Blossom and Scooter are driving me crazy

[NewChinMommy]

Things have been getting worse for scooter and blossom they constantly squeak at each other(they are in their two cages side by side in our spare room) but yet i can hear them through our wall. We have been dealing with some serious stuff lately so i have been getting little sleep and it starting to get very hard dealing with them. When we let them play they are able to play together with lots of supervision though i can't stand when they are put in their different cages. It's mostly scooter that has the issue but then he gets blossom chirping and getting all mad then too. What can i do to deal with both of them? They were fine before but then suddenly they can't stand being away from each other.

 

[emily]

Are they a male and a female?

 

[NewChinMommy]

yeah they are brother and sister.

 

[Stackie]

Please don't let them play together. They don't know that they are brother and sister, they can and WILL mate. No matter how much you watch, supervise, etc. It takes seconds for a chinchilla to get pregnant.

 

[emily]

Thats why I was asking. I guess what i would do would be to remove one of the chins and place them in another room. Im no expert on this at all as I only have one chin, but I would try that. And I woul also stop letting them play together. Eventhough they are brother and sister, they arent like humans, theyre animals, so they will mate. Its their instinct.

 

[NewChinMommy]

I am looking for help and i only live in a two bedroom condo and i have other animals so i can not keep them anywhere else. I have let them play together many times i have yet to see them try and mate. So really none of that is very helpful at all.

 

[Ash]

Get them some fleece cuddle buddies.

 

[NewChinMommy]

What are those and what do they do?

 

[Stackie]

Actually it's pretty helpful if you don't want to be the reason for inbred chinchillas. If these two animals are carriers of a genetic disease, the risk of the babies having this disease increases a lot. Not to mention the issues you face with inbreeding.

They are male and female animals. Male + female = babies, unless there is some issue going on that causes one of the animals to be sterile and unable to reproduce. They do not know the concept of relation. They will mate. Just because they haven't yet, doesn't mean they won't in the future. Animals are driven to survive and reproduce.

It's not that they "can't stand being way from each other", it's most likely that the male is making mating calls at the female. Perhaps the female is in heat and that's what's setting him off.

Cuddle buddies are shapes made out of fleece that the chin can cuddle with, sleep with, hump, etc.

 

[emily]

They are fleece stuffies stuffed with fluff in the shape of like a cube, circle, chinchilla, hearts etc. and the chins can cuddle with them.

 

[NewChinMommy]

I will check those out. Will i have to buy these online?

I am trying to be nice but its hard. I haven't slept properly for three days because of a bunch of things i am dealing with.

 

[starleomach]

I agree. They cannot play together. I cannot even tell you how many times I have heard. But I watched them during playtime...they love each other. It is a male and female they will reproduce and it will take seconds. The first few times I saw a mating I didn't even realize that is what I saw..It took seconds, there was no way to stop it at all. No more together playtime and you have a male and a female you will have to just deal with them calling to each other that is what happens when you have sexually mature male and female.

 

[NewChinMommy]

Well that's the thing i don't want to deal with and i thought people would be a bit more helpful on here. Only two people have actually been helpful.

 

[Airyn]

I have 2 boys, 2 girls and very limited space as well. For me, it really worked best to have boys and girls in separate rooms. You could try draping a light blanket or sheet over the top of one cage so that it covers the side between their cages, acting as a barrier. They'll still talk, but it might get them to simmer down a bit so you can get some sleep. You could also try putting them on opposite sides of the room. That worked for me for a few weeks.

 

[Stackie]

Victoria, if we see something we find alarming and/or could be harmful to the chins, even if it's not your actual question, we will say something about it. We are here because we care about chinchillas, their health, and their safety.

Do you honestly not think it is wrong to let two related chinchillas of opposite sex play together when there is a very high possibility that they could mate and have inbred babies???

The cuddle buddies may help. Honestly there is no for sure way to stop it unless they are completely separated from each other. Even then it may not stop the calling. Letting them have playtime together certainly isn't helping, as the male is probably wanting to mate and is getting frustrated when they are separated because he can not reach the female to mate with her.

 

[GorillaJTA]

Well that's the thing i don't want to deal with and i thought people would be a bit more helpful on here. Only two people have actually been helpful.

They are trying to be helpful.

You have 2 options. One will probably work, and one might work.
You have 2 chins that are acting like teenagers. They want to be together but can't be cause you do not want babies. You can either put something in there to distract them (a cuddle buddy) (might work) or you can put them in separate rooms so that they do not know each other exists (probably work).
Either way, they do not need to be within 6 inches of each other at any time or she could very easily end up pregnant.

 

[RDZCRanch]

I don't see how anyone is not being helpful. Don't let them play together or you'll have even more chinchillas on your hands and more "annoying" chirping noises. Animals make noise...if they are bothering you because you aren't getting sleep, you just need to get some more sleep.

There is no solution to your problem. You're asking for help with something that can't be done which is why no one has responded with a miracle cure to give the chins to get them to stop making noise. You have two sexually mature animals of the same species that are different genders, they want to mate when the female comes into heat and the male will become noisy. This is what is happening and there is nothing you can do to fix it since you've already stated that they have to be in the same room. Don't put their cages right next to each other and don't let them have playtime together.

 

[ticklechin]

Earplugs?

 

[3CsMommy]

I'm not sure how you expected people to "help" exactly. Unless you want to rehome one of them, there's nothing more to be gotten here than you already have.

Obviously going to your home and making the changes for you is out of the question, but the responders so far have told you the responsible things to do: they need at least separate cages and 100% separate playtime. Adding chin-safe stuffed shapes/animals to their cages can help with loneliness. The facts of the situation are simple: boy + girl = babies. Separating them is the only way to keep them from breeding unless you can find a chin vet to neuter the male and wait 6 weeks to reintroduce them. If you can't arrange the room so that's possible and can't keep them in separate rooms, maybe it's time to think about whether you should have two opposite sexed chins. They will continue to try to be the animals they were born to be, whether you need to sleep or not. Believe me, I know how much racket they can cause in a bedroom. My 3 sleep less than a meter from my bed. It took me about a week to get used to the usual noises. I have more trouble now from my neighbor w/ Tourette Syndrome than the boys bouncing and talking. It was a rough week, but I adjusted because I love my chins and decided I'd take them, good bad or otherwise. That's what a responsible pet owner does when the reality of their animals hit; we adjust and do what's best for the animal.

 

[AZChins]

If these babies are weaned, they need to be separated. Inbreeding between siblings is normally frowned upon and can lead to some serious issues in the offspring. I definitely agree about getting the male neutered unless he can be kept in a different cage.

My chins make noise all the time, I can't keep them from doing it nor do I want to have them be silent. They vocalize sometimes, it's okay.