having trouble with intro

[RDZCRanch]

Thanks Tabitha! I really appreciate all the advice I can get! Just a few more quick questions maybe you can answer for me: do I need to neutralize the FN again if I give them space for a few days and Chelsea has run of the FN by herself during that time? Do I whisker trim and apply vanilla to Luna before I put her in the smaller cage? And if I try the cage-within-a-cage method and they seem to interact fine, how do I know when its time to release Luna into the larger cage? In her sticky, Tunes says:



They seem to get along when separated by the smaller cage. So how will I know to move on to the next phase? Sorry to ask so many questions!

Since Chelsea is already familiar with the FN and has her scent all over..."neutralizing" it IMO is futile. Even if you scrub the crud out of the cage and do your best to hide her smell and make it neutral...it will never be as neutral as it was when it was brand new and had never held a chinchilla.

Do the whisker trim and vanilla before putting her in the small cage.

I would leave the cage within the cage for at least one day...if need be you can move the smaller cage to a corner and attach a water bottle and put some hay on top of the small cage for Luna to eat. When Luna seems just straight tired of being in the cage and is acting calm, mellow and sleeping you can let her out. If it does not work this time...a good idea would be to section off the FN (forces closer contact between them and a closer meshing of scents) then try introducing again in another month. Sometimes chins just refuse to get along...sometimes it just takes them more time. Don't give up hope JUST yet...patience is your best friend when trying to pair an aggressive chin.

 

[momenteller]

Thank you thank you thank you! Just the info I needed. I can't say I won't have more questions down the road, but I think I'm good for right now.

 

[tunes]

Kate - I've had it take me a week to introduce incredibly difficult chins. I brought a lovely boy home from Becky and tried to put him with Delilah who has NEVER shown aggression to any chin. Holy cow! She was not a happy camper. I persisted, and it took me an entire week of switching. I left them in the show cage for 8 hour stints at a time. I had to trim her whiskers back too, which I've never had to do with her before. Now, they are fine. After that week they got along great. No aggression, no fur flying, all they do is cuddle all the time. When I open the door, they both come to the front together for scritches.

I certainly can't/won't guarantee that will work for your girls, but I persisted because I really wanted this pair together and it worked out in the end.

 

[momenteller]

Thanks Tunes. I guess my question is, if they do fight, do you then immediately return the aggressor to the small cage? Did I do the wrong thing by putting Luna back in her old cage? If Luna acts tired and mellow in the small cage (which she did) but aggressive out of it, do I just keep trying and then returning her to the small cage for up to a week?

I appreciate the encouragement from all of you! Its good to know that perseverance pays off...sometimes.

 

[tunes]

When Delilah would not stop, I let her out for about an hour or two to run around, then back in she went. Her cagemate got the most out of show cage time. If she didn't pick a fight, she got to stay out longer. By the fifth day, she figured out enough was enough. Now every now and again she gets protective of him, standing between him and whoever is reaching in. <rolls eyes> Go figure.