3 Chins in 1 cage?

Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum

Help Support Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

kaotictenshi

Proud Mama
Joined
Feb 23, 2009
Messages
63
Location
Butler, NJ
What are the appropriate dimensions for an enclosure for 3 chins? I've only had the most 2 in one and am considering getting a 3rd. I know there are enclosures that can fit multiple chins (not for breeding purposes) as I've seen them on this site, I just want to make sure everyone has their....personal space haha
 
I have a cage that is 36x24x36 with three in it and they seem to do fine with it. I have lots of ledges and things for them to do in it. Ferret Nations 142 w/ both cages opened up should be okay.
 
I have a quality cage which is quite big, not sure of the dimensions but it is a decent size, sorry, but there are long ledges and I have a hut, and two hammocks in there. There seems to be enough room in there for all three. Oh I also have one of their huge wheels in there too.

If you decide to go with a Quality Cage tho, they are not cheap, but are well worth it.

Jean
 
Money isn't an option I just wanted to make sure they have enough room. What's better, a male and 2 females or 2 males and a female? I will be spaying or neutering depending on which I get but I wanted to see what hormones mix better
 
How about just getting 3 of the same sex, and then you won't have to worry about an unnecessary surgery? Also, if you have 3 chinchillas in one cage, you must also understand the possibility that they may all not get along. So you should be prepared in case that happens and have extra cages just in case.
 
oh of course! I have 2 cages already in storage so I am prepared for them not getting along I was just going to try and see if they'd get along..I do agree with the unnecessary surgery..I already have a male and a female, but they're both white (separated right now) I'd like to have them be back together as they were when I first got them a year ago they loved each other so much...so I was going to get one of them spayed/neutered.
 
meh u know what i think i'll just get 2 females 'n try and adapt them to my female that i already have. I really don't want to put them through surgery...I guess i just felt guilty for separating them..
 
Even neutered males still get the urge to go after a female. So 2 males & a female will result in a fight. And some females can be possessive of their male, so if you tried to introduce a new female to the pair (even with the male being neutered), the girls may fight.

Not saying both of those situations WILL happen, but there's a good possibility for it. I think it'd be best to keep them seperated, and if you think they are truly lonely, try to find a same gender chin. Good luck either way.
~Barb~
 
I have three girls in a Marshall's Penthouse and hope to add in a fourth, and three boys in a quality cage mansion next to them(about a foot gap between). Same sex pairs do fine, and I'm prepared that at any time I may have to pull a boy or girl out of a cage. That's just chinchilla life. Go for same sex pairs, or simply get your male neutered like you were planning on and leaving the two together without adding in a third.
 
now my question is...for all of you that have same sex cages...do you breed? and if you do, do you try and introduce the m/f pair into another cage?
 
I have both breeding pairs and trios, and use a cage 2'w x 1'h x 1'd that's divided in the middle, for introductions. If introducing a trio, I do the females first, then put them together in one side, and the male the other - about 97% success rate with this method, for me, but sometimes nothing works - depends on the chins! There's a few different ways for intro's, as you'll see!
 
see i got lucky introducing my mosaics, (when i was dumb and didn't know I couldn't breed whites...I'm over that) they loved each other right off the bat...but I was going to do something similar to what you said rickman. I'm not sure if I'll find the right mate, but if I do I was going to do a divided cage...I'm paranoid that they won't get along!!
 
If they're mosiacs, you should be all right, as long as they're NOT related! It's the pink-whites that have the lethal factor, meaning a fetus just doesn't develop, not dead kits!
 
omg...they aren't related...hahah I would never do that! he's a couple months older than she is and they're from different parents she's soooo beautiful! She's mostly gray with a white lightning bolt on her back and a black and white tail...and he's just your typical mosaic, mostly white with patches of gray mostly on his face and tail...they love each other so much....do you think I should just put them back together? I have her in this huge cage all by herself...
 
Read everything you can read on this forum about breeding, [especially what ChinnieChantel has been through] and determine if you're prepared for all that! Then [if you're old enough, and have money for vet bills] make your own decision!
Male and female in the same cage = kits, 99% of the time!
 
Money's not an option, i am 25 and have my own house I just moved to this town so i'm looking for a permanant vet...I have one (that took care of my other chins in the past and checked out the 2 that I have now) but his office is about 20-25 min. away he's good though...I'm waiting a little while though, they're still a little too young to start breeding, they're only a little over a year, I don't want her to be too young to carry kits...I joined this site for the research, I have a book on breeding chins but I find the internet and reading other people's stories more educational than a book.
 
You should not put two whites together for breeding. Whites of any kind. Whites tend to have weaker fur and if you put two whites togther you are very likely to get crappy chinchillas. If she or he are lonley why not get same sex friends. or go to a show or reputable breeder and get animals for them from there. If you went to a breeder for these two I am not saying anything bad about them.... But you really really shouldn't breed two whites together.

Rick the "lethal" factor (although debated) is not just thought to be pink whites, it is all whites. also found in TOV all TOV.
 
Last edited:
Thank you for clearing up the lethal factor for me star, that's been a fuzzy subject. I read the thread on this site about it and decided against breeding the 2 of them together this site is the best one out there! I am looking for a show around here so I can get a chin to breed with mindy, I don't want crappy coats and I don't want to lose kits. So I'll prolly get 2 males, one to be buddies with Mork and one to pair up with mindy. Does anyone have a list of shows in the NY/NJ area?
 
Back
Top