How many is too many?

[Devi Xiao]

I'm hoping to get a pair of chinchillas in the coming year, but I'm a little tempted to get a trio since I know how social they are. So how many chinchillas until it is too many to handle for a new owner?

 

[Jazicat]

I think it's better to go slowly. We got our boys over a year one at a time and each needs it's own cage. Each of my boys would be quite happy to be only chinchillas so I don't think companionship is necessary. I would get a pair that is established if you want two and than wait six months to see if you have the resources and time for another. There really isn't a reason to hurry.

 

[Amethyst]

Pretty much too many is when you can't afford care. Vet bills for chins can easily reach thousands of dollars, so the question is how much can you afford? In terms of day to day costs, I don't really notice a difference between 2 or 3. As already said a pair would probably be your best bet, I heard too often with trios two ganging up on one and in some cases ending up having to have all 3 separate. With any multi chin situation you need to be able to have as many cages as you have chins. Even siblings who have lived together all their lives for years could suddenly decide they want to kill each other and have to be permanently separated, separate cages separate playtime. On a side note, if you get a single chin (or one chin per cage) they generally bond with the human more since you are their only social outlet.

 

[MyzarandGemma]

I agree with Amethyst. If you can't afford to take them to a vet, you can't afford them. I have two and that's what I can afford for now. If I could afford three, I'd have three ha ha!

 

[ljiayi]

I had the intention of getting my second chin as a companion for my first seeing that chins can live for ten or more years. So is it true that chins do not need companions and are relatively independent creatures?

 

[Idgie]

I have only had one chinchilla at a time. I would consider getting two same sex siblings to share a cage, but never wanted to add another chin. You would have to expect to have separate cages at least in the beginning, and then there is no guarantee that they would be able to share a cage later.
Maybe Idgie would be happier to have another chin near her--I don't know. She seems pretty content to be near humans and play with me every evening.

 

[3CsMommy]

I had the intention of getting my second chin as a companion for my first seeing that chins can live for ten or more years. So is it true that chins do not need companions and are relatively independent creatures?

It depends on the chinchilla. I thought when I had to separate mine from his first roommate that he would want to have another friend/friends down the line. Turns out the bickering he was getting into with the other chin was mostly his fault, or he'd adjusted better to only chinhood than I thought, because when I tried to introduce him to a bonded pair, it went well for a while, and then he started bloody fights. So he's a singleton on the lower half of a FN cage, while the bonded pair occasionally squabble over the water bottle or fleece tube, but never get too upset.

There's no hard and fast rule that "All chins like X"; some like human companions, like my two standards, some prefer chin friends like my beige. Some like women, like my youngest standard, some prefer men, like the beige again. Some like saucer wheels, some like vertical ones. They're as individual in tastes and wants as a dog can be.

The important part of keeping is, as was said above, how many can you keep healthy and happy? Were I to start over completely, I would contact a couple of the awesome breeder/rescues I know and ask for another bonded pair, males only since I don't want to be peed on from 6' away. No worry about "What if they fight?" while I'm at work, no months (Yes, literally months) of rearranging furniture to get cages in closer proximity until it's okay to try putting two 'stranger' chins together. Less chance of shock and panic when you come home to blood on a shelf anyway. The pair of adult males I keep now have been the *easiest* pets I have, and I have a lot of pets, so that's such a blessing.

 

[greychins]

No worry about "What if they fight?" while I'm at work,

Just wanted to comment on this... at the rescue, we get in pairs/siblings that have been together for years, and sometimes one day one of the chins will turn on the other. I've seen it with chins that have been together 8 years and then *poof* they don't get along and you need to take one to the vet to close up the wounds. Just cause it's siblings or an adult bonded pair doesn't mean they will never fight and will get along forever. That's why I tell people who adopt pairs that they should always have an extra cage, even if it's a small one, should they ever need to separate the chins if something were to happen.