Question:
Last night was the end of Sweetie's four week quarantine. We were very nervous about introduction. We've heard countless times how introduction is very difficult, and how chins more often than not don't get along. The reason we were nervous is that Sweetie is not comfortable with Aaron and I yet, so should we toss another new face into her world so quick??

Well, we gave it a shot last night for about half an hour. We decided to do the intro on the bed, because it's the only place we took Sweetie out to run around on every night, it's the only place other than her home that she is used to. We opened the door to her cage and waited with Baby. Now Baby stood about a foot away from the cage door, as she doesn't want to go inside (she's afraid we'll actually make her stay in!). It took Sweetie a long time to come to the door. As soon as she saw Baby she jumped back up to the top of her cage. She did this for about 10 minutes over and over.

After that, she LUNGED out of the cage at Baby and tackled her. The two of them jumped around and sniffed at each other. Baby was actually semi-ignoring Sweetie. But then Baby took a step towards her, and Sweetie stood up on her hind legs and shot urine at her (landing on me of course!) and they took off. Baby was chasing Sweetie and Sweetie would turn on Baby and chase her. I know they were fighting. We separated them easily, as Sweetie is easily picked up, and Aaron gave Baby the command for "Stop and come here".

Did we screw up? Does this mean they will never get along?? We aren't comfortable with the whole "Smoosh" method of intro, since Baby hates being in the cage so much that she freaks out when she's there (I think she's claustrophobic).


Answer:
First off you ask if this is a good idea to do it because she is not comfortable with you and then you say you have already done it?


Yes, this was a mistake. Not only have you allowed Sweetie to have a very negative experiance with Baby, you have shown her again not to trust you. I do not know why you feel such a need to force these 2 together and ignore Sweetie's needs. I can not imagine how terrifying it must have been for her to be around people she does not yet trust, put in the one place she was semi comfortable with and then discovering she'd have to defend it against another female.
I know this may sound harsh, but you really have to start looking at this from Sweetie's view and not your own desires. I would not be surprised if you are back at square one and she starts defending herself against you. Please slow down and let her set the rate. You can not force these things onto any animal. You want her to think of you as a safety net, someone who will not allow any harm to come to her. She has to be completely comfortable with her environment. Remember there is no set time for this. Some chinchillas are weak nerved, others have had bad lives. It can take months, if not years (in extreme cases) to get them to trust you.


Answer:
I feel the need to ask, did you research chinchillas properly before you decided to get one and now two?

I whole-heartedly agree with Lizz and would like to know why you put Sweetie in such a precarious position? Considering Sweetie's fragile state of mind, I can only imagine how scared she was when Baby acted so aggressively towards her!

Also keep in mind, Sweetie and Baby may never get along. It happens. It really is a game of chance when you pair up two chins, especially those of the same sex.


Answer:
I hope that Sweetie and Baby get along in time.


Answer:
I did look up a lot of info on chinchillas, and have been asking everyone I can for help. The thing with introducing Sweetie was we WERE thinking about her needs. We read in a book we got from Scott's Pet Shop on Chinchillas that there are chins who do not get along with humans, and tend to be more reclusive. We figured that we would at least see how she and Baby would interact. If it went well, then Sweetie would not have to be alone and wait for us, she could begin to feel comfortable in her surroundings with another animal that she trusted.

I know you are thinking about her as well, but the only reason that we introduced her to Baby was for her own good. Since the articles we've read mentioned over and over again that some chinchillas are better off with companions, we wanted to make her more comfortable. I've heard from so many people, including people here that a lot of chins never get to be very physical, so I wasn't worried about her becoming Baby. I'm growing to like having a chin that doesn't need as much constant attention as Baby does.

Please don't assume I'm ignoring her needs, I was only thinking of her needs! This isn't about Baby getting a companion anymore, Baby is happy no matter what. And it has nothing to do with us wanting to force her, we decided to let her find out for herself wether she would be more comfortable with a companion other than us. We are trying very hard to do what we have found may help her to feel more at home. Baby didn't attack Sweetie until she jumped full force on her head! Obviously we know now that they don't get along, but at the time we made an educated attempt to introduce her to another chin in the hopes that she would find companionship elsewhere if not with us.


Answer:
Originally Posted by RunningMouse3
I know you are thinking about her as well, but the only reason that we introduced her to Baby was for her own good. Since the articles we've read mentioned over and over again that some chinchillas are better off with companions, we wanted to make her more comfortable.

Just because Sweetie may like the companionship of other chinchillas, doesn't mean that Baby will be fond of it. Again with chinchillas, it is hit or miss.


Answer:
We expected that they would not get along right off the bat, or ever for that matter. But like I said, we were willing to let them meet at least once to see how things went. Baby seems to be an exception to the rules in a lot of ways, but at least she fits the bill somewhere.


Answer:
My goodness, give the woman a break! I'm sure she had no intention of harming either of her chinchillas, or of harming her new relationship with Sweetie. I've introduced chinchillas that were new to us with other chinchillas. I've also introduced chinchillas that had been with us for quite awhile to each other. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it does not. Perhaps the introductions could have been made more slowly. Educating each other on various techniques is a good idea, and gives us all more to consider in our care of our animals. We need not become self-righteous. Please be patient with Sweetie and Baby and give them and yourself time to know each other.


Answer:
I have two chins, Tucker and Silly which are boys. I have worked with them for so long so they could have each others company and I realized they would not get along ever and that happens. Some chins will never get along no matter what you try. I have two others, Chilly and Candy which truly despise each other.
You have two work slowly with chins. But this takes time, patience and work and some chins will never get along.
Here are some methods which may work.
You can try putting the cages by each other so they get used to each others smell. You can also try swapping potty’s and this really helps with the sent of each other.
You can try giving them dust baths together. They can have very short playtimes together and if it goes alright try it again the next night but don’t rush this one. This all has to be done with baby steps but be consistant.


Answer:
You know, I've heard about dust baths being very good for chins to get to know one another. But according to Lixx we shouldn't be introducing them unless Sweetie starts to trust Aaron and I. So should we just give up on introductions unless she warms to the humans in the family?? Or should we give communal bathing a chance?? When would you try?