How much is too much??

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Easterpiggy

Easterpiggy

Master of the Fuzzies
Joined
Jun 19, 2009
Messages
302
Location
St. Paul, MN
I am introducing my new chin to my old chin, and the old one is being a butt head. my new chin is losing a lot of fur in the process but no blood has been shed. I am watching them very closely and separate them when I think its getting to intense. I have noticed that the new one throws fur really easily. so I want to know how much fur throwing is too much??:confused:
 
I would say separate them now. If they are throwing a lot of fur give them a break and try again later. Did you do a quarantine?
 
Some fur flying is going to happen, but a lot is probably too much. When I was introing two of my girls and there was tons of fur flying I stopped because I didn't want to stress the one out who was being attacked.

Intros are hard for me, they stress me out lol

I'd say try again in a couple days and maybe in the mean time swap them out between each other's cages if you haven't done that already.
Also, have some dust baths out during the playtime and you can try doing them in the morning when they'd normally be sleeping.
 
^^ Agree with that. Let it go for a couple of days, still have their cages very close to each other (facing if they're in wooden cages) but not close enough where they can make contact.

Then when they're out together again, have a giant dust bath for them to hop into and maybe some other interesting things like toys and boxes that neither one of them 'own'. That way they'll be distracted by something new.

Swapping cages works for a lot of people too. Intros can take time and be quite frustrating and sometimes you have to accept that it's not going to happen.
 
Neutral play time did not work with my 2 boys. I put them in separate cages side by side for 2 weeks. Then i went out and bought a new cage and then put both of them in it. I watched them closely all night, they got a little rough at first but then they were best friends. Then after about 2 weeks i put both of them back in the cage we had originally built for them. So far so good!! It takes a while but you have to be patient!!
 
A car ride works by putting them both in a carrier, a small one and then going on a 20 minute car ride. Have a clean cage waiting with no stuff in it...no houses, hammocks, nothing and have it very clean with vinegar and water. Just food and water bottle and you can add a few chew toys in a few days.

Then after a week I add a house, sometimes I have to take it out because it causes fights, but eventually they get a house, shelf, maybe a hammock and some toys. The car ride supposedly works because they are so scared of the trip and just glad to be home they don't fight! I do think it works pretty well but by now I am so used to intros that I can tell if it will work or not right away. You can try a little vanilla on the noises too, and trimming the whiskers of the more dominant chin is a great help. Keep a very close eye on them for at least 2-3 days, they really can kill eachother quickly.
 
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does clipping whiskers really work? if so how short do I clip them? and do I clip both of the chins whiskers? Oh and the vanilla thing. Does that work?

I know it may not work but ever since his cage mate died, Dusty hasnt been the same so I really want this to work.
 
When we introduced Carmen and Minnie, we did both the vanilla and whisker trimming, but what finally did it's magic was the method Tunes gave me. For a full version, see the "Chintrps - not going great!" thread in this section.
 
I have better luck with the whiskers than the vanilla. I trim them about 1/2 way, just make sure to be careful, I use nail clippers so I don't poke an eye.
 
:update:
thanks everyone for your help.:thumbsup: I checked out the other thread "chintros-not going great" and took the advice from tunes. I trimmed both of their whiskers and put vanilla on their noses and tails. I also scrubbed every inch of their cage with vinegar. P.U. now I smell like a pickle:yuck: but any way it was totally worth it. The are getting along and sniffing each other and theirs no fighting!

so I want to say:thanks2:

P.S. Dusty and Friday thank every one too!!!!
 
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You gotta love the whisker trimming thing. It works for us every time. Too bad our kids don't have whiskers!!!
 
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