet store there is a good chance they were sexed wrong

 

[Pikaia]

On the poop issue, Try just restricting playtime to one room of the house. Then have something to block the chins from getting out. Either a baby gate or something of that effect. I wouldn't want my chins running all over the house, because yes, they do poop a lot and that is normal. It means you have a healthy chin! One room is manageable enough to clean up.

It is a very good idea to keep the chins in seperate cages. It does take some time for them to get used to each other. You can't expect them to be best friends over night. It should be done gradually. If you couldn't make a commitment to this other chin, you shouldn't have purchased him. I am real serious about pets, I make sure that I can make a lifetime commitment or I don't get one. Took me quite a few years to finally purchase Chichi and boy, I am glad I did.

If your mom is gonna have such a problem, you should probably take the chin back. As tunes said, two chins= twice the mess. If they never get along, you will have two seperate cages, playtime and etc. It all is more money.

Good luck to you

 

[Brittany]

HE PROBABLY SPENDS LIKE 8 HOURS IN HIS CAGE!!! and the rest of the time he is running around and playing with us.

First I agree with everything that has been said thus far, you've been given some great information to consider.

Second- Chins can wear themselves out to the point of possibly overheating and/or having siezures if they have too much play time. My chins spend a maximum of 1-2 hours per day outside their cages (so that would be 22 hours in their cages). Breeders and people with large quantities of chins don't have the luxury of letting them out every day, and their chins do just fine.

So if I were you I would consider shortening Tom's playtime for his own benefit.

 

[Sydney]

First I'd make sure you double check the sex of the chins. Last thing you need is a possible pregnancy. Second you can try some introduction methods that can be found on here, such as letting them have a SUPERVISED playtime. For now though just leave them in cages net to eachother, let them get used to eachother from a distance where they can't hurt one another. Try looking up introduction FAQs, I think they might be int he General FaQs.

For future reference however, always quarantine new chins. For 30 days, that way if one is sick it won't spread to the other chin.

 

[Christina Noraas]

but my mom got mad because he poops every where. My mom told me that we should get another chinchilla so Tom can spend more time in his cage.

Not gonna lie, I giggled; because if your mom doesn't like the poop, yet she's the one to suggest to get another chinchilla?

HE PROBABLY SPENDS LIKE 8 HOURS IN HIS CAGE!!!

There are many people who don't let their chins out to play, correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure there are people on this forum that do not let their chins out to play every single night or even at all. I think a decent running wheel will amuse him and give him enough exercise to make him happy, I can't recall who at this moment but someone said that chins don't need to be let out to be happy.

I put his leash on and he was really aggressive and tried to bite the other chinchilla he also tried to pee on him!!

As Tunes already pointed out, chinchillas shouldn't be on leashes because their ribs are so tiny and fragile they can break easily, by them trying to run around or if you happen to jerk it the wrong way.

I've heard of males being able to spray like females but not as well and not as often. I would double check the sex.

i dont know if it was a bad idea to get a chinchilla and if i should return it. Please help!!!! i dont know what to do!! In the pet store they told me i have 14 days to return him.

Before you got the chinchilla you should have known that all chinchilla do not get along and can result in bad situations if not seperated (which I know you've done) but by the way your talking that you may want to return it because they simply don't get along you probably shouldn't have gotten it in the first place.

 

[Laurie]

Tom--oh lord where to begin! First of all letting your chin have free roam of the house for hours on end is just a disaster waiting to happen. They aren't a dog or cat, Tom, they are a small rodent. I killed a chinchilla by letting him have free roam when I accidentally crushed him in the recliner. You can't guarantee your house is safe--he could chew on wires and electrocute himself--we have forum members here that has happened to.

Small animals when kept as pets are meant to be kept in a cage--this would also help with the poop issue.

Please read over the new owner questions and as many threads as you can on behavior. Some chins never take to a cage mate--and this should be a process done over a long period of time not just whipping them together from the get go.