Fighting for no reason. Help!

[chins1222]

Ok so this is kind of a long story but bear with me lol

I'll start from the beginning... Ok so I have had Bailey and Cedric(both males) since 2008 they were a bonded pair I adopted from forchinate chins.
They have always gotten along well a little bickering here and there but never any fighting more like 2 siblings squabbling :laughitup:

Well flash forward to July? 2013 and I fell in love with this male chin at my work, who I named Xavier, so I took him home and after quarantine I started doing introductions i eventually moved them into one cage all together, and everything was going well ( Cedric got a little too aggressive at first and I separated him for a week while keeping Xavier and Bailey together as they got along right away. And after the week put them all together again and everybody has got along very well

Well that was when I was living with a friend I have sense moved back home and they were (all 3) sharing the bottom half of a ferret nation(originally had the whole thing but when I moved back home unexpectedly I had to house my rats in the top half so they had to have the bottom)
Anyway beginning of December I bought the rats a critter nation and opened the top half of the cage back up for the chins.

Now for my problem... I came home one day from work to find a small but unusual amount of hair strewn about the cage... I didn't think much of it bc that was the day we started construction on the house(replacing windows and siding) so I figured they lost more due to the stress from the noise and strangers in the house(tried to move them to a quieter spot but still noisy unfortunately)

Then I came home from work the next day to find hair EVERYWHERE all over the cage, it seemed like all baileys hair as he had 2 huge bald batched on his rear end. Only minor scrapes so no biting really.

I assumed it was Xavier doing the chasing ( only one with perfect hair...Cedrics hair has always been crappyish so you can never tell with him :hilarious so I seperated him to the top half for the night and next day to see if that would help

Well the next night opened the cage back up to everyone and still noticed the chasing but this time Bailey chases xavier( only for a second so I really didn't give them much time I just didn't want a fight)

So I put Bailey up top and Xavier and Cedric were getting along very well ( cuddling, grooming etc)

So again I put them all together after being seperated and noticed it was definitely Xavier doing the chasing... Relentless chasing ( worse when they were both trying to use the wheel but he chased no matter what) and he ONLY chases Bailey...never bothers Cedric. Bailey and Xavier are my wheelers they go off and on all night! Cedric only uses it occasionally

I have tried trimming him whiskers and tried vanilla... That didn't help, well the whisker thing seemed to work for a few hours but once evening came and they became more active he went right back to chasing.

When he is up top on his own he frantically digs at the fleece liner and spends most of his time sitting on the tile that closes the hole between cages sporadically chewing/ scratching that spot trying to get back in the bottom half..he does not like being alone... But he will not get along

So why the all of a sudden change in attitude? I am planning on ordering a chin spin when I get my paycheck hoping maybe a second wheel will help?

I really don't want to separate permanently as he is very unhappy by himself but he refuses to leave Bailey alone( that very last attempt at them getting along he ripped baileys ear :tantrum so they have been seperated for the last 2 days

Any tips on how to possibly go about reintroducing them? Do you think removing the floor up top( the one with the cutout) and having the cage more open would help? Should I leave seperate for a while( month +) and try reintroducing them like brand new? Do you think having 2 wheels will help?

Any tips or suggestions would be helpful as this is very frustrating :hair: one day getting along perfectly and the next fighting!!!

Thank you

 

[tunes]

I doubt you will be able to get them back together if he has hurt the chin to the point of ripping his ear. The only thing I can say is that chins are weird. They can be best buddies for 10 years and suddenly one will turn on each other. Once they have inflicted an injury, it's almost unheard of to get them back together without it turning out even worse.

 

[LYChinchillas]

Yeah, agree with the above. It's definitely sad, but even family members can become un-bonded and must be separated forever. I've had several chins lose their bond and have never been able to be reconciled, despite very cautious reintroductions (cages near one another). They would screech at one another and jump all around in agitation if they were within 3 feet of one another (mainly it's the sense of smell that allows them to detect one another). As owners, we shouldn't try in vain to keep them together if they are a harm to one another. It's best to separate them and let them have good lives apart, if that's what's best.

 

[chins1222]

Well poop... I figured that was going to be the only option since its went that bad! well maybe in a few months I'll try reintroducing them after some separation and start all over with them starting in a neutral area etc and if they still don't get along then he'll just have to be alone I guess... Little brat lol he is deaf not happy by himself though he just sits on his tile in the corner trying to get back through that hole poor guy lol

 

[Dreamlite]

I wouldn't risk it. Chins can and will kill cage mates they don't like. Are you willing to have a chin die just cause you want them to live together? Once blood is drawn it's time to call it quits.

 

[chins1222]

No I don't want that! I guess he'll just have to be alone then I hope he gets over it and stops digging he bedding everywhere...I have ordered a chinspin so hopefully when that arrives he's stop
Thank you