Bear with me :)

[Taybay]

My three chins are my fav little babies.
I have had Opie and gizmo since December 2018 and they are both very small. Opie is tiny actually. My third is Roo, I bought him in February 2019 (he was a Valentine’s Day present actually). Roo has his own double CN. Opie and gizmo have their own double CN.
I really want to get the 3 of them together and turn 2 doubles into a triple with the last level as an extra. The trouble is when I first got Roo i has quarantined him and then did not put enough time into introductions. I tried smooshing them and when they seemed ok I put them into the same cage. Within 2 hours Roo was pulling out Gizmos fur. So I separated them and have had them separate since the first try in April or May. I don’t know how to proceed with introductions now!

if I don’tget them to live together I’m okay with that. But I would prefer to have the 3 of them in the same cage! I’m also worried that Roo is getting lonely, even with having Opie and gizmo right beside him. They don’t try to hurt each other through the bars and they mostly ignore the others cage during play time. I hated the smoosh method, it made me so nervous with 3 and I wasn’t confident in the cage size when I did it. How could I go about introducing them again?

another question I have is the temperature in their room fluctuates so much. They have their own room but all of a sudden the heat went wonky! So I turned it off. Now I have a thermometer in with them and sometimes I go in and it’s 57 degrees, the next day is could be 72 degrees. Is this very bad for my boys? Sometimes it worries me that the temperature fluctuates so much in that room. And I can’t leave the door open to circulate the air, unless I’m in there, since I have a dog and a cat that I don’t expose my boys to!

finally my last question is- my boys, Opie and gizmo, have withdrawn from me... they like human contact less than before. Is this because they’re in their own room? Or is it just something that can happen and is normal? Or off couple weeks maybe? Will this happen to Roo if I try to bond him with my other 2?

Thanks for reading all of that

 

[tunes]

I would be concerned about the constant temperature fluctuations. My barn sits at around 55 degrees all winter. Their coats get thick as heck and they absolutely love it. My inside chins are around 64, on really cold days I'll turn the furnace up to 68 (not a heat fan) and they are less active than the barn chins. How is it that there are such huge fluctuations in that particular room? I would try leaving the door open and put a gate across. I have one in my house for the chin room there. My cat is completely uninterested in even attempting to get over the gate, and her climbing tree is right next to it and would make it super easy. She's a blob and doesn't go out of her way to attempt it. My dogs like to stand outside the gate and leer in, but only when I'm in there feeding. Otherwise, they don't care.

As far as introducing them, I would chop their whiskers off, put them in a play area with a dust bath, and observe. It's possible they may never be together. If that's the case, you have two options, you can try to introduce a 4th chin to Roo in his separate part or you can make him a chin buddy to cuddle up to. Some chins love them, some are indifferent. Get some fleece, make a bear or something, and stuff it with fleece. Always remember though, ANY time you have more than one chin in a cage, there is the potential for needing to separate them. Your two boys may start fighting, Roo may get along fine with a new friend at first, then start fighting. There's no way to tell. Chins are weird and unpredictable that way.

Are you spending less time with the boys? Maybe that's why they are not as friendly?

 

[Taybay]

Thank you for answering!
I never thought of the gate idea and think I will try that! I’m not sure why the room temperature fluctuates so much, it’s very strange.

As for spending less time with them, yes I’ve had to spend less time with them because I am in nursing. But I don’t neglect them, I still see them every night ! I’ve had to reduce their playtime though to only weekends as sometimes I don’t get home from school until 10pm. Which is another reason I want to get Roo in with my bonded pair so he isn’t lonely!
Thank you for the advice I’m going to try!

 

[Amethyst]

Personally I don't like or really agree with the smooth method, some people swear by it. Personally I think the best way to intro a third to a pair is to introduce them one on one, not pair to single. Once you have bonded Roo with each of the other two then you can try all three together. Since they are already next to each other I would do intros during playtime, so have just two out at a time, Roo and Opie, then Roo and Gizmo another time.

As to them becoming distant, chins need a minimum of an hour a day everyday of human interaction, that could be playtime, or just being in the same room as them. They are social animals, and can get lonely and depressed without you, so if you aren't around much they will bond more closely with each other, no longer looking to you for company. When I had chins as a kid growing up I would do my homework/study with the chins, either in my room (where the chins were) or have them out for playtime with me doing homework sitting on the floor with them. My current chins are in my computer room, where I spend most of my day when awake and home.

 

[Taybay]

Thank you amethyst. Yeah I definitely have some guilt for not giving them enough interaction! It’s only been the last month or so but I think I will have to start doing my homework with them! Thank you

 

[Taybay]

As far as introducing them, I would chop their whiskers off, put them in a play area with a dust bath, and observe. It's possible they may never be together. If that's the case, you have two options, you can try to introduce a 4th chin to Roo in his separate part or you can make him a chin buddy to cuddle up to. Some chins love them, some are indifferent. Get some fleece, make a bear or something, and stuff it with fleece. Always remember though, ANY time you have more than one chin in a cage, there is the potential for needing to separate them. Your two boys may start fighting, Roo may get along fine with a new friend at first, then start fighting. There's no way to tell. Chins are weird and unpredictable that way.

I have decided to get Roo a friend from the same breeder I got Roo from. I will quarantine him for 30 days when I get him Ofcourse... but I am wondering if you think the smoosh method is better for the 2 of them or if I should try a different way? Thank you!

 

[tunes]

I have decided to get Roo a friend from the same breeder I got Roo from. I will quarantine him for 30 days when I get him Ofcourse... but I am wondering if you think the smoosh method is better for the 2 of them or if I should try a different way? Thank you!

I am not impressed with the smoosh method. I just cut their whiskers, throw in a dust bath, some hay, maybe a wood chew (distractions) and see what happens.