Just how frequent/common are chinchilla fights/attacks against their cagemate(s)?

[zombiezeatbrain]

So far I have one chin in a FN 142. I'm planning on getting another chin later on towards the end of the year, but that won't be for a while. Anyway, what I'm concerned about, even at this point, is their getting along. First of all, how frequently do incidences in which one chin simply refuses sharing its housing and getting along with another occur? Second of all, I've read a lot on the forum regarding MAJOR incidences that have occurred in which one cage mate attacks the other and does a great deal of damage, or rough housing leads to disaster. How often do you think these situations occur? Are they really very common? It's not that I'm unable to pay the veterinary bill given that an incident like this might happen, I just wouldn't even want to place my chins in that kind of danger.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

In 16 years of raising chins I have only encountered 5 incidents of real trouble where the chins had to be separated. I have sold many same sex pairs of young chins - only two of those had to be separated (one were brothers). When I retire adults I often try to pair them up with a same sex chin. Also when I re-home chins that I take in because people no longer want them, I often try to pair them up with a same sex chin. I know you hear about all the horrible things that can happen but remember you often only hear about those and not the MANY chins the get along with another chin of the same sex. The thing is to remember that it 'can' happen and have another cage ready or know that you can separate the existing cage into 2 sections in case it happens. If you see any sign of fighting (not just knacking at one another) then separate them.

 

[cuddlycuddles]

The truth is, noone knows how often does it happen (i.e. there is no hard data on this)- the only things you can hear are individual reports from people who have been raising chinchillas for years and some more individual accounts.
Mine is of the latter type- I've had two twin brothers housed together since birth for five years in the same cage- and the things went marvellously- they ate, slept and played together. One day they decided they no longer liked their living arrangement and turned on each other (not just kacking) , so they had to be separated.
They now live happily in half of the FN142 each on their own.

I am sharing this because I was told that males can turn on each other at any point, no matter how bonded they are. I knew it and still hoped for the best. I guess the best in this story is that noone got seriously injured or killed.

If you are housing two or more chinchillas together, you have to be prepared to separate them at a very short notice, should the trouble arise. Other than that, happy introductions between the chins.

 

[ticklechin]

I have it happen to me twice, a father and son pair that had been together since the son was 5 weeks old, they broke up after a year, I had three boys that lived together for 2 years until mayhem happened at 4:00 am one morning, no deaths or real damage since they were broken up at first sight of trouble.

 

[Laurie]

Cuddlycuddles answered the best answer--the truth is there is no answer for frequency. I have males and females here, all my females have cagemates and there has never been an issue with any of the females. I had a bonded pair of males who were weaned together that had to separated after a year because of fighting. They no longer share a cage but they are able to share playtime together.

All you can do is try to put chins together and hope for the best. Some members have lost chins to cagemate fighting which resulted in death, but there are also some members that have houses multiple chins--more than 2 to a cage without incident.

The most important thing is patience when trying to intro and also knowing the signs when there is an issue and separating immediately and permanently.

 

[zombiezeatbrain]

Okay thank all of you guys. I don't know that I've made up my mind about housing the two together, but I know that I will be prepared should I follow through with it given that all I have to do is close off the second level entrance. Besides, I've got 8 months. LOL.

 

[starleomach]

No way to know. I have had pairs that were together until they passes of natural causes. I have had some fight after years and some never get along. No way to know

 

[LovinTheSmallAndFurry]

Okay thank all of you guys. I don't know that I've made up my mind about housing the two together, but I know that I will be prepared should I follow through with it given that all I have to do is close off the second level entrance. Besides, I've got 8 months. LOL.

I was about to start a thread on this myself until I found yours. Of course not for months, but I have considered one day in the future getting a chin for one or more of my chins (male and female). They came to me bonded--not knowing they were opposite sexes--and before I separated them, they were very close, always sleeping on one another.

I could just be humanizing them, but Sappho is always trying to talk to her brother thru the cage bars, and it seems like she misses him. But at the same time, because it's such a toss-up, and God forbid I didn't hear a pair fighting at night (were that to happen), I don't know that it would be worth it to me to even attempt.

Thank you for this thread, though. I was curious what other members had to say on the subject.

 

[GorillaJTA]

Frequency is hard to determine- but this is a forum where people frequently show up after a problem has developed so it is a skewed sample set- we hear all about the pairs that had to be separated- but rarely hear about the pair that was together for years.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

I have quite a few same sex pairs that have been together for years. A lot of my chins are sold as same sex pairs and VERY seldom is there a problem. I have 2 rescues right now that had to be separated because one was picking on the other. I first had the 2 in separate rooms and the aggressor started badly chewing his fur. I put them in the same room with cages next to one another and they are both happy campers. I won't ever put them together or let them go to be put together. However I think they are happy to be able to see one another and still be in their 'own space' Some chins are like that

 

[AZChins]

Most of the males that I have were placed together at an early age. Occasionally I have to separate a trouble maker, but for the most part there aren't many problems at all with the males in same sex pairs fighting. There really are far more problems with chins in breeding attacking each other than any of the same sex pairings or colonies.

When females get older, maybe over 4 years or older, they seem to be easier to put with other females. It's mostly because they are calmer and aren't flying around the cage making everyone nervous. Any chins have the capacity to fight and most of the time the fights occur when the chins are first placed together. It's a good idea to introduce properly and be very observant the first few days that chins are together.

Introductions basically are negotiations between the chins normally, especially with adults. They have to put aside dominance or assert dominance to get along. One chin may have to let the other chin be boss and they have to learn to share their territory. The younger chins are the easier the process of introduction will be.

I agree with JTA. There's a very skewed data set concerning the fights with chins. We only hear about it when there is a fight. Not many people will have to tell everyone all the time that their chins are getting along with peace and no drama. I have many many same sex pairs of males or females that have lived together for five to ten years with no issues whatsoever.

 

[LovinTheSmallAndFurry]

Most of the males that I have were placed together at an early age. Occasionally I have to separate a trouble maker, but for the most part there aren't many problems at all with the males in same sex pairs fighting. There really are far more problems with chins in breeding attacking each other than any of the same sex pairings or colonies.

When females get older, maybe over 4 years or older, they seem to be easier to put with other females. It's mostly because they are calmer and aren't flying around the cage making everyone nervous. Any chins have the capacity to fight and most of the time the fights occur when the chins are first placed together. It's a good idea to introduce properly and be very observant the first few days that chins are together.

Introductions basically are negotiations between the chins normally, especially with adults. They have to put aside dominance or assert dominance to get along. One chin may have to let the other chin be boss and they have to learn to share their territory. The younger chins are the easier the process of introduction will be.

I agree with JTA. There's a very skewed data set concerning the fights with chins. We only hear about it when there is a fight. Not many people will have to tell everyone all the time that their chins are getting along with peace and no drama. I have many many same sex pairs of males or females that have lived together for five to ten years with no issues whatsoever.

Thank you for the info, that is definitely good to know. Something to keep in mind....

 

[RDZCRanch]

Another common mistake I've seen amongst pet owners with established pairs/trios/colonies is a need to rearrange the cage to make it more appealing to the eye. Replacing one, maybe two things at a time doesn't disturb the hierarchy of paired chinchillas, but a total cage revamp will cause fighting to re-establish dominance. No matter the pair, they have a hierarchy and one of the chins will be dominant and when initially introduced to each other, the chinchillas will establish their "territories" inside the cage. If things are changed too much too soon, you upset their established territories and cause fighting between the chins to re-establish who is and is not dominant. This usually adds a lot of stress to the situation and can end in more aggressive assertion from the dominant chinchilla trying to reclaim their "throne".

In 10 years of owning chinchillas, I've had about three same sex pairs fight and only one of those resulted in severe damage. Most of the damage done between my chinchillas is from breeding colonies because breeding females feel the need to protect their young and are more aggressive for it. This is one of the reasons I switched solely to runs because I had too many females fighting each other in colonies, though I know many breeders who have great success with colonies.

Fighting really is something that "could" happen but not something that "will" happen. You take your chances pairing two chins, but honestly, I don't believe the chances for fighting are nearly as high as some would like people to think.

 

[AZChins]

That's a great point! Changing out the cage accessories or even getting a new cage can do it, too. They can go to a new home and completely change in personality and that can cause conflict.

The last time I had a bad fight here was with two males that had been in the same cage for three years. They came into rescue and three or four days later one just ripped apart the other one. It was from the stress of a new home and new cage.

 

[Zaint]

Hi I'm new to to forum and need some help!

I've been having a similar problem with my 2 girls. They've lived together fine for a little over 3 years and 2 days ago a noticed there was an aweful lot of hairloss on one on them (Muffin) and she seemed more withdrawn than normal. I noticed she was very reluctant to go near Beau. I watched them for a bit then suddenly they started fighting! Of course I've seperated them immeditately but I'm hoping it won't be permenent. I tried completely disinfecting absolutely everything in the cage and rearranged everything to see if that throws them off the territorial thing (which after reading a post on here sounds like the wrong thing to do!!) and re-introduced them and within 5 mins they went for each other again so now they will be seperated indefinately but does any one know if they can ever be reintroduced and live in harmony again or is this likely to be permenent now? How long is a good period to keep them apart? Have I made the problem worse!!

Thanks!

 

[LovinTheSmallAndFurry]

Another common mistake I've seen amongst pet owners with established pairs/trios/colonies is a need to rearrange the cage to make it more appealing to the eye. Replacing one, maybe two things at a time doesn't disturb the hierarchy of paired chinchillas, but a total cage revamp will cause fighting to re-establish dominance. No matter the pair, they have a hierarchy and one of the chins will be dominant and when initially introduced to each other, the chinchillas will establish their "territories" inside the cage. If things are changed too much too soon, you upset their established territories and cause fighting between the chins to re-establish who is and is not dominant. This usually adds a lot of stress to the situation and can end in more aggressive assertion from the dominant chinchilla trying to reclaim their "throne".

In 10 years of owning chinchillas, I've had about three same sex pairs fight and only one of those resulted in severe damage. Most of the damage done between my chinchillas is from breeding colonies because breeding females feel the need to protect their young and are more aggressive for it. This is one of the reasons I switched solely to runs because I had too many females fighting each other in colonies, though I know many breeders who have great success with colonies.

Fighting really is something that "could" happen but not something that "will" happen. You take your chances pairing two chins, but honestly, I don't believe the chances for fighting are nearly as high as some would like people to think.

Wow. I have never read this before. I'm glad I did. I never would have thought that would cause an issue with chins either, :hmm:

 

[LovinTheSmallAndFurry]

Another common mistake I've seen amongst pet owners with established pairs/trios/colonies is a need to rearrange the cage to make it more appealing to the eye. Replacing one, maybe two things at a time doesn't disturb the hierarchy of paired chinchillas, but a total cage revamp will cause fighting to re-establish dominance. No matter the pair, they have a hierarchy and one of the chins will be dominant and when initially introduced to each other, the chinchillas will establish their "territories" inside the cage. If things are changed too much too soon, you upset their established territories and cause fighting between the chins to re-establish who is and is not dominant. This usually adds a lot of stress to the situation and can end in more aggressive assertion from the dominant chinchilla trying to reclaim their "throne".

In 10 years of owning chinchillas, I've had about three same sex pairs fight and only one of those resulted in severe damage. Most of the damage done between my chinchillas is from breeding colonies because breeding females feel the need to protect their young and are more aggressive for it. This is one of the reasons I switched solely to runs because I had too many females fighting each other in colonies, though I know many breeders who have great success with colonies.

Fighting really is something that "could" happen but not something that "will" happen. You take your chances pairing two chins, but honestly, I don't believe the chances for fighting are nearly as high as some would like people to think.

Wow. I have never read this before. I'm glad I did. I wouldn't have thought that would cause an issue with chins either, :hmm: I'm just trying to understand, though.....what is it about the rearranging of the cage that causes problems?

 

[RDZCRanch]

Wow. I have never read this before. I'm glad I did. I wouldn't have thought that would cause an issue with chins either, :hmm: I'm just trying to understand, though.....what is it about the rearranging of the cage that causes problems?

When you introduce chinchillas to each other in a larger cage with different ledges and hiding spots, each chinchilla will choose their territory. This would be the area that is theirs to retreat to when they need alone time. The areas they each have are designated by the hierarchy they establish when introduced to each other. The dominant chinchilla gets a larger, "better" area than the other chinchillas. When you move one or two things around in the cage or replace shelves, you don't upset the territories because the majority of the items are still in the same places. When you do a major cage revamp, you completely destroy their established territories. When this happens, the low man on the totem pole will often (not always) try to become the dominant. This starts some fighting and the dominant chinchilla becomes MORE aggressive than when initially introduced because their dominance was established and now they're being challenged.

Hi I'm new to to forum and need some help!

I've been having a similar problem with my 2 girls. They've lived together fine for a little over 3 years and 2 days ago a noticed there was an aweful lot of hairloss on one on them (Muffin) and she seemed more withdrawn than normal. I noticed she was very reluctant to go near Beau. I watched them for a bit then suddenly they started fighting! Of course I've seperated them immeditately but I'm hoping it won't be permenent. I tried completely disinfecting absolutely everything in the cage and rearranged everything to see if that throws them off the territorial thing (which after reading a post on here sounds like the wrong thing to do!!) and re-introduced them and within 5 mins they went for each other again so now they will be seperated indefinately but does any one know if they can ever be reintroduced and live in harmony again or is this likely to be permenent now? How long is a good period to keep them apart? Have I made the problem worse!!

Thanks!

Keep them apart for a couple months and then try to reintroduce them into a disinfected and rearranged cage with the cage within a cage method. You made the problem worse by rearranging the cage AND trying to reintroduce them immediately. When chins get in a fight you need to separate them immediately and they need at least two weeks of "cool off" time before trying to reintroduce them. During reintroduction they need to be monitored 24/7 because some chinchillas will refuse to ever live together again after a fight which results in one or both chinchillas dying.

 

[LovinTheSmallAndFurry]

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question so fully, Tabitha. I had no idea that went on between chins---though it certainly makes sense.

Do you think that could explain why some chins--after years together--get into fights with previously-amicable cagemates?

 

[AZChins]

A breeding pair will get into a fight because the male will want to mate and the female won't. This can happen after chinchillas have been together for many many years.

With younger males they can start fighting because of hormonal reasons. They get older and more aggressive as they grow and attack one another. Females may have been together for their whole lives and attack each other when one has babies and gets very protective of them.

Sometimes it is just a mystery as to why they start fighting. A lot of the time I think that they start to fight because things are changed around on them.