"Car Ride" Method

[kvatore]

Okay so since I got my two girl chinchillas they have had a strong dislike for each other. I tried multiple methods of bonding them. During their open playtime in my contained area there would be fur pulling and peeing. I really would love to consolidate cages if I could. I have heard of the car method but I need more specifics before I throw my two girls in a crate together. Like, should someone else be driving? When should they be put in the crate? And what's with the vanilla on the noses? Does it help dull the senses? Any feedback would be appreciated. I want to make sure I do this right and that I don't end up with two injured chins.

 

[Basket_of_Chinchillas]

Could you describe the steps you've taken so far, including timelines?

 

[xBrianx619]

The first thing chinchillas do when they encounter each other is sniff each other's noses. If they smell each other and they smell the same, chances are they won't get in to it. How big was your contained area? And how long have you had them for?

 

[kvatore]

When I first got the second girl I was unaware of the steps and she had gotten into the others cage. There was a bit of a tussle and then they were separated. For several weeks I had them side by side and would switch their cages every few days to try and get used to each others scent. After that I brought them into a moderate sized bathroom and they sniffed and then immediately started to chase each other trying to pull fur. The dominance kinda shift from one chin to the other in terms of aggressiveness. So now it has been several months and every once in a blue moon I will try having them out together and usually within moments they will begin fighting. The last time it took them a minute or two before they started tussling.

 

[AZChins]

You could trim their whiskers and put them in a carrier together for a car ride or errands using the car in which you will be gone for an hour or more. Use the smallest carrier that they will fit in for this. You want to make sure that they cannot hurt each other at all and that means the smallest carrier possible so they can't chase or bite each other.

Side by side cages do not work very well because it just makes the chins more territorial over time and more aggressive towards each other.

 

[kvatore]

I haven't tried the whisker trimming yet. And the small crate part was good to know. The one I have has way too much space for them. If I trim their whiskers would they grow back?

 

[AZChins]

They grow back very quickly, it won't hurt to trim them. Usually within a month or two the whiskers grow back completely.

 

[kvatore]

Alright thank you! I will give that a shot. I hope it works!

 

[GinChin]

I stand by the vanilla on the nose. However, I did that during first introduction. If yours have already started the tussling, then as mentioned above, trim their whiskers, put them in a small crate, and put just a drop of vanilla on each of their noses. By the time the smell of vanilla wears off they should have rubbed all over each other and will smell the same.