a second chin

[chilethechin23]

so ive had my chin for almost a year now and im thinking of getting a second one... i know ill have to get a bigger cage. what are some good cages for multiple chins and if anyone has some photos of theirs id love to see them.

next question is if i do decide to get a second chin what is the best way to introduce them to each other. I have a girl chin would it be smart to get a boy or a girl for my second?

thnx for the help

Ryan and Chile!

 

[Dreamlite]

I would definetly get a female. If you get a male you will have kits which will mean tons of extra time and money. There are a lot of different introduction types. If you do a quick search you will find many threads on this topic.

 

[chilethechin23]

well i was thinking of getting my chin spayed to avoid the kit issue, was just unsure if 2 females would get along or if there are issues introducing chins to each other

 

[Sandi]

If you decide to get a second chin...
1. Get a chin that is the same sex as your current chin if they will be housed together.
2. Ferret Nation 142/182 are great cages because you can insert the middle divider and end up with 2 cages if the need to separate the two if they start to fight. There is a Ferret Nation thread in the housing section that has some great pics of decked out cages.
3. When you get the new chin I the house 30 day QUARANTINE is a must. That means separate cages in separate rooms.
4. Read up on "Introductions" in the FAQ's here on the forum and be prepared that if it doesn't work out for them to live separately in 2 different cages.

ETA: wether its two males or two females there are no guarantees that they will get along. I've had to separate 3 pairs of different sets of males due to fighting.

 

[chilethechin23]

do female chins generally fight less than males? or is it a luck of the draw type of deal?

 

[Sandi]

Luck of the draw type of deal in my opinion.

 

[chilethechin23]

ive been looking online for somewhere to find a cheaper FN 142 cage... looked on CL but i got nothing on my search in my area... petsmart had one on sale in store for $229.99. and all the ones ive seen online for are around $250 and up...

 

[chilethechin23]

is there even a difference between the 142 and 182 model of the FN?

 

[chilethechin23]

never mind just figured it out =P same design and size just the 182 requires no tools for setup... apparently the 142 is just a little sturdier but you can only get second hand....

 

[Jenn]

I have a female that had to be separated from a larger group because she did not get along with them. So females can be just as intolerable to one another as males. Know in the back of your mind, that after you do your 30 day quarantine and begin the intros, that there is the possibility that they won't get along and would have to be kept in two different cages. I think (not sure, though) that a younger second chin may give you a better chance at bonding, but I'm sure that is not a given. I have opted to keep my female as a single chin since she has a history of not getting along with others. She has a cuddle buddy, and me of course, to keep her company.

 

[Andrea]

Ferret.com has sales on the 182 from time to time. I was told that there will be one around Labor Day, if you can hold out a bit on getting a second chin. If you do go with the FN, you will have to get a quarantine cage for the new chin. You can not put the two chins together over a 30 day period and you need to be careful to wash your hands between handling the two chins. The FN is great because it can be sectioned off into two cages in case there is a problem with the chins getting along, but it does not work for quarantine since that has to take place in two different areas of your home. I myself have a trio in a Quality Cage Mansion and I have never had a problem with them getting along, but I have back-up cages just in case. Plus, it's always good to have evacuation cages in case of an emergency!

Please do not get a male. The male would breed with your female chin, and that is something you want to prevent. Get another female...there are many for adoption and several sold as "pet only" which would be great for your situation.

There are many opinions on the best way to intro chins. I personally like the cage within a cage option. You can read more about introductions here.

Good luck!

 

[chilethechin23]

So I just called a local breeder and asked about chin introductions. He told me it generally takes about 3 weeks. you need to have 2 seperate cages and every 3 days switch the chins from cage to cage. He told me chins are all based on smell. if you smell like me i like you. so he said do that 7 times once every 3 days switch them back and forth between cages. then when thats over take a tiny little drop of vanilla extract and put it on their noses so when they go nose to nose they smell the same (vanilla) , then when it wears off they are chillen together.