Should I get a second chin?

Hello everyone! For a while now, my chinchilla has been showing signs of boredom and loneliness. I take him out of his cage for an hour a day and hang out with him often. He has many toys, but nothing is helping. He has become reckless and moody. He was with a cagemate before we adopted him, however the cagemate had passed away. I gave him a chinnie buddy, which he LOVES to be with. I think he would be happier with a companion, but I am not sure.

There is no way to know ahead of time if two random chins will get along, it's very much like putting two random humans together. If their personalities mesh well they are more likely to get along, but no guarantee. If you want another chin, and have the time, money, and space for another I say go for it, but plan for them to not get along and hope for the best just in case. However if the only reason for getting another is to bond with your current chin and if they don't bond you don't plan to keep a second chin (sadly not an uncommon situation) then I say just try to spend more time with your current chin.

I do believe having another chin around, even if they don't get along, can be beneficial to most chins, kind of like having a neighbor vs living all alone in isolation. Keep in mind bonding can take time, ideally you should quarantine the new chin in a different room for 30 days, that allows time for the new chin to settle in and for any illness to show up before exposing your current chin. Then you can move the new chin into the same room and start the intro process. Doing slow bonding can take anywhere from days to months, your can't really rush it, chins can and do fight to the death so you need to go at their pace. Basically you want them to build a friendship and that doesn't normally happen right away.