My first chin

[Chefnatty]

Hi all, I am so glad that I just found this site. I got my first chinchilla by sort of an accident the about a week ago. I went over to my friends house (she has lots of animals) and we went down to her basement for something and I saw that she had a chinchilla in a cage. Well, I knew enough to know that chinchillas are social animals and this poor little guy was all alone in a damp, dark basement with no to even say hi to him on a daily basis. So, I talked her into to letting me have him. I took him home and got him a great big three story cage, lots of toys, treats, hay, a perch, a house and a dust bath. I know he is so much happier now but I am just wondering how long it will take before he trusts me and lets me hold him and stuff. I have been letting him smell me and put my hand in the cage everyday and twice now I have let him run around my bathroom to play a little. I also give him little treats but I just want to make sure I am not going too fast with him. I really want him to become friends with me. Any advice would be great!! Thanks so much yall!!!

 

[tunes]

Welcome.

Congratulations on your new chin. Take a read through the new chin owner section, behavior section, nutrition section, and housing. Those should answer a lot of your questions. The FAQ's are also very informative for a new owner.

 

[Tanya]

:welcome6: to the forum and congrats on your first chin!

 

[Chefnatty]

Thanks for making me feel so welcomed yall!!

 

[Chinmama]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Jenn]

Hi and welcome! Good for you for helping to make a better life for this chin! Sounds like you've done a lot right so far, and as Tunes said, read through the various sections and then if you still have any unresolved issues, we would love to help And could we see a pic of your new chin

 

[Chefnatty]

Sure, and actually I got him a little girl so that he won't be lonely while I am at work. I will post pictures as soon as I get a few free minutes.

 

[Stackie]

Sure, and actually I got him a little girl so that he won't be lonely while I am at work. I will post pictures as soon as I get a few free minutes.

Please separate them. I know you have his best interests at heart, but he does not need to breed. Boys and girls will breed, and chins with unknown backgrounds should not be bred. They can harbor genetic diseases such as malocclusion which can show up in the babies and cause a slow, painful death. Chinchillas do fine with same-sex cage mates. Consider getting him a male as a friend, or keeping the male and female in separate cages but near each other so they can still talk. They still need to be kept a certain distance away because they can and will breed between bars.

If they are already together there is a chance they could have already bred, so you will need to start counting 111 days and preparing for a pregnancy and baby chins. Read through the breeding & babies section of this website so you can be prepared.

Breeding is a very risky thing- so many horror stories have been posted lately on what can and has happened. Usually with breeding it is not a matter of IF something will happen, it's WHEN. Breeding can end up costing the owner hundreds of dollars in veterinary care because of something gone wrong. Breeders also take it very seriously- good breeders will pair only high quality chins with known backgrounds to improve the herd. Putting two chins from unknown backgrounds together only undos all of their hard work.

Congrats on your new chin.

 

[Chefnatty]

Hi All,
Well, I have not put the two chins together yet, what if they get into a fight and hurt eachother? I don't want a hurt little chin!! I think they should at least get to know eachother first so I have put their cages next to eachother. Anyway, what I thought was a boy might actually be a girl. I have been doing some research and I think I have two little girls instead of a boy and a girl. Thanks for the continued advice!!

 

[Tagna]

It is recomended that you do a 30 day quarantine when bringing in a new chin.

 

[lauralynne]

Hi All,
Well, I have not put the two chins together yet, what if they get into a fight and hurt eachother? I don't want a hurt little chin!! I think they should at least get to know eachother first so I have put their cages next to eachother. Anyway, what I thought was a boy might actually be a girl. I have been doing some research and I think I have two little girls instead of a boy and a girl. Thanks for the continued advice!!

Hello and welcome.

I'd like to reiterate some previous advice. PLEASE do NOT put them together. If their cages are close together, they may be able to breed through the bars. If you can post some pictures of their nether regions, we can probably help to ensure they are sexed properly. The easiest way to do that is to put them on a flat surface, holding the base of their tail lift their bottom up, then take the picture.

 

[Jenn]

I only have one chin, and am not an expert with adding new chins, but I think they are to be seperated in different rooms, or at least not caged next to eachother for a 30 day quarantine. And it is very important to find out for sure the sex of both chins before introducing them to make sure breeding doesn't occur. As stated above, take pics and the ppl here can help you indentify your chins.