Question:
I have had a female chinchilla for about 1monyh maybe 1 and a half and just got a male.....they were pared up when we bought the female....how do we go about getting them to like each other we were holding her and let him come look at her and he like snapped at her and vice versa another time....what are the steps to take for them to like each other....right now theyre in separte cages across the room from each other,,,,,please help!


Answer:
Firstly, I would quarantine the male for at least 4 weeks before trying to introduce them and letting them come in direct contact.
I'm not sure I exactly understand the living situations. The same two chins were paired up before you bought the female? And now you just bought the male? Or they were paired with different chins?
Once you are ready to introduce them, start moving their cages closer together. Once they are next to each other, you can switch cages every few days (put each chin in the others cage) to let them get used to the smell of the other. After that seems to be going well, you can let them have supervised playtime together. If that goes well, try putting them in the same cage early in the morning and observe them for any fighting. With a little bit of patience and persistence, they may get along. Take your time when getting into breeding...it can be very costly both financially and emotionally. You must be willing to lose kits, or your breeders, if the worst happens.


Answer:
Thank you,,,,,it was the male and female in separte cages but right next to eachother....the guy even said that the female would sneak into his cage somehow.....well i bought the female about 2 months ago and i bought the male like 2 and a half weeks ago......thier cages are across the room from each other do i still need to take the male to a separate room??? And is it safe to put cages next to each othewr now....the male seems happy with his surroundings i can already put him on my shoulder and he comes right up to the cage......the female is always curious about him when we let her out for playtime shell go running up to his cage but he gets kindy rowdy then same when i take him to her cage shell get all rowdy,,, Is that a territorial thing??? thanks for the advice please write back


Answer:
It is best if you put them in a seperate room. You'll want to continue the quaritine longer. Females are very territorial, if she doesn't like him, go slow. Otherwise she could seriuosly hurt him. Also, where did you get your chins?


Answer:
Well before i got your new message i set thier cages about 4 inches apart and shell hop right next to hers and try to sniff him and he just flips out like hes trying to get to her scratching at the the cage and making a wierd noise almost like a gremlin......lol. I got my chins from petco. but at the pet store they were kept in plastic cages side by side like they were connected and she would sneak into his cage i guess. He seems a lot more tame than she does but hes the one that flips out....


Answer:
You wouldn't happen to be planning on breeding your two chins would you? Pet store chins are a big risk when it comes to breeding and it really isn't recommended. If you're going to do it no matter what people say (which i'm not saying that you wouldn't listen, but I know one person who was in the same situation and refuses to listen to reason) then do your babies a favor and have them both checked very thoroughly by a vet to at least have a bit of reassurance. I'm sure anyone else here can tell you about the risks attached to breeding pet store chinnies.


Answer:
PLease don't let them visit! Or play together, or cage together! Breeding pet store chinnies is soso dangerous. You have no idea what there histories are, and can risk the moms & kits lives! PLease don't breed them!!!!
Also, you should really be quarentining them still. And have them vet checked, it is in their best interests! You do have a chin vet, right?


Answer:
Listen to Lixx!!! Please quarentine in separate rooms for a good 30 days! Also, if you want to breed, buy a pair of chins from a reputable breeder! DO NOT breed petstore chinchillas!!! They are often too small to carry kits, and since you do not know ages or backgrounds, you have no idea if they are related or if they have health problems in their lines! If health problems are in the lines, it IS genetic in most cases! You don't want to risk the lives of your chins or their kits by setting them up from birth for a life of pain from malloclussion or other such terrible and painful genetic problems...If you don't listen to us and insist on putting these two together, I hope you have thousands of dollars saved up to hand over to your vet. You could neuter your male, but that is very risky as well and can run you into thousands of dollars in vet bills if/when something happens. I have a very good breeder/friend who spent over $2500 on a neuter for a pet store chin who still has problems occasionally! Luckily, he is doing much better but unless you want to risk killing your chins, keep them separated with NO playtime together at all! If you decide to breed them anyway and something bad happens, you will get little to no sympathy from many of us. We are giving you fair warning here and not trying to be mean, just trying to save you from financial ruin and a whole lot of heartache.