Introductions please help!

[Jen-n-Tys-Chins]

Ok so me and my husband are fairly new chins owners. We got our first guy Mr. Chin and then after about a month he looked bored so we got him a friend. We have had our second chin mr. Wu for about a week now. we have been using the small cage method for introductions. We put Mr. Chin in the small cage and then let Mr. Wu run around. We let mr chin out and then he tries to bite mr. wu so we put him back in the small cage for a half an hour. But mr. chin even tries to get mr. wu while he is in the cage. Mr chin even managed to bite mr. wu's toe through the cage, it was a small bite, and afterwards mr. wu kept sitting in front of the cage just staring at Mr. Chin it didn't seem to bug him much. Is it still possible for these two to live together now that one bit the other? Can we even pair Mr. Chin at all because he is so agressive??? Any help would be much appreciated. Thank You!

 

[Sasha]

How long have you been doing the introduction process?

It is true, they may never get along. My best advice is to have patience and take it slow.

Try their cages side by side for a few weeks. Then let them explore eachothers cages. Then you can try playtimes together. You can cut their whiskers to about an inch or two long, and dab a very tiny amount of vanilla on their noses (not in their nostrils) and on their butts to mask their smells. Another method is to put a smaller cage (holding the more dominant chin) into the larger cage and letting the less dominant chin run around.

I wish you good luck. I'm sure others will have more methods you can try.

 

[Jen-n-Tys-Chins]

well there cages are already side by side. We have been trying this for a week now, but I don't want to keep stressing the chins out if I'm missing signs that they arn't going to get together. We already tried just letting them out to play. Mr. Chin (the more dominent) tried to mount mr. wu and tried to bite him. so we are currently trying the dominent chin in the small cage while the less dominent gets to run around. I have just read that if there is an injury that chins wont forget that and I don't want to keep trying to get them together if they are never going to like each other.

 

[searchand_dstry]

Sasha gave you some really good advice already. Just be patient!

Also, are you sure they actually bite each other? I'm introducing two chins now and they do this think where they kinda bark at each other, look like they bit each other, then one will establish dominance and it's all smooth sailing from there.

Some fighting and chasing is normal, clumps upon clumps of fur slipping and blood, is not.

Like I said, introducing takes time and patience. It may take them forever to get along or they may not get along at all. Some chinchillas just prefer the company of their human pals :]

EDIT: I forgot to mention, my more dominant chinchilla will groom the less dominant one while mounting him. That is totally normal & should not be mistaken for biting.

 

[Jen-n-Tys-Chins]

Forgive me I'm just really anxious about the two of them. yes one actually bit the other, there was blood on the toe, it was a small bite, it looks like nothing serious but i'm not sure. I have read chinchillas cant get along once one has bitten the other, is this true?

 

[Sasha]

Grooming can look like biting too. But if there is blood, and if you notice that the chins are stressed, I wouldn't push it.

I think it may be true that if the chin bites once, there is a big chance he'll bite again if he doesn't like the other chin.

Honestly, it's up to you whether you continue with the intros. If you think they are being too aggressive and they are too stressed out, if you are afraid that the fighting will get worse, then maybe it would be best just to keep them separate. I wouldn't force it, for sure.

 

[searchand_dstry]

Okay, I missed that sorry! I would give it a rest for now. It's totally possible tehy can still get along, but I wouldn't push it.

I would give them a week or two and try again with a different method. It's not worth it to stress out the chins.

 

[aznmexaggie]

Hi Jen and Ty! Glad you made it to CnH!

There are many introduction methods that you can use but the most important thing is to be patient. It can sometimes take a while for an introduction to work and if you have attempted one method without success, I would give it a little time (and the chins a break) and try again later maybe with another method.

There is also the smoosh method which some people use although I do think it is a more stressful introduction method. I have used the show cage for this method as well since it is small enough to prevent movement or for the dominant chin to mount or assert his dominance over the more submissive one (the cage just isn't high enough). I use a dab of vanilla extract on each chin's nose when I do this method and then the chins can be placed in this small cage together. Some people use this method in a small carrier and then take the chins for a car ride as well. The stress of this often keeps their mind off of fighting and when they are finally let out, they are just relieved to be out of there! A dust bath can also be given immediately after being let out of the cage to preoccupy them.

It doesn't always work though and my best results have been with placing the dominant chinchilla in a show cage and placing it in the cage with the submissive chin, supervising to make sure there is no fighting through the bars. I leave the chin in this cage for a couple hours and if it doesn't humble him enough during that time, I will try again another time.

It can be frustrating, I know. Hopefully it will work out but remember that there is always the chance that they would prefer to be housed alone.

 

[CerLynn]

Since you've only had the new guy for a week, they could both still be adjusting to the changes in their environment. As mentioned, I would wait another week or two before trying again.

Also thought I'd mention that in general, new chins should be quarantined in a separate room for 30 days or so before being exposed to each other to make sure there aren't any health problems that could spread to your current chin. Just so you're aware if you bring in any other additions

 

[Cuddlebug]

When I first introed Bug and Pebbles, Pebbles bit off the tip of one of Bug's toes. I separated them for about 1 week and then tried again. The second time worked and they were friends until the day Bug passed away. And no, Bu did not die from fighting, she had complications related to her pregnancy.

 

[Jen-n-Tys-Chins]

Thank you everyone so much for your help! I just wanted to give everyone an update. We gave it a rest for about two weeks, we moved them into the new FN, Seperated of course. We have been using the small cage method some more. The boys were reacting much better to each other so we tried putting them together in the hallway, it went better than most, but still Mr. Chin was being a little aggressive. So we tried a variation to the "smoosh" method. I was really nervous about putthing them both in a small cage because I really didn't want them to hurt each other. So we put a seperator in the small cage, so we had two compartments. One chin went in a side and we went for a 40 min car drive. When we got home we let them sit in the cage together for another 30min. We then again tried letting them out with a dust bath in the hallway. The boys wouldn't both jump into the dust bath at once, they would take turns, but not bitting or snipping. They did fantastic! Deffinitly not ready to go into a cage together yet but great improvement! I just wanted to thank everyone for there advice and for dealing with my anxiety. But we are going to continue hallway playtimes together this week and go from there! Again thank you to everyone!