Bonding Chins

[BTripp14]

First post =)

I had my two girls since about five years ago. Unfortunately, one of them passed away due to what is thought to be an infection. The vet said there was nothing more we could have done and that she was very well taken care of (I needed to hear that). So now I have just one. I adopted two from a rescue shelter that were...sort of bonded. More so they just get along. I have had them separate for the time period so they don't infect anyone and such.

I gave the surviving girl (of my original pair) a dose of antibiotics just in case, better safe than sorry. She was also thoroughly examined by an exotics vet who said she was great! She is eating, drinking, and playing right now. I could tell she was upset when her cage mate didn't return for a while.

My question is, I want step by step guidance through this introduction process. I want to make sure I do everything I possibly can to give these girls the best shot possible in becoming cage mates. I know every situation is different, so I am asking if someone will text/email with me so that I can tell them exactly what is going on and what my next step should be.

I know all about chinchilla attitude, demeanor, and personality. Also I know when to break something up, or let it ride. What I want is for me to say "ok, A and B happened today" and for this person to say "alright, well let's try the same thing tomorrow", or "we need to try this instead".

Sorry so long, but I want to make sure everything is out there. Above all, I have patience for this. Like I said, I just want to give them the best tools to become cage mates. Lastly, I am aware that it may not ever work out. Worth a shot though!

Brittany Suchsland
Chins: Roxie (from Chicago), Satine *RIP my baby* (from Moulin Rouge), Cosette(from Les Miserables), and Scarlette (from Gone With the Wind)

 

[Godofgods]

I have never introed three separate chins before. But i would imagine the process is pretty much the same. - Give them plenty of time, let em get used to each others presence before letting them meet. - Keep an even closer eye on them when they are together. With three chins if something happens to one of them you cant as easily tell who might have done it.

 

[BTripp14]

Thanks for that! Two of them are already bonded. I have started letting them run in the bathroom, while holding the resident chin in my arms. Letting them get close to each other. They continue to make noises like they aren't fond. I shall keep trying.

Brittany Suchsland
Chins: Roxie (from Chicago), Satine *RIP my baby* (from Moulin Rouge), Cosette(from Les Miserables), and Scarlette (from Gone With the Wind)

 

[Kristine]

I like to use a smoosh cage, but it doesn't work for more than two chins. Threes can be tricky, especially when they are all adult females. But that doesn't necessarily mean it can't be done! Good luck. =o)

 

[mknoblich1]

I had two bonded girls and introduced a new girl to the two. I did cages beside each other after the quarantine then tried a neateal play area. The play didn't work well so I put the most aggressive girl in a cage inside of my ferret nation with the other two girls. I waited until the aggressive girl calmed down then put all three into a brand new ferret nation with new accessories so there were no territory issues. My original bonded pair was just over 1 and my new girl was 4 months when I started the intro process. There is no exact correct way to introduce and you will get different answers from different people as their most preferred method.

 

[BTripp14]

I have tried neutral play time and it didn't go over so well. The more aggressive chin is the resident chin. I only have one cage (they are separated in the one cage) and it is not a critter nation, so doing the cage within a cage isn't really an option unfortunately. What I have done twice now is have the bonded pair roam the bathroom, while I hold onto the resident chin (the aggressive one). They then kind of jump on me, knowing the resident chin is there, but she isn't being aggressive. Is this a bad thing to do?

An alternative to the cage within a cage I read was using the bathroom and a cage. I do have a large cat carrier that I can use for this. So I would just have them be in the bathroom for, it was 24 hours I think? Would this work?

Brittany Suchsland
Chins: Roxie (from Chicago), Satine *RIP my baby* (from Moulin Rouge), Cosette(from Les Miserables), and Scarlette (from Gone With the Wind)

 

[xowolfbaneox]

When I introduced mine to one another I put some bath sand in the (dry) bathtub and set them down at separate ends (new chin first) after having their cages directly next to eachother for a couple of weeks. It worked fairly well, they didn't have much interest in eachother as much as the sand, and after that they were able to play with one another without being aggressive at all.
Worth a shot :3 try one at a time though IMO