Is it just me or is it impossible to own just one chinchilla?

[zombiezeatbrain]

I live with my parents (considering I'm only 17) and on November 2nd of last year, I very sneakily bought myself a Chinchilla without permission. (Before I look bad, let me just say that I knew my parents would allow me to keep him- I do everything I'm asked and more, so I figured I deserved to rebel a little bit and just do what I wanted for the first time in my life lol). Anyway, I bought my standard gray male, Nietzsche (Nee-Chee named after philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche) home and there hasn't been a day that's gone by that I don't appreciate him. He is my EVERYTHING. I spend around 5 hours a day with him on average, and every sunday I scour his cage perfectly clean while he hops around the room. He has grown physically AND mentally, I'm truly amazed, and my parents love him. He's a genius I tell you- that's why I named him Nietzsche. Anyway, as you can imagine, I have fantasized about getting more chinch's since about mid-november. However, I've refrained myself from buying any because I know I don't have the funds to take care of two. Until recently somebody contacted me telling me that they have a pink-white male (7 y.o.) that they wanted nothing to do with and were going to place in the pound given that I do not take him. Of course I took him in, they gave us all of his supplies and what not, and I gave him to my sister Allison as a gift. She loves him dearly. He is blind and deaf, we call him Cloro (bleach in spanish). The downside is that my parents have now issued an official "no more critters" rule- bummer. When I am living on my own, I swear, instead of a crazy cat lady, I'm going to be a crazy chinchilla lady. I am going to have over fifteen. Watch me. They're like potato chips; you can't have just one.

 

[Pikaia]

Haha, my bf says I'm gonna be crazy chinchilla lady too!

Chinchillas are fine on their own. You do not need to have another for Nietzche's benefit, trust me. It is more going to be for your benefit. As long as you can spend time with him (which it seems you are spending plenty of time), he will be healthy and happy with you.

I was originally going to just have one when I adopted Chichi. Turns out she was preggers when I got her, so now I have three. I don't plan on getting more at this point. Introducing two chinchillas are a lot of work. You have to quarantine for 30 days in a seperate cage in a seperate room and then go about the necessary procedures to introduce. There is no guarantee it will work.

Nietzsche will be fine on his own with your love and friendship. If you do decide to get another, make sure to search threads here to find out about "introducing" your new buddy.

 

[SamiJami]

I feel your "pain"! We rescued Zipper after we'd talked about getting a chinchilla for months. We had our ups and downs with him trying to get him back to full health and to trust us. I knew I wouldn't ever want to put him with another cagemate because he's just so "I'm me, leave me be". I already own 2 pedigreed rabbits and I kept telling my boyfriend we should see about getting a pedigreed chin. With Zipper and the rabbits getting all the love they could handle, we started looking for another chin. Well that turned into 2 from the same breeder that were weaned together so they were already cagemates. And now we have Ezio and Altair. We've sworn no more pets no matter what (my friends keep trying to let me know that so-n-so has a chin and they're not treating it right and I should take it), until we have our house built. I'll have a room/shed for my rabbits and one for my chins. So it's just a matter of funds and building time to we upsize our family!
As for Zipper, I got to truly hold him for the first time 2 nights ago. He hopped on my arm and cuddled in my chest and I stood there for a good 5 minutes scritching him. Good things do come to those that wait!!

 

[Stackie]

Sorry to be Debby Downer, but....

You have to know your limits. I don't think it's fair to have so many chins that you can't spend individual time with them. This is speaking in pet owner terms- I understand breeders can not spend individual time with all their animals once they get up in numbers. But chins bought as pets should be treated as pets were meant to be- loved and spoiled. I have 7, I have had up to 10 before. I am in college and have a part time job. I feel I am at a comfortable number where I can not only provide for them all but also give them all the attention they deserve. Each cage has a designated night of the week where they get out for a 1 hour playtime. I think 10 was pushing it, but I lived at home and didn't have a fixed income. Now I live on my own. I would like to add a violet wrap to my mix and then I believe 8 will be my limit. Some people do not have the free time or life style to be able to provide a large number of chins with attention. I see way too many people get way in over their head. They get a significant amount of chins in a period of a couple months, and a couple months later they drop off the face of the earth. They either rehome their chins or you just never hear from them again and have to wonder what happened to their chins.

You may want a huge number of chins but you have to have a reality check. Are you going to be able to give all those chins one on one attention that pets deserve, or are you getting them just to say "Hey look at me I have 20 pet chins!!" and soon realize you are in over your head. It isn't fair just to get pets and let them sit in their cages with limited interaction once the new pet excitement wears off.

 

[sheltiefan]

I only have one chinchilla. But if i could i would have more.

 

[mishellyshel]

i love my boys dearly........but i am definitely at my limit. i was only supposed to have 7 but the 2 i was "chinsitting" have never been picked up, so i am at nine.

i think i will always have them as i love their personalities so much but i think as time goes on, i would not replace ones that pass until i got down to a handful or less.

 

[Jadebf700]

I can barely keep up with the one! It was wayeasier before baby but for now, my limit is one. That and I think Buddy would tear apart anyone else we put in there with him!

 

[Maia]

I only have one. I know in the first few months after I adopted him, I was thinking of getting another boy at some point. But reality sinks in after a while and I had to consider whether I'd really like having separate playtimes if they didn't get along. I enjoy my boy and the relationship we have, and I think he is closer to me than he would be if another chin was around. I think I'm at my pet limit now too, with 1 chin and 2 cats. I want to be able to give all my pets the love and attention they need daily. If you wait a little while and still feel that you'd like another chin after the "new parent" glow wears off, by all means, get one. We don't want to stop you, we just want to make sure you don't get over your head. Welcome to the forum

 

[Brittany_Lynn]

D: Poor Cloro, how is he about being handled? Can you handle him at all? My Mork is just deaf, so that's a bit of a problem, but he can at least see me coming-he is very nippy if I startle him, though...I can imagine your sister's blind/deaf chinchilla would insist on biting. What is he like? Does your sister live with you?

 

[Dusty Foot Prints]

We have 1 and that works out great for us. If I could get a 100% guarantee that Annabelle would get along with another chin, I'd probably give the ok for a second, but since that's not feasible, one is where we'll stay. We don't have the space for 2 cages and don't have the time for 2 playtimes.

 

[Geistkatze]

I only have one chinchilla. I don't want any more. I've been offered a bunch of free ones, but I can't care for more than one and being an adult means lots of bills. I was always crabby in my mom's home because of the "no more pets rule" but I'm thankful now. It was a pain trying to find an apartment with the critters I have now. It took over 50 complexes to find one that would let me have a cat and a chinchilla.

Probably not the place for it, but I see this a LOT in herp culture (where I spend approximately 200% more of my time in). A lot of people collect snakes and lizards at alarming rates, and it's normal for them to have racks upon racks, dozens upon dozens, tanks literally upon tanks in their homes. A lot of people are like that with small animals too (including chins). It seems to be acceptable in a lot of the culture, but I don't really get it. But I'm kind of a minimalist anyways.

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

I have 4 chins right now and as much as I would love to have another one, I know that 4 is my limit; both emotionally, physically and financially wise. I have 2 special needs chins, one being a malo chin, who has already run up vet bills into the thousands in the 4 years I have had her and I have had no problems with the other 3 so far but know that I could at any moment. I also own other animals, which also include other exotics and non exotics.
As a responsible pet owner, you have to look at the bigger picture and into the future. Where are you going to be down the road? Are you going to be living in a house with plenty of room for the cages and and the supplies? are you going to have the support of your family ( husband, children, etc ) Can you legally own them in the state where you live? All of these are things that need to be addressed as they come up, but always in the back of your mind too.

I would just enjoy the little guy you have now and build on that relationship! And by the way..I love the name!

 

[Maia]

It was a pain trying to find an apartment with the critters I have now. It took over 50 complexes to find one that would let me have a cat and a chinchilla.

WOW!!! The apt I'm in now charges a lot for cats but anything caged "doesn't count". But you make me nervous seeing as I'm moving sometime (May or June) and am in the process of looking at new places. It's going to be hard enough finding another apt with washer/dryer hookups, now I have to worry about my pets!! :yuck:

 

[Rob Walker]

I only own one...for almost 2 years

 

[Andrea]

I own three. I originally wanted twin girls, which I bought in June of 2010 (homo eb girls who are nearly impossible to tell apart!). Then the breeder had a litter of twin violet wrap girls! I wasn't planning to buy another chin, but I had to scoop up one of the gorgeous vio wrap kits. I'm glad I did, and all three of them love each other. That's it for me though...I don't feel I could give enough attention to each of them if I bought another.