I have a question about chinchillas being together

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avarie66

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Aug 18, 2018
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I have one chinchilla named Merlin, he's around 2 years old and he lives alone in his cage. I know chins are supposed to be in pairs but he is right beside my bed and gets constant attention he's never alone except for when I go out in the day. I am getting a hedgehog and I know that both animals temperatures are very different. I don't wanna get rid of him so unfortunately I need to move him out of my room and into a different room in my house. I refuse to leave him in a new room by himself because he will get very lonely so I'm looking for into getting another chinchilla for my merlin but I don't know if I should get a male or a female. Merlin is a male and I don't want baby chins but if I get a male I don't want them fighting. I need help!!
 
If you get a female they will ABSOLUTELY have babies, no doubt about it.
Introducing and homing chinchillas together is a long and complicated process with no guarantees. I recommend searching around the forums a little, there have been many topics about it posted here.
 
If the setup for the chin is working well why don't you put the hedgehog in another room instead?

Chins don't have to be in pairs, there are lots of chins that prefer to be single. Chins are social animals though, so especially if they are alone they do need a minimum of an hour of interaction a day, every day. If you are going to get a second one get a male, otherwise you will end up with kits unless you neuter the male or spay the female before they are introduced. Male pairs are no more likely (maybe less likely since females are territorial) to fight then two females or male/female pairs. Unless you have two males and a female in heat, then they can end up fighting over the female. Having your male or a female altered does not guarantee they will get along, they are still two random strangers, and there is a real risk the chin will die during or after the surgery. It's also likely you will need to care for the chin 24/7 for at least the first couple weeks after surgery, hand/force feeding and giving meds, as well as making sure they don't chew the stitches. Full healing time is a minimum of 8 weeks, assuming there are no complications.

Unfortunately there is no way of knowing before getting a new chin if the two will get along, it's like putting two random humans together. Just like not all humans like all other humans not all chins like all other chins, and some even prefer to live alone. For best results though try to match personalities, submissive/dominate or submissive/submissive, age and gender have less to do with it. When getting another chin you should also quarantine the new chin in a different room in it's own cage for 30 days before any intros can start. That allows the new chin to settle in, for you to get to know it and it to get to know you (so you can start forming a bond), also for any illnesses to show up before you expose your current chin to it. After the quarantine then you can slowly try to do intros, which can take days to months. You have to go at their pace, you can't rush it.

If you personally want a second chin, and are ok with the possibility of them not getting along, having another chin in the same room can be better then being all alone. Think of it like having a neighbor, even if you don't live together you still have someone to chat with. I have also had chins that enjoyed having a playmate, but not a cage mate. However keep in mind that a second chin could mean needing space for a second cage permanently and the needing to spend more time with the chins since they will each need attention individually if separate. Also even bonded pairs can sometimes have a falling out and decide they don't want to be friends anymore, sometimes even years down the line. So always make sure you have as many cages as you have chins, or the ability to, for example I have a double Ferret Nation cage, which if needed can be split into two cages.
 
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