Jealous Chinchilla

[mandchin12]

My daughter's chinchilla has started to act very jealous over her new hamster. When we got the new hamster our chin's cage is directly across the room from the hamster, she sat on her shelf and stared at her. She isn't eating much since the new arrival and has stopped taking her treats from our hand but will eat them if left there for her. My daughter still spends time with her but now our chin does not want to be held or cuddled like usual and is turning away from us. Obviously she is angry over the new addition, but how do we make her understand she is first. We love our chin and she is the greatest ever. When we got her a year ago, we had a hamster already living here but after many years she passed away. Our new hamster was because we were missing our previous one. Lola our chin is our main concern. She will be 2 in February and we have had her exactly one year. Please help we are in the dog house with our beloved chin.:hmm:

 

[lishreese]

My suggestion is to put them in separate rooms. It would probably help with the jealousy and I think it would help with their health also. There are some animals, like bunnies and guinea pigs, that carry a certain kind of bacteria that will kill a chin. The bacteria is part of their system, so they need it, but chins have a hard time fighting it off. I don't know if hamsters carry this bacteria or not, so you should try to find out, and maybe some of the other members will know and be able to tell you if this is the case. Either way, putting them in separate rooms will probably still help with the jealousy thing I would think. Good luck!

P.S. Welcome to CnH! you are in the right place

 

[javachin]

When I introduced a 2nd chin to my home, my 1st one, was extremely jealous. There was no change in his appetite but you could tell he was pissed. He became more bratty and over all, very testy and demanding. He eventually got over it but I had to work with him. Whenever I entered the room, I'd give him my attention first, gave him treats first, etc. You pretty much have to show her that she is the most important (for now). Hopefully that will work.