Help! Introducing two male chinchillas

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Jo411

Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2018
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5
I have two male chinchillas. Brick, who is probably around 6 or 7 months old and Marble, who I have no idea how old he is.. they said he should only be 6 months but he seems way older. I got Brick from someone who couldn’t take care of him a month before I got Marble. My goal was to get them to live together. It’s been I think a month and a half and I’m not sure what to do next. I’ve let them get used to each other’s smells and when one is running around I let the other sniff through the bars. Things have gotten better, Brick used to bite the bars whenever Marbel got close but now just sniffs and seems curious. I’ve taken them to a completely different room to meet for the first time and that went well there was a little chasing from brick but both were just curious about the new space. When I went to put them together again in that same room Brick would chase Marble and try to mount him and he pulled out some fur at one point. I’m really scared to put them back together even though they seem fine when the meet each other through the bars of their cages. Marble never seems to bothered by it and never fights back. But it’s sad to see him afraid of brick too. I’m scared Marble will get hurt any tips on different things to try?? Oh also Marble wags his tail when he sees Brick sometimes..? Not sure why I’ve read that it’s like a mating thing but they are both definitely boys. Thanks for any tips y’all can give me
 
Although fur pulling is a bad sign it's not necessarily time to give up yet, just take a break. However if it gets any farther, where blood is actually drawn, it's time to quit. That shows intent to kill, and chins can and do fight to the death. A little bit of humping is normal, same with a little bit of chasing, they need to figure out who is boss. But it shouldn't go on very long, less then a minute, and no fur flying, excessive chasing, or barking.

You can try just having their cages near (at least a foot apart, more if they are reacting to each other) for a while, so they can see and smell each other. If they seem ok after a week move the cages closer wait till they stop reacting, then move them closer again. Do that over the course of weeks, then once they are ok right next to each other for a week or so then try playtime again. A month and a half is not much time, have you been tried to bond them for a month and a half or have only had them that long?

It takes most chins about a month just to settle in to a new home, so if you have only had them for less then 2 months I would give them more time. Normally you should quarantine the new chin for a month away from your current one before any contact. That give the chin time to get to know you and you to get to know him, and also for any illnesses to show up before exposing your current chin.

Another thing to keep in mind is that if both are around the 6 month to a year age, they are going through puberty. It's basically like having a couple of teenagers, so yes the tail wagging is generally a sign of wanting to mate, just because there are no females doesn't mean he doesn't have desires. Some try humping their human, others their cage mate. Some people have had some luck giving their chins a cuddle buddy to help with their needs.
 
I’ve been trying to bond them for a month and a half. Their cages are already next to each other and they are not bothered or reactive towards each other at all it’s just when I put them out together. They even seem sweet together sometimes like they want to play together but when I let them out Brick chases him and it makes me nervous that he will end up hurting Marble. Marble is already submissive and never goes after Brick. And although he runs away from Brick he never hides from him or has like a personality change being around him. They are both bonded with me and I feel like that’s the only time they do get along is when I’m right next to them.
 
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