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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January 26th, 2007 at 10:31 pm
I have never had any fights between them. It is all just chasing now. One of my chins are so scared of the other one though, when I do the cage intro he runs around crazily. Is there any way to ease his tension about the other chin? He runs even when he's not being chased. I've been trying for a month now.
January 21st, 2007 at 11:16 am
Just wanted to say thanks for the heads up and give you an update. I think my little guy is getting used to me. He still doesn't want much to do with me but at least I know he isn't afraid of me at all. Everytime I put my hands in his cage he pushes them out of the way to climb up on my arm b/c he wants to play. I'm ok with that. Some chins just don't think they need their people. I will be getting him a friend though.
Thanks ,
Eric
January 14th, 2007 at 10:21 am
Stacie,
It's hard to say if your chinchillas will eventually get along. How long have you been trying? Also, have you noticed an improvement in behavior or has it been as violent as you describe throughout the introduction process?
January 14th, 2007 at 10:16 am
Eric,
You could try to introduce another male chinchilla. There's no way to know ahead of time if two chinchillas will get a long though.
January 14th, 2007 at 10:12 am
Brittany,
Yes, you can put 4 chinchillas in to the same cage as long as it is big enough and as long as they get along. You'll probably need to spend some time letting them get used to each other though.