male and female chins in the same home

[Rese316]

Hi all,

We have one male chin about a year old who lost his cage mate two weeks ago, so we just adopted two more baby boy chins and are in the process of familiarizing them with each other, we are optimistic they will be able to live in the same cage in a few months. But then my brother just called me saying he knows of a full grown female chin in need of a home. I would love to take her in but I am concerned about the effect it may have on our boys. We would keep the female separate in her own cage, but their cages would need to be in the same room so they would know about each other. Will her proximity cause aggressive or competitive behavior between the boys? If taking her in posses any danger to our boys I don't think we can do it. Would getting her fixed remove any of the cross gender complications? If so, how does a person even get a chin fixed and is it safe and affordable?

Appreciate any feed back.

 

[Jazicat]

As a pet owner we have a strict rule of boys only because it's the only way other than surgery to assure no babies. I believe that neutering is a better option because spaying a chinchilla is major surgery.

I also worry that it would change my chinchilla Oscar who is really humpy and would really like to breed. He's been around girls before and would actually be a good boy to start a line but we'd rather have pets. Since all our boys are in separate cages we would not have to worry about fighting. I've read about lots of people successfully keeping both sexes but to be honest we have so many pets it's just more worry than we'd like.

 

[Basket_of_Chinchillas]

The presence of a female in the room, whether your boys are neutered or she is spayed, can upset the bond between bonded male chins or male chins in the process of bonding. I would keep it a boys only club and work with the chins you have.

 

[Rese316]

Thanks for your feed back. The more we talk about it too, the more we feel like it would just be more worry than good. I think we'll keep it boys only.

As I said I am also in the process of trying to familiarize our one year old with two boys who are about three or four months old. Their cages are next to each other, they can't reach each other but they are close enough to interact with out physical contact. The two babes are in a much smaller cage and Gimli is in a Critter Nation Double unit. We just brought the babes home today actually. During play time this evening we set the small cage in the play area and let Gimli out but left the small cage closed. Gimli was very interested in Rafiki who was the only one who showed himself during play time. It seemed like he was trying to get to him, I'm just not sure if it was a friendly effort or not. I'm really nervous about all three of them getting along. Any advice on that? Any tips for maximizing our chances of a successful bonding process?

 

[ticklechin]

Any chin added to a household can cause issues, male or female.

 

[chechinchillas]

I would take it really slow before letting them interact without the cage and when they do interact try it in a smaller area where you can catch them and separate them more quickly if someone is aggressive.

 

[ChinnieShop]

It just depends, introducing a new chin whether male or female can cause stress to those in the room. I agree that you should just take your time and be very patient with the process. Also be prepared if they cannot be in the same room together that you have room for the new chin in another room.

We have 3 boys and 2 girls all in a triple level modified FN/CN cage that I put together, and they all get along for now and are individually housed. They cannot see each other because of the bottom pans we have, but I am sure they can sense each other. The 2 females are on the very bottom 2 males in the middle and 1 male at the very top.

Also they will need separate playtime because it only takes a moment for a chinchilla to get pregnant. Hope this helps!

 

[Godofgods]

just to add to all the issues the others mentioned. There was one that i never saw coming.

I had a male/female pair that had kids, and eventually had to be separated into male only cage and female only cage. My male wanted nothing more then to be with his girl again, and he would get worked up over it. He would get so worked up to the point where his heart murmur would act up, and hed start having seizers. He would have problems any time he layed eyes on her.

On the flip side, now both cage are next to each other with some space in between. With a large sheet of fleece in between to make sure they can never see each other again. And there is a fleece covering i can pull around the males cage when i let the females out (to make sure the boys cant see them). And the last few years it has worked fine.

Only one time was there an issue. I believe one of my girls was in heat. My father/son started getting a little aggressive towards each other. It was quite uncharacteristic of them. But since they are in a double FN cage, i just blocked off the two floors, with one chin on each. The next day my boys were OK again.

 

[Olallie]

I agree with the above posts. Introducing a female with a bunch of males around is probably not a good idea. My boys never got a long and i had a girl chin in the same room, not to mention they both have huge egos.

 

[Jazicat]

Thanks for your feed back. The more we talk about it too, the more we feel like it would just be more worry than good. I think we'll keep it boys only.

As I said I am also in the process of trying to familiarize our one year old with two boys who are about three or four months old. Their cages are next to each other, they can't reach each other but they are close enough to interact with out physical contact. The two babes are in a much smaller cage and Gimli is in a Critter Nation Double unit. We just brought the babes home today actually. During play time this evening we set the small cage in the play area and let Gimli out but left the small cage closed. Gimli was very interested in Rafiki who was the only one who showed himself during play time. It seemed like he was trying to get to him, I'm just not sure if it was a friendly effort or not. I'm really nervous about all three of them getting along. Any advice on that? Any tips for maximizing our chances of a successful bonding process?

The older chin may never want to be friends with the other two. We have three boys and they all have their own cage due to aggression. It's funny that they seem to love to huff and puff at each other but have no desire to share their territory. Only our first chin was a baby when we got him so that may make a difference but be prepared to house them separately if necessary.