Chinchillas & Cage Mates

[avaheartdog]

Do Chinchillas 100% HAVE to have a cage mate?

I went to a local rescues store to purchase some hay and food for my chinchilla & the lady who I am assuming was the "owner" made is abundantly clear to me that the fact that my chinchilla was an only chin is wrong & he will get depressed, bored and his health will be effected by this.

That being said, I adopted my Chinchilla who is 3 years old. I believe I'm his 3rd home. I adopted him in August '13. I've had him this entire time and he's done very well. I am just concerned about him not having a cage mate if that is in fact that case and he will get depressed, etc.

If he does in fact need to have a cage mate, I want to know what the best pairing is going to be? A young male? Another Rescue male? That being said I don't really have the room for them to be long-term in two cages so I would like for them to be able to share a cage at some point..

Thanks guys.

 

[Stackie]

Absolutely not. I have several loners because they don't want a cage mate. One is extremely aggressive towards other chins, another is scared to death of other chins due to a previous fight. My loners are absolutely happy and healthy having a cage all to themselves.

Getting another chin is up to you. You have to keep in mind that your chin may not get along with another, or vice versa. There is no guarantee that they will get along, and if they do, they may not always get along and may need separated. Therefore since you don't have the room for two cages, I wouldn't get another.

 

[mgonya]

I agree with Stackie. I have 2 chins in separate cages and they do great on their own. As long as your chin gets interaction with you he should do fine. My female would probably attack another chin she is so territorial. Pet stores are NOT the experts on chinchillas that one would think. Listen to all the advice on CnH where there are years of experience. Congrats on your new chin.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

I agree with all. Some chins do much better alone because they want to be alone. Forcing another chin on that chin could lead to the death of one or both. if your chin is happy then leave him be happy. Pet stores are a TERRIBLE source of chin information. Almost all information is wrong

 

[akane]

Some who are used to a cagemate can become less active and outgoing for awhile after losing the other chin but most seem to do fine on their own and some are quite against sharing. I have a few singles. Mainly from separating breeding pairs before kits arrive. I have 2 lone pregnant females and 1 lone male. The male has always had a cagemate and acted rather depressed when I pulled the female. After a month he's back to normal and no longer spending all his time laying in his tunnel barking to the other chins. I may put one of the male offspring with him and rehome together. He was suppose to be a pet and is not good enough quality for breeding. One of the females has spent 2 years mostly alone and hates sharing her cage. Pairing her with the male was difficult and she was happy to be separated from him.

 

[EternallyCynical]

My chin's had 2 previous owners before me and has always been alone. He's a perfectly happy, bouncy, goofy little critter who like taking up alllllll the abundant space in his cage and all my attention for himself! I think if he's been by himself for eight years or so and he's still this chipper, he's fine. Would some chins be happier with a cage mate? Yeah, possibly. Is it required? As the others have pointed out, no. Chins can and often are perfectly happy on their own and many won't accept another chin in 'their space'.

 

[alooper19]

We have a chinchilla that was in her own cage because she HATED every other female we tried to introduce her to. She was perfectly happy in her cage by herself. I agree with everyone else, getting your chin a cagemate is totally up to you!

 

[AZChins]

A chin being by himself isn't going to cause depression as long as he gets attention and enough stimulation. Most chins benefit from having a friend, but it isn't necessary at all. The one distinct disadvantage of chins having a friend is that they will look to the other chins for a social life and may ignore people more. An outgoing chin may not be as outgoing with humans because there's another chin around.

It makes it easier for me to have chins in cages with other chins because I don't have to give them nearly the amount of interaction as I have to give to single chins. There are some chins that do need to be by themselves because they don't want to be around others... As stated before in this thread, you have to be careful since all chins won't get along.

With an adult male it's generally easier to introduce a baby that is less threatening. If you put two older males, there can be some territorial issues. Two three year old males could definitely be successfully introduced, but you have to be so careful and watch closely....that can mean some real stress for a chin owner and the animals.

With that being said....if you are happy with having a chin by himself, it's fine and there's no real reason to adopt another chin unless you want to adopt another chin.

 

[akane]

My singles don't want more attention than my pairs. My friendliest 2 are together breeding right now and they both shove their noses thru the bars and hang out the door. They have little battles over who gets to pull the new twig in to which opening of the house. Occasionally they whack each other on the head with a new branch. My younger pair of females who aren't breeding age yet don't have that confidence but the older one will climb the bars and balance in weird positions to look at you while your back is turned. She eagerly takes treats. The 3 month old we've only had a few weeks and she's just started taking things while outside her house instead of running for cover.

Out of my singles the male waits for treats but doesn't hang out the door or beg at the bars. Maybe he will do it more after more time alone. The ebony female mostly ignores people. If you hold a treat out she'll take it, doesn't run off if you open the door, sits there to be pet, but doesn't seek attention. She doesn't seem to have any real opinions of people. The standard female wants nothing to do with human, chin, or dog. She won't take treats, she won't come down off her house or shelf, she doesn't like to be out running around, and she attacks any other chin in her space even if that's an entire room. She doesn't bite us or anything but she refuses to interact at all. She wants left alone in her cage with her food and chew toys.