How do you know when you have enough chins?

[kathiva]

to me, I feel I can handle approximately 30 chins which it is still lots, but as soon as I start having more than 12 cages or so, I start feeling that I cannot spend so much time cleaning so many cages, and I start feeling overwhelmed, once I had like 25-28 cages to clean, and I thought, that's it, I cannot ever go over 30, once somehow I ended up with like 50-60 and it was nuts, I quickly reduced to 40-45 and then slowly to 30, and that feels comfortable for me, and I feel I have more time to enjoy them, but if I could have less eventually, I would.
I think about 10 chins is kind of reasonable to have, you would have between 3-5 cages, depending on how you house them, and that amount of cages to clean I think it is good enough.

It is important to be able to feel comfortable with the amount of work that you have to do to keep them healthy and happy, and be able to enjoy them, right now I am enjoying my chins so much more, and I feel like I am having lots of fun with them

 

[andreya]

However, I have spoken with breeders in the past who know what I'm looking for. If that violet kit came along, I know I wouldn't be able to turn it down.

Yep. The violet kit was my downfall. I wanted a violet and knew someone who just had a beautiful little boy...at least SHE was supposed to be a boy. When I found out that she was missexed, I was already completely in love with her. So thus another cage, and my friend ended up giving me Moya so that I would have a friend for her. #5 and #6. lol

 

[sheena lee]

I have Chia, and always sort of planned to get a 2nd but I knew with school, work and A LOT of extracurriculars, I couldn't do it. I have a second chin on the way, she's coming a few days after my absolute, final university class! Yay BFA. So at that point I'll only have work and will be able to dedicate that time to baby Abby. I cannot wait! My bf also works from home, and he's graduating too, so the chins will have so much attention from us both

 

[Roni Jasper]

I started with one, but when I began working longer days I got another one so Jasper wouldn't be lonely. However, after being a solo chin for a 1.5 years she wasn't interested in a buddy, so I quickly got a third because Diamond was so social. So, for me I guess 3 was the magic number.

(However, after losing my malo baby, I've been considering a sanctuary so who knows I may have a harem in my future.)

 

[Pikaia]

I have three chinchillas, two females and one male. I would love to get a buddy for Tribble, but I don't want to risk them fighting. I do not want to purchase another FN for the fourth chin if things don't work out! So, three is the max for me! I agree with what everyone else said. It's funds and time. To me, I love to have just a few chins that I can spend time with everyday. When you get too many, I could see it becoming more of a chore than a fun thing.

 

[ReneeM]

I brought home Terrance and Phillip in August ( a pink-white and a beige male). I considered a getting a single female for months. When someone emailed me last week about a white female I jumped at the chance. I blew off their comment she might be pregnant because she was caged with a very young male. We took in the young male (Moshi) as well to keep him from going to the humane society. After the female (Mira) had three kits, I realized the least amount of chins I was going to have is four. I will be keeping her daughter as a cage mate for her. And then the little male Moshi, my dad fell in love with. So we may be keeping him as well. My ideal number would have been three, but fate had other ideas

 

[~Alex~]

Id like to think 2 is where I would stop but I know that I would definitely want some girls in the future haha then maybe ernie can stop having pink in his cage So I'd probably end up with 4 as my ideal...

Im looking for a friend for Ernie so I'm baby watching and waiting to see who comes along with some of Susan's chins. Probably more like a year or two from now is when I would get a female cage and I know now I definitely like the idea of two buddies...so it would end up being 2 girls. Never anymore then that though!

 

[Jaina_Organasolo]

I think my ideal number is 4. Its what I promised my fiance I would never go over, I did have four - a pair and two singles and enjoyed them all. The pair aren't so bothered but my singles were quite demanding attention wise.

My one single died last year from stasis, he had URI and broke a tooth. He stopped eating and despite intensive care from me and my vets, he didn't make it :'-(. I miss him dearly.

I would consider going back up to four but 2 of my remaining 3 have Malo. One is doing fairly well with no intervention from me and the other needs hand feeds and strong pain meds. Im too tired now to cope with any more. Its hard work and demoralising when I know all I am doing is buying him time. So 4 is a great number for me when they are healthy, 3 is hard work when one is seriously ill. I won't be getting any more until at least my serious Malo boy is gone, then we will have to decide what to do with his remaining cagemate; whether to find him a friend.

I guess it depends on circumstances. I am getting African Pygmy Dormice instead. lol.