Chin chewing others whiskers

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Sdo9396

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
387
Location
Pottstown, PA
So, Ruby is in a FN 141 with her 2 daughters Jade and Amber (10 weeks old) and I noticed that Ruby and Jade's whiskers have been chewed and there's only about an inch or so left. I checked Amber's whiskers and hers are perfectly fine which makes me think she's chewing both her mom and sisters whiskers. Is this a dominance or aggression issue? Should I separate them? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
 
Sounds to me like a dominance issue. If you see fur flying, chasing or bleeding then you have a serious problem. Keep an eye on them...If things escalate then you will need to separate.
 
My "couple" Raven and Groo chew each others whiskers all the time, but they get along fine. I think they just overgroom each other!
 
It's a dominance issue. They are establishing a pecking order. I have chins that do this all the time and nothing further comes of it.
 
I have a question.
I have 3 chins together, they all go along well (2 females, 1 male).
Just noticed 1 of the females chews the other 2 chins' whiskers. know this is related to dominance, but in this case is the one with the long whiskers the dominant?
Seems like the logic answer is yes, but I also heard it's the other way around.
Can someone explain?
 
Typically, the more dominant chin will chew the whiskers of the less dominant chin. It can begin for almost no reason - it's like a form of bullying that can initiate over jealousy or increased aggression. The truth is, chinchillas can be perfect cagemates and then lose their bond for no reason when one chin decides it wants to live alone or show their dominance. Sometimes, their instincts can be frustrating for human owners, but we just have to learn to ebb and flow with their decisions.
 
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