Introducing a very senior chin to a young bonded pair

[Shana]

My oldest chinchilla is Sherry, a very gentle and loving 10-year-old standard gray who has been living alone since her mom and twin sister died about 2-3 years ago.

Several weeks ago, I brought home a pair of sisters; the older girl is one year old and her younger sister is 3.5 months old. They are tame and very bonded, constantly grooming each other and snuggling together.

I am thinking of putting all three females together in the next few months, but would this be a foolish idea? I have read that much older chins are more accepting of new cagemates if they are newly weaned. But would that work if I am introducing the older chin to a pair, and one of the pair is already an adult albeit a young one-year-old adult? By the way, among the three girls, the one who looks like she will be the dominant one is surprisingly the 3.5-month-old.

I really hate for my beloved Sherry to be lonely the rest of her life and would appreciate any advice, thank you!

 

[addictedtochins]

Sherry may or may not want a cage mate. I have 2 different single chins who do not want a cage mate but love, love, love to be next to the 3 boys in another cage. When they are in the mood they reach through and touch paws and noses, sniff, sqeel and race around in excitment

 

[ChinnyMom]

it is always tricky adding a 3rd chin to a pair, as it could potentially break the original bond between the pair and then you have three chins in three separate cages.

if Sherry (LOVE your chin's name btw! lol) is happy being alone then i wouldn't worry about her being housed single. if she's content enough to just have other chins in the room then i would leave it at that.

i've been tempted a time or two to get a third male and try to have all three boys live together, but i worry so much about Rhino and Guss's bond breaking - they are the best of friends.

 

[Sandi]

She really wouldn't be alone if all cages are in the same room. I would just spend a little more time with her. I'd be hesitant to try and put one chin in with a bonded pair. I had 2 violet boys together and on their way to my house for the roadtrip they were put in with a tan. They all stayed as a trio for about a year and then the violets sort of just shunned my tan. They would kack at him for every move he made as well as shoo him away when I'd throw in some fresh hay or food. I had to get an extra water bottle and a few food bowls placed all over the cage so that he would be able to eat and drink without getting bullied. He still lost a lot of weight so now he is with Benny and they are living pretty good together for the most part. He has definitely gained the weight back that he lost while he was with the violets.

 

[Riven]

After some quarantine time move their cages next to each other and see what happens, if they seem to all be hanging out in the same area try some play time together and go from there. I personally believe it depends a lot on each chins personality and you need to know what they are when pairing.

 

[Shana]

Thank you for the advice! I will probably just keep Sherry alone in her cage. She's my heart (had her for 10 years) and I don't want to do anything to upset her. I recently ordered a chin buddy and hope she likes it.

She really wouldn't be alone if all cages are in the same room.

That's so reassuring! She often stands on her hind legs to peer over at the other chins (although she's not seen the sisters yet because they are still being quarantined). I felt so bad because I thought her constant looking at them meant she was lonely and missed her own kind. If she's simply enjoying their presence from a distance, that makes me feel much better!