How to tell which chinchilla is spraying

[ErikaPDX]

Hello! I recently took in 4 Chinchillas that were surrendered by someone who could no longer care for them... They share a very large three-story cage and I've noticed there is a lot of pee on the walls and surrounding the cage I have two chinchillas myself that have never sprayed and I'm wondering how I can tell which chinchilla is spraying so I can separate them in a different cage on hardwood instead of carpet. I I'm also wondering what to do about the spraying I contacted the previous owner and she said that they've always done that and she thought all chinchillas spray but clearly they don't.
Help!

 

[Amethyst]

Are you sure it's actual spraying or could it just be peeing and hitting bars and things, basically splashing onto the wall? My two boys will frequently pee off the side of a ledge and also sometimes stick their butts out of the cage and pee onto the floor too . They have gotten better and use the litter pan more now, but not 100%. I've always just had something under the cage to catch pee (currently I just clean up the floor), as well as I have a fleece blanket on the wall behind the cage. Although although most chins do pick a spot to pee not all do, some just pee where ever, which could be why you didn't notice a similar issue with your other two, or maybe a different cage design. If it's a situation of them not being potty trained you can try adding higher sides to the cage too in case it's a situation where they are peeing out of the cage. It very well would be all of them causing to problem not just a single chin.

I'm not saying that it can't be spraying though, but spraying is a defense, so there is normally a reason. Are they fighting? Or do you have anything scaring them causing them to spray? If it is spraying you'll need to figure out why in order to try to stop it. Also are the chins male or female? Females are better at spraying, they can accurately spray about 5 feet, some males can spray but most tend to just dribble when they try.