Uuuugh! Looks like we may be going on number three, advise pleeaase.

[Chinnyluver]

We've had Annabelle and Shadow for about two months now and they are absolute joys.Today my friend called me and said that she has a freind with a female chin, a year and a half, for sale for only twenty dollars. I asked what her name was and she said that she didn't have one. That right there broke my heart. My friend that got me into chins (I watched Lilly for her for four months while their house was on the market), was thinking of getting a friend for Lilly so I called her and asked. She's going to talk to her mom but if not I will most likely be taking on another baby girl. I know about the thirty day qaurentine and everything but what are the odds of successfully introducing a new chin to an already bonded (and I mean bonded, they do EVERYTHING together) pair? I've read that sometimes they will gang up on each other or the bonded pair will start fighting (that would break my heart). I don't want to be stupid about this but I also don't have it me to let this baby go to another ignorant owner! :banghead: Also, is the process different for introducing one chin to two? How would I go about it? They have an FN so there's plenty of room. Any advice is great! Thanks in advance!

 

[GorillaJTA]

I can only recommend one thing. SLOW DOWN. You are not a chin rescue. Your vet bills could go out of control very quickly. I cannot tell you not to take this girl, but you have not had time to bond with the chins you already have. If you can get her to a reputable rescue, that would be good, but you are getting in awfully deep awfully quick.
And yes, all those things you mentioned about trying to introduce a third chin to a bonded pair could happen- you could end up with 3 cages or a dead chin very easily.

 

[BooBoo*TheKiddo*]

I would highly suggest not trying to bond the new girl to your bonded pair if you don't want to break the bond between them.

 

[Chinnyluver]

Thank you guys for the input, you pretty much confirmed my fears and I'm still very hopeful that my friend will take her as Lilly is a very outgoing chin and I think with the proper intro they would be best friends assuming this other girl doesn't decide she hates her. I'm not planning on doing anything dangerous with my girls and I know I'm not a chin rescue. That's why I posted on here and said that I didn't want to be stupid. I still would like to know how I would go about introducing them differently. I will most likely not even attempt but that was the question. This brings up another question, would having Cloud (that's what my friend that called has named her) in a different cage in the same room hurt my Annie and Shadows' bond?

 

[Chinnyluver]

In the same room after the 30 days of course.

 

[kerri101]

I just got my first chin....but I have realized they are vocal ( esp when they want attention LOL) as with any animal if they can hear/sense/smell each other there could be different social issues even if not in the same cage in my opinion...each animal will always need attention....and I think like others said you need to ask
-can I gave all my animals the attention they need?
-will I still be able to manage my own life?
-can I cover the expense to raise them all ?

I can definitely know the feeling of wanting to take animals from people who may not be able to give them the full attention they deserve, but I also know I dont want to stress myself out, as well as the pets so that caring for them becomes overwhelming to myself. Hope the chin finds a good home there are so many people that would love to help one out I am kind of wishing I did not buy chin there are so many who needed homes out there

 

[Airyn]

Introductions can really go any direction after the quarantine. They might live happily ever without any issues or you might come home to a dead chin. That, of course, would be an extreme circumstance, but it happens. Like people, each chin has their own personality. Some will get along and some won't. You'll need to be fully prepared for the worst, extra cage and all, while hoping for the best. There are tons of threads on introduction techniques if other members don't chime in.

I understand your overwhelming urge to take this little girl in, but you may need to toughen up a bit in that department. Be sure you really think this through and ask yourself if you're the best person to handle this. Can you confidently commit to 15+ years of this living arrangement? If you can't answer that, I'd strongly advise against adopting any more chins.

 

[Chinnyluver]

Thanks again for the replies. If necessary, my cage can be split in two and Cloud comes with a fairly nice one. That's not an issue if worst comes to worst. I would think that I would see the aggression signs before one of them got killed, correct. If I know what to watch for and see anything I could separate them again. Again, though as of right now I probably not even end up getting her.

 

[Airyn]

Logically, you would think so. I'm sure there are some exceptions to the rule though. Some things to look for are broken or bent whiskers, tufts of fur around the cage, fur chewing, running from the aggressor, hiding or refusing to come out during normal active times, weight loss (from not being able to get to the food dish) and dehydration (or lethargy from the dehydration). A lot of those are the same signs you look for with illness or other issues, so it can be tricky.

Try running a search on introductions, introduction techniques, dominance and aggression. You should be able to find a ton of info that way.

 

[Anfsurfer]

A couple months ago I introduced a new male into a bonded pair. Here's what I did...it's a plan you can use if you decide to go forth with the addition.

1. Side by side carriers while I did a full cage clean and re-arrange. Bonded pair in one, newbie in the other. This allows them to get familiar with each others scent and each other.

2. After a complete cage clean and re-arrange (Remove the wheel if you have one, you want the cage as open as possible in case you need to intervene.) I moved the cage to to center of the livingroom. This will help in making the bonded pair feel like they're in a new cage/environment. Also, caged animals don't like being exposed on all four sides, it makes them feel uneasy. This will aid in giving everyone the same uneasy feeling. You don't want anyone feeling like it's MY territory and feeling over confident.

3. Once the cage is ready, I placed the newbie in the cage, and then moved the carrier containing the bonded pair in the center of the cage. There were kacks and movement inside the carrier...trying to get to the newbie. After a period of time, the drama lessened. After three hours, they were all sleeping. The newbie was sleeping up against the carrier wall with the bonded pair.

4. If you get to this point, I would put the newbie back in the carrier and take him/her to an unfamiliar room to your chins. Once there, go back and get one of the bonded pair, and place him/her in the carrier with the newbie. (This is called smooshing) I watched them for 10 minutes and had no issues whatsoever. After that, I removed the bonded pair chin and switched him out with the other member of the bonded pair. No Issues. You need to be able to react to this smooshing immediately. It may become violent? They may struggle for dominance? There's a difference between the two scenarios and you just want to let them be if you're not seeing tons of fur flying or biting. They need to work this out, and even if you do a different, longer form of introduction, they will still ultimately go through this.

5. At this time I felt ready to place them all together in the big cage. Before doing so, get a large dustbath ready (This tip came from Mark Miller). One by one, place the chins in starting with the newbie first. Once they're in, quickly place the dustbath in. It's a good way to put their focus on something else right off the bat, and it's fun for them. Do we ever see our chins as calm and content as after a dustbath? Mine are kind of in a zen state afterwards....sometimes sitting in the dustbath in a state of peace. lol

This is a LONG day! So if you decided to go forward with it...make sure you have a long time to do the introduction process...as well as days afterward to keep monitoring their interactions. Being in the middle of the livingroom it's easy to keep an eye on them and hear noises from any agression that MAY develop. Plus I did a lot of walking around the cage...reminding them they were exposed on all sides. It kind of startles them sometimes and makes them more reliant on each other for security.

I hope this helps. It worked beautifully for me! Although I will call out here that even though my introduction went well, I had a hard time adjusting from the mess of two chins, to the mess of three. The mess increased GREATLY, more than I had thought from just adding one more chin. I struggled with it for a while before figuring out how to deal with the added mess on a daily basis. Just something else to ponder...

Good luck on your decision!

 

[Chinnyluver]

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH! That's exactly what I was looking for! If I decide to introduce them, I will definitely do that, maybe over a longer time span but I definitely will. Both of my girls are very calm and outgoing and while I know there is no guarantee I think that's promising, from what the breeder told me about their intro they just sniffed noses and were in love forever (short version). I will know tonight if we are getting her. If she doesn't get along with my chins then at least I will be able to find a good home for her, either way she will be better off.

 

[Chinnyluver]

Well, it looks like we're going pick Bambi (it means lucky little girl), up after school this evening. I emailed the breeder I got the girls from and she confirmed you guys' advice, as of right now I have no intention introducing her to my girls. I am going to keep her for a while in order to get to know her, make sure that she's healthy and happy, and then find her a good home. Her current owner has taken care of her but is willing to sell to anyone. This way I can take my time in finding a good match for her. This is not a dig at anyone who told me not to get her, the breeder whom I got the girls from nailed me with questions for at least a week before agreeing to give me the girls. She SUGGESTED I take her in and find her a new home, which means that she thinks I can handle it. Anyway, I'm really excited. It will be hard to let her go since I know I'll get attached but at least I'll feel good about it and I won't have to worry about putting my chins at risk.