just got a new guy and...

[mrbojangles13]

i picked up a new chin two days ago (elvis). we are not sure of his age, propably around 8 months. i already have one who is 4 months old (chylli). both are males. elvi was fine on the car ride home, in fact he was very very calm, didnt jump around just hung out maybe even napped. when he got home i took him out and he started freaking out (warning cries i believe). i put him in his cage. he is in a seperate cage than chylli. but the cages are next to eachother. he seemed fine, just scared of his new home. unfarmiliar and all. so after i realized he was fine i went out for a little bit. came home and he started his warning cries when i walk in the room and didnt stop. he spends most of his time with warning cries. chylli is deffiantely affected by this. he runs and plays less. he tends to hide more now too. well this morning i let them play together in a neutral area and they got along fine. everything went smoothly. elvis is deffinately a scardy cat tho. so when play time was over i put them in a new cage and bam chylli attacked! both are fine, i interviened before any damage was done. i think ima stick to the seperate cages for now. should i continue with play time as well? i am a little concerned with elvis tho. he seems to be living in fear. it is weird, he doesnt seem to have a problem with people picking him up or with physical contact but when you walk in the room, or talk, or make any noise for that matter he starts up with his warning cries. is there anything i can do? if anyone has any words of wisdom or any advice they can offer me i would greatly apreciate it.
sorry for the ten page paper lol

 

[CerLynn]

You need to slow down with everything. For one, your new guy should be quarantined in a separate area of the house for about 30 days to make sure he doesn't develop any illnesses that could be passed to your other boy - that includes washing hands between contact with each chin. It's a bit late for that now anyway, but you may still want to move their cages apart for a while. Your new guy is just settling in - he needs more than just 2 days to adjust to his new surroundings before being introduced to another chin - no contact, no playtime, definitely not in the same cage. I'd let him settle in on his own for at least a few more weeks before trying anything again. The crying is probably him being stressed out by all his new surroundings, including your current boy, so just let him settle down before taking things further. You might want to try giving him some quiet background noise (radio, TV) to help him get used to the new environment. Also be aware that some chins may never get along - once you do get to intros, if they don't go well, you may just need to accept the fact that they'll be living alone.

 

[mrbojangles13]

thank you for the words of wisdom. i listen to music at night as i sleep so that is usually on. should i move the cages far away from eachother? right now i have a piece of cardboard seperating them. when should the crying stop?
again thank you so much for your help, i really apreciate it

 

[InkedupTara]

I try to leave my chins alone for a few days, with not too much noise on the first day. Those cages should at least be on opposite sides of the room, and playtime should be cleaned up after each chin, but if it were me I would move him to another room

I think most of his issue is probably, too many things new at once.

Like above, take it slow.