Stackie
I bite.
Being one to have the worst luck with paired chins it seems, I wanted to post a little reminder for everyone who may be of the mindset that once their chins get along as cagemates, they won't always get along.
Many of you know my trio of chins I got in March- Moose, Bostin, & Bear. A couple weeks ago I noticed a lot of white and black fur scattered about the cage, which led me to sit and watch them for a few hours. I noticed that Moose was getting a tid bit aggressive with the other two, and even watched him take a nip at Bear's ear. (Teenage years..joy.) So the FN got separated top & bottom with Moose in one part, Bear & Bostin in the other.
They had been like that for a few weeks living just fine- Bear & Bostin loved to cuddle in their fleece house & Moose was given time to go through whatever stage he was in. The other day I went down in the morning and it looked like poor Bostin had received a terrible hair cut. There was white fur everywhere....Bear decided to start being a bully now.
Now my pretty once poofy pink white boy has a sad bald butt, with some bite marks from his used-to-be friend. I've posted pictures at the end of this to show...
Bostin now lives in a cage up in my bed room- he was very stressed after that incident and is scared of anything poofy that moves. The only thing he'll come to without barking and hiding is me, so he'll be my room mate until at least his wounds heal and he starts feeling better about himself. I'm not sure if I'll put him in with other chins again or not.
I've also had two incidents of cagemates killing one another- Smudge & Mako were the best of buds and I swear attached at the hip. One night something in Smudge just snapped and he ended up mauling Mako. It was a Sunday and Mako made it to the emergency vet, but there was nothing I could do. He had already gone into shock and his little body just could not pull through.
Kuma & Felix- Felix was the most nervous thing, but wouldn't hurt a fly. Kuma was a sweetie and loved attention. They also just snapped one night out of the blue. In this instance, both were not able to be saved.
All of these chins I took my time introducing. I used the same methods everyone else uses. I am probably one of the most observant chin moms, looking out for any signs of aggression, injury, sickness, etc. for hours at night when I sit with my chins. Sometimes, they give no warning and it just happens...but sometimes, there may be little subtle hints such as a bit of fur about the cage, or a little extra chasing. This can happen to ANYONE, but I just seem to have the worst luck with it....if there was anything I could do to save my chins that I lost, I would have done it in a heart beat. The best I can do is remind everyone to watch their beloved furries closely, because however cute they are, they can really turn on their cage mates and cause a lot of damage.
Many of you know my trio of chins I got in March- Moose, Bostin, & Bear. A couple weeks ago I noticed a lot of white and black fur scattered about the cage, which led me to sit and watch them for a few hours. I noticed that Moose was getting a tid bit aggressive with the other two, and even watched him take a nip at Bear's ear. (Teenage years..joy.) So the FN got separated top & bottom with Moose in one part, Bear & Bostin in the other.
They had been like that for a few weeks living just fine- Bear & Bostin loved to cuddle in their fleece house & Moose was given time to go through whatever stage he was in. The other day I went down in the morning and it looked like poor Bostin had received a terrible hair cut. There was white fur everywhere....Bear decided to start being a bully now.
Now my pretty once poofy pink white boy has a sad bald butt, with some bite marks from his used-to-be friend. I've posted pictures at the end of this to show...
Bostin now lives in a cage up in my bed room- he was very stressed after that incident and is scared of anything poofy that moves. The only thing he'll come to without barking and hiding is me, so he'll be my room mate until at least his wounds heal and he starts feeling better about himself. I'm not sure if I'll put him in with other chins again or not.
I've also had two incidents of cagemates killing one another- Smudge & Mako were the best of buds and I swear attached at the hip. One night something in Smudge just snapped and he ended up mauling Mako. It was a Sunday and Mako made it to the emergency vet, but there was nothing I could do. He had already gone into shock and his little body just could not pull through.
Kuma & Felix- Felix was the most nervous thing, but wouldn't hurt a fly. Kuma was a sweetie and loved attention. They also just snapped one night out of the blue. In this instance, both were not able to be saved.
All of these chins I took my time introducing. I used the same methods everyone else uses. I am probably one of the most observant chin moms, looking out for any signs of aggression, injury, sickness, etc. for hours at night when I sit with my chins. Sometimes, they give no warning and it just happens...but sometimes, there may be little subtle hints such as a bit of fur about the cage, or a little extra chasing. This can happen to ANYONE, but I just seem to have the worst luck with it....if there was anything I could do to save my chins that I lost, I would have done it in a heart beat. The best I can do is remind everyone to watch their beloved furries closely, because however cute they are, they can really turn on their cage mates and cause a lot of damage.
