Is living in two in different cages still company?

[Binki]

I was asked whether I could take on a female chinchilla that the owner (who inherited her from a relative) cannot take proper care of. In fact the poor girl has not been out of her cage for six months and needs a new home ASAP. Problem is I have a boy, so the chins would have to live in separate cages their entire lives and it seems a bit unfair to me. I do not want to be the evil bishop of Aquila in the film Ladyhawke, keeping them 'always together, eternally apart' or whatever the slogan was.

I am in a quandary because I fell in love with the girl but I do not want this to interfere with which is best for her. There are two excellent rescues in town that take on chins. The first has seriously ramped up the vetting of prospective adopters, who are grilled about their knowledge of chin keeping and have to provide, via live video, evidence of the suitability of the chin's intended habitat and environment. The second is exclusively for small animals, has an equally rigorous vetting of adopters and the advantage that in the meantime the chin lives with a fosterer. In my view the advantage of those rescues is that they open the possibility for the chin to be adopted by someone who has other girls, thus giving her the chance to live with a companion or at least have a friend to popcorn with at playtime,

My boy seems happy as a singleton, as he was previously attacked and is now lavished with attention and care but I wonder: what woudl be the best for both chins? Would be most grateful for your views on the best options for the chins' welfare,

 

[tunes]

First, favorite movie ever! Excellent movie reference!

Second, many, many chins spend their entire lives alone. I have chins that live peacefully next to each other, but cannot be caged with another chin. So, as long as you can financially provide for her, have time for her, and give her what she needs (and, obviously, you want her) then I would say go for it. You can always place them next to each other, with space in between, and they can visit across the divide.

 

[Amethyst]

I think it's still like having company a bit, it's kind of like having next door neighbors. Even if they can't be caged together or have playtime together, they can still chat to each other, smell each other so they know they aren't the only chins in the world, and if you are able to put the cages next to each other they even see another chin. Also since your male and this female aren't a bonded pair it's not really like keeping two soulmates caged apart (or whatever the movie portrays, sorry I've never seen it). Since there is never really a guarantee chins will get along, or get along for life, there is just as much of a chance that if you have her go to a rescue she could still end up living in a cage alone, especially if she wasn't caged with another chin before. So if that is the only reason not to get her it's not really enough of a reason in my opinion.

 

[Binki]

Many thanks for the replies. The chin god must have en eye on this forum because small as our chin grapevine is, we found someone with a female who lost her cage companion two months ago and was pinning. Perfect. And I put out a word that I am looking for a non-dominant male as a companion for The Wuss, so together they can hone their parkour skills. I do not know how I woudl manage with two chins using my head as observation beacon but it could be fun.