too soon for intros?

[momenteller]

Hi there. We've had our new girl Luna for a little over a month. She is still very skittish and doesn't seem as bonded to us as Chelsea is, but we've had Chelsea for 6 months now. I'm wondering if we need to wait for Luna to bond with us before introducing her to Chelsea? Also, after they've had a few successful play times, how will I know when I can try putting them in the same cage?

 

[shubbles]

I'd say wait. No need making anyone stressed.

 

[Laurie]

Chins will usually bond to each other better than bonding to a human when they intro'd together. So if you want to have a good bonded relationship with Luna I would say wait and give her time to bond more with you. How old are they? You'll know you can put them in the same cage when there is no squabbling during playtime. There may be a few squabbles once together in the cage--never leave them unattended during intros, and honestly the first month or so after they are intro'd I wouldn't leave them unattended. When you see them grooming each other is always a good sign.

 

[momenteller]

Thanks for the response Laurie (and shubbles). Chelsea is 10 months old, and Luna is 8 months. Will it be harder to intro them as they get older?

 

[starleomach]

It may be harder as they get older. I wouldn't put it off too long.

 

[Laurie]

Yes exactly what Kristy said. They older they get the harder to intro unless it's an adult to a young chin. As anxiously as I know you are to get them together, there is nothing wrong with letting this be a couple month long intro--that way you all can spend sometime together and bond. Start with some shared playtime with all of you and see how it goes would be my suggestion.

 

[Sierra]

It shouldn't take long to bond with Luna because I just got Sedona who is 5 months and it only took me a little while before she started to popcorn around and wallsurf but she might take longer. You never know.

Just be patient. I have introduced too early and it just frustrated them both and scared Sedona. As I am waiting now, it seems like they are getting used to each other's smells so it's nice to take things slow, as I was told. Some chins might not get along and that's how I thought it might be with Phoenix and Sedona but as time goes one, I have some hope. If you aren't sure I would ask or post a thread because you don't want to injure a chin in the process. If you read I have been in the center of some chaos on here but I'm glad that I am people are telling me things.

 

[momenteller]

Well, its been almost a month. We've been doing a couple of shared play times each week. Some go better than others. At first, it seemed Luna was being the dominant chin--she was chasing and going after Chelsea-- so I trimmed her whiskers back. Now Luna "allows" Chelsea to groom her, but when she tries to return the favor, Chelsea stands on her hind legs and barks. I've tried vanilla but it doesn't seem to change anything. They have their moments where I think its going to work, but for the most part they both seem on edge during these play times. Do I need to be more consistent? Do we need to do this nightly? Or do I just need to try a different method (cage within a cage). I can do cage within a cage in the FN, but I worry about it not being a neutral area since that is currently Chelsea's cage.

I know there have been so many threads on this, and I just read the sticky Tunes posted, but its so hard for me to use my discretion when I don't have any personal experience. I realize they may never get along; I bought the FN142 before I got the second chin so they could live separately or together if need be, but despite all my preparations, I'm going to be super disappointed if I can't get it to work.

A separate but somewhat related concern is that I worry Luna just doesn't seem happy. She has toys galore and a fairly large cage, a hammock, etc, but she usually doesn't stray far from her house. Therefore its hard to get her out for play time and bonding with us. Do I just accept that this is her personality?

 

[CJR]

A separate but somewhat related concern is that I worry Luna just doesn't seem happy. She has toys galore and a fairly large cage, a hammock, etc, but she usually doesn't stray far from her house. Therefore its hard to get her out for play time and bonding with us. Do I just accept that this is her personality?

Different chins take different amounts of time to relax. You said that Luna seems skittish - it is possible that she is still nervous. Is she in a quiet area? Do you have a regular routine with her? Are there any random, loud noises that occur with any frequency (dogs barking, loud telephone)? How much time do you spend directly with Luna each day?