Chinchillas that didn't grow up together may not get along upon first being introduced. This might surprise some people since chinchillas are sociable in the wild.
However, all is not lost. It is possible to get two chinchillas used to each other's company. When we were introducing two chinchillas from different breeders we used a tried and proven technique. We put the newer chinchilla in a spare cage we had. We kept our older chinchilla in her original cage. We kept the two cages side-by-side so that chinchillas could see and smell each other at all times.
Then, every night we would let each chinchilla out of her cage for a period of time, but never both at the same time. We left it up to each chinchilla to approach the other. Of course, with the cage bars in between them, there was no fear that they would hurt each other.
After a week or two, we allowed both chinchillas to leave their cages at the same time. The first few times we did this, the chinchillas would chase each other which we stopped as quickly as possible.
Again, a week or so after releasing both from their cages we noticed that there was less chasing and less fighting. The number of "incidents" continued to decrease over time. About 3 to 4 weeks into the process, we moved the newer chinchilla into the older chinchilla's cage. They slept in the same box, shared the same water bottle, and ate from the same dishes.
And as further proof that this system works, we repeated everything again with a third chinchilla with same results.
We believe in providing as complete information as possible, so we want to also make you aware of the neutral zone technique. Those that use the neutral zone technique actually disagree with the approach we described. We leave it up to you decide which approach to take.
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December 22nd, 2006 at 9:41 am
I recently bought a baby chinchilla (10 weeks old).We have had him for about a month now. During the last week he has started grunting a lot, I read that this is because of loneliness. Short of buying him a companion, what can I do? We take him out for playtime if not every night, every other.
October 1st, 2006 at 4:17 pm
Bryan,
We recommend following the same type of process as described above - keep the 2 new chinchillas in individual separate cages close to the cage of the 2 older chinchillas.
Introduce all four chinchillas during supervised interaction, be sure to not allow the chinchillas to chase each other or fight.
It may take a while before all the chinchillas get along and you can then consider keeping them in the same cage. With 4 chinchillas, make sure the cage is large enough for them to have enough space.
September 27th, 2006 at 12:22 pm
I have two chinchillas that are 2yrs old and 1yr old. I am going to be getting two new chinchillas that will be in the same cage. The new chinchillas are 4 and 6 months old. Could I introduce all 4 of them at the same time, or should i introduce one new to the old 2, then the other new one?
September 4th, 2006 at 10:16 pm
Just wanted to thank you for all your help! All my chins want to do is groom each other and cuddle up! Thanks!
August 30th, 2006 at 8:37 am
Hi-it's us again. We just wanted to thank you for your help. Zoe and Smokey are getting along great, they are already cuddling with each other, it is the CUTEST thing!! Thank you so much for your knowledge and advice.