Chin living alone, buddy?

[riotheoleo]

Apollo lives on it own and seems fine but I feel bad for him. He gets played with for about 30 minutes a day but he is left in the house on his own for about 7 hours monday to friday. I feel like I should get him a buddy but I don't think I know enough about introductions or have enough for another cage. Ive found an advert on preloved about a free chin for sale, aged 2 with cage and food. I would prefer not to get another chin but i want what is best for him. Opinions?

 

[Amethyst]

If you don't have the room or desire for two separate chins, meaning separate cages, play times and everything, don't get a second one. Even if they do get along, which there is no guarantee they will, the new one still needs to be quarantined in another room for 30 days before intros can even be attempted. Also it can take a long time to introduce two chins, sometime they hit it off right away, other times it can take months, sometimes never, and sometimes they like each other for awhile but then decide later they don't.
If he seems fine he probably is, most chins sleep most of the day anyway so being alone for 7 hours isn't really a problem, especially if it in the middle of the day. At most get him a cuddle buddy (stuffed animal thing to cuddle), and try to spend more time at with him if you think he is lonely, some chins even like mirrors. A second chin could turn into twice as much time and work, so only get another one if you want another one. Contrary to recent things being said online and in pet stores chinchillas really don't need a companion, it's like saying humans need to live with another human. Chins do live in colonies in the wild, and are social creatures, but think about how much room they have to get away from each other in the wild, lol.

 

[chins1222]

It's actually been proven that solitary confinement in human beings can cause severe mental health problems. And even if a person(or animal for that matter) won't die from being alone I beleive any animal that naturally lives in groups will be happier with another animal of the same species, that's not to say that there are not exceptions to the rule and that every social animal will get along with every other animal from the same species( just like not all people get along) but in general I think they're happier.

Now with that being said I do agree that if you do not want the responsibility of a second chin and if you are not prepared for the possibility of having to house 2 chins separately then you should definitely not get a second chin as they will just become a burden if you didn't really want it in the first place and then possibly have a second cage or a larger mess to clean!

 

[Amethyst]

It's actually been proven that solitary confinement in human beings can cause severe mental health problems. And even if a person(or animal for that matter) won't die from being alone I beleive any animal that naturally lives in groups will be happier with another animal of the same species, that's not to say that there are not exceptions to the rule and that every social animal will get along with every other animal from the same species( just like not all people get along) but in general I think they're happier.

I'm not talking about solitary confinement, I'm talking about being with others, just not the same species. The chin does have the owner playing with it and interacting with it, so I hardly call that solitary confinement. There are also plenty of people that live alone with pets and I find it hard to believe that means they all have severe mental health problems because of it or are unhappy.

What I was pointing out was that a lot of people are now saying that you have to buy or adopt at least two chins and they have to live together or it's animal cruelty, and the chin couldn't possibly live a happy life without another chin and I don't agree. So long as you are giving the chin plenty of attention to make up for the lack of another chin, spending time at least talking to it every day and not just ignoring it then I don't see a problem with only having one. Sometimes only having one is better, a single chin often bonds more closely to their human(s) since the human(s) becomes the chin's herd.

 

[chins1222]

Interactions with another species is not the same as with an animal that speaks the same "language" so to speak. And the people live alone with pets but they can leave their home and go outside to interact with other human beings.
(Some animals do develop severe issues, even to go as far as self mutilation because they are being kept alone) not necessarily chinchillas though.
im not trying to say you are wrong I am simply stating my opinion on the matter. I beleive in doing what makes my animals the happiest even if that means more work for me, but I am willing to do the work if necessary, each individual must decide what's best for them and their pets

 

[jacoby]

We originally had Jacoby and then got James from a small local breeder. James bullies the older and calmer Jacoby. We later rescued a female chinchilla. Everyone is in the same room, in different cages. The boys have their own section of a fn and we just got our female a new cage. The one our neighbor gave us with her is too small. I do think they enjoy seeing another chin and we have heard them speaking to each other. Just make sure if you do it, you are prepared to have two different cages. I truly believe our 3 enjoy seeing one another, just not sharing a house. (I had sincerely hoped the boys would bond.) We also give each chin their playtime and time with us one on one which they love daily.