Anyone with Chinchillas?

donniemateno · Spanner Monkey Joined: 01 May 2011 Karma :

I ( when i say I i mean the missus!) adopted some chinchillas recently to go with our one old girly we had.

Trying to introduce them and the "loner" isnt getting on with the other she keeps trying to attack them. Were not giving up going to try many different techniques

Just wondering if anyone on here had introduced some chinchillas or even other animals which were complete strangers and had success Smile

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Current bike: Honda CBR 600 F3
Previous bikes: Honda XR 125L5 , BMW 800 ST, Honda CB500

Hex · Party Boy Joined: 04 Feb 2002 Karma :

I had a number and when my old male passed on his female who was never a mellow soul was left alone.

Adopted two from someone I used to work with and over the couple of years i had them could never get them to get on.

Just had to accept she was never going to accept them and she would attack and fight really bad with them. Ended up being a permanant seperate cage job and never let out together.

Hope you have more luck
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Cadbury · Crazy Courier Joined: 05 Oct 2011 Karma :

For a lot of animals scent plays a big part in social interactions. Never had chinchillas, but have experience with rats. You could try and switch a bit of the bedding/waste around, so they each can smell each other. Not a huge amount, just a small bit in each cage.
Then (presuming they are currently in separate cages) put the cages right next to each other, so they can see and interact.

It won't likely be an instant thing, chances are acceptance will take time. Hope things go well for you Thumbs Up

donniemateno · Spanner Monkey Joined: 01 May 2011 Karma :

we want to try and swap the cages but the cage for our lone chinchilla is tiny!

you reckon just the bedding might be a good idea?

at the moment both cages are next to each other.

when we did let them out we put them in neutral territory and put a sand bath in the middle for them to bath and play. all was well till the girl stopped and could " sense" they were running around her and tried grooming one but was attacked by another Sad

and Hex hopefully we have a bit more luck with our chinchilla , she does seem lonely as when we sit next to her she gets all exciting and runs back and forth to the cage
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Current bike: Honda CBR 600 F3
Previous bikes: Honda XR 125L5 , BMW 800 ST, Honda CB500

Cadbury · Crazy Courier Joined: 05 Oct 2011 Karma :

Well, most animals sense of smell is far greater than we could ever imagine, so whilst the bedding might not smell different to us, to them its the same as looking at a photograph - they can instantly tell who it is.
A small amount of bedding swapped over might help familiarise the scent of each other, making subsequent re-introductions less stressful.
Of course they may just remove the offending bedding out the cage and still go mental - who knows!

LustyLew · World Chat Champion Joined: 19 Apr 2004 Karma :

Or you could make an awesome hat! Very Happy

Introductions can take a very long time. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Stick with it for now.

Used to have rats and intro's between newbies was 'interesting' at times!
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Like a Yorkie - I'm not for the girls Wink

Hex · Party Boy Joined: 04 Feb 2002 Karma :

Chinchillas use nose scents, as identification.

Be careful if the cages are close that they will still be able to put their paws through the bars and they are capable of biting toes off.
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The BCF's very own Party boy! Though he's getting old and feeling it!
Monkey hanger, Born and bred
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donniemateno · Spanner Monkey Joined: 01 May 2011 Karma :

last night we tried putting the lone chinchilla cage in our bedroom with the other 3 running around and the 3 chinchillas kept going to say hello and sniff the one on its own but it kept trying to bite them through the cage Sad

we put them away as we dont want to freak them out too much

but a hat idea hmm unless i can make a ken block look a like hat Razz

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Current bike: Honda CBR 600 F3
Previous bikes: Honda XR 125L5 , BMW 800 ST, Honda CB500

donniemateno · Spanner Monkey Joined: 01 May 2011 Karma :

introduced them again last night within the dominant mum and they baby and male got on well with the other girl

there was a bit of chasing and looking hair ( but due to being scared not fighting)

we are worried about the mum now as she gets very stressed and flicks urine at us if we try and pick her up! shes OK once shes on and keeps jumping on us and sniffing but wont let us pick her up >_<

anyway i shall try and upload some photos ( if anyones interested)
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Current bike: Honda CBR 600 F3
Previous bikes: Honda XR 125L5 , BMW 800 ST, Honda CB500

Hex · Party Boy Joined: 04 Feb 2002 Karma :

Ive had ones that hate been held full stop.

Never had them peeing tho. she really dislikes you :p

Yeah I'd like to see the fluff balls though Smile

____________________
The BCF's very own Party boy! Though he's getting old and feeling it!
Monkey hanger, Born and bred
My little photo portfolio

donniemateno · Spanner Monkey Joined: 01 May 2011 Karma :

didnt get chance last night to upload but the guys were let out again for a run which went well lots of playful chasing each other

we are going to try the mummy tonight who is very vocal fingers crossed ...not a great idea might need them to shield the wee!
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Current bike: Honda CBR 600 F3
Previous bikes: Honda XR 125L5 , BMW 800 ST, Honda CB500

andym · World Chat Champion Joined: 16 Nov 2010 Karma :

I'm sure there was a thread about chinchillas a while back, anyway my wife has 5 (started with 3, ended up with 7, but rehomed 2).

Not sure if you are trying to introduce a male to a family of females, but I'm not sure that would even be possible, if you are trying to breed them, then you would need to try introducing the male to 1 female and not a family.

I'm not sure what the term is, but chinchillas will stay with 1 partner for life and if they are seperated then they usually won't take to another.

Chinchillas will live for up to 20 years, and believe it or not they have bloody good memories, so if the one that doesn't like to be picked up has been dropped or hurt in some way (if it's quite a new thing), or hasn't been handled from birth, then it will be a slow process getting them used to it again (expect to have a lot of fur falling out as that is a defence thing).

With the biting, all chinchillas will bite anything to investigate what it is, if it is just a little nibble/nip they are just trying to see if you are food or what, if you react to it then they will get used to you and stop nipping, if they sink their teeth in and draw blood every time you go near them, then you will have to accept they are never going to be handled.

My wifes haven't been handled for over a year, also the males and females have been seperated so we would need to do the whole introducing process again (just with the mum and dad though).

Hope that helps a bit.... Oh and I'll throw in a couple of pictures too:

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/Chinchillas/shadowandpeachy3.jpg
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/Chinchillas/Peachy1.jpg
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/Chinchillas/freshlyhatched.jpg

donniemateno · Spanner Monkey Joined: 01 May 2011 Karma :

@andym thanks for the share! some great photos Smile

here are mine
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Current bike: Honda CBR 600 F3
Previous bikes: Honda XR 125L5 , BMW 800 ST, Honda CB500

andym · World Chat Champion Joined: 16 Nov 2010 Karma :

You've probably already noticed this, but they are a pain during the night (although they can be trained to sleep during the night, which I guess involves using a stick to prod them awake during the day), that and they WILL chew EVERYTHING, in those photos we would let them loose in the hallway, but it would involve me upstairs and my wife downstairs, but they still managed to munch the corners off everything.

Playful little effers though (and very moomin like when young).

Not sure if it's just the camera or what, but is that a couple of purple ones you have?

donniemateno · Spanner Monkey Joined: 01 May 2011 Karma :

yea they are "violet" and standard grey

these are quite good they dont tend to chew anything outside their cage we let them out in our bedroom but they hide under everything!

ours are quite playful but if you make a sudden movement they run and bounce off the walls and hide!
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Current bike: Honda CBR 600 F3
Previous bikes: Honda XR 125L5 , BMW 800 ST, Honda CB500

donniemateno · Spanner Monkey Joined: 01 May 2011 Karma :

just an update after a while the chinchillas we adopted had to be given away :9

our lone chinchilla kept attacking them all the time
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Current bike: Honda CBR 600 F3
Previous bikes: Honda XR 125L5 , BMW 800 ST, Honda CB500

Hex · Party Boy Joined: 04 Feb 2002 Karma :

They are stubborn little critters.
____________________
The BCF's very own Party boy! Though he's getting old and feeling it!
Monkey hanger, Born and bred
My little photo portfolio

donniemateno · Spanner Monkey Joined: 01 May 2011 Karma :

yea was quite upsetting though i did get abit attached to the others and tried to accommodate them all but just in our flat there is simply no room for 2 big chinchilla cages and a huge rat cage

we did however get rid of one chinchilla cage for the on on its own and buy one huge cage for her. shall upload some pics of it later she loves her hammock Very Happy

btw if this topic is annoying anyone at all sorry!
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Current bike: Honda CBR 600 F3
Previous bikes: Honda XR 125L5 , BMW 800 ST, Honda CB500