To neuter/spay or not?

kvatore · Jan 28, 2015

Okay. So I am an owner of three beautiful chinchillas. 2 girls and 1 boy. All three of which are separated. 1 girl is incredibly hostile toward any sort of interaction and so I was never able to bond my two girls. Well recently my other girl (Mika) and boy (Loki), have been having a bit of tug of war back and fourth between their fleece liners. I thought it was aggressive behavior to be honest until I saw them rubbing noses and making cooing sounds. I let them both out under some VERY supervised dust bathing and they were being incredibly friendly.

Now of course I realize that putting them together would equal babies which I definitely don't want. So I guess I'm wondering if anyone has ever had their chinchilla spayed/neutered and how the process was. If it's even doable? I've heard it can be very dangerous because of the anesthesia and I wanted personal opinions. If it's not possible for me to get it done safely then I won't bother and they will just have to continue to be separated. All feedback is welcome!

Pepperpot · Jan 28, 2015

I personally would not go down this road due to the risk (as you mention above). If you feel that your chins would benefit from a cage mate, I would go for a same sex pair, rather than putting your chins through surgery.

Smidgeyy · Jan 28, 2015

You shouldn't spay/neuter just to pair chins together. Surgery always comes with a risk but it's more risky for small animals. Even if they enjoy each other's company, they will be fine on their own. A neuter is less invasive but you can still have many complications. It's just not worth the risk.

If you let them out together, the female may be pregnant. It can happen quicker than you'd think. I would be on pregnancy watch just in case.

Cass C · Jan 28, 2015

I neutered my boy at 8 months and he got a major infection and almost died. My vet outright refused to spay the female as the risk was way to high. Luckily my vet did not charge me for any of the complications that arose from the neuter, because it would have been well over $1000. I knew that there was a risk, but he was already bonded to his sister an I did not want to split them up. I regretted that decision as during his recovery it broke their bond as they could not be together until he was healthy.

I was lucky and he survived and now you wouldn't even notice, and I managed to rebond him to his sister. I would NEVER neuter or spay another chinchilla.

Dreamlite · Jan 29, 2015

It's not a simple procedure like with a dog or cat. Chins do not handle aneth well. Do not allow them play times together. It takes just a second to breed. The female may have been nice due to her cycling, not cause she wants a cage mate....