Introducing my chins... What is going on?

[SarahKay]

I have had my boy Zeb since June and he is a year and a half old. Less than a week ago I bought a 12 week old male to eventually be his cage mate. Having read everything i could find about introducing two chinchillas, I decided to put them in two cages, side by side. Everything seems to be going really well... they chatter a lot and when they sleep they go to the corner of their cages so they can be right next to each other. But sometimes when they go nose to nose through the bars, one makes a loud sniff noise and the other backs off... I think it's the baby that makes the noise. However, when I have zeb out, my baby absolutely freaks out and tries to get as close as possible. Is this huffing noise a good or a bad thing? Is it normal? I have seen zero signs of aggression, I just don't know what this noise is or why my big boy is staying so far from the baby sometimes. If anyone has introduction tips, I would greatly appreciate them! Thank you!

 

[eroomlorac]

A 30 day quarantine of any new animal is always suggested for the health and well being of both chins. That being said, they may just be curious as to who the other one is and are investigating each other's scents. After quarantine, I would put cages side by side for a while yet be sure they are out of reach of each other's noses. After a week or two try playtime together and see how it goes. I'd try several hours of mutual playtime stretched over a week or two.

 

[Tennyson]

I agree with the quarantine time, and of course you already said you were trying playtime together and that they seem to be getting to know each other already, just remember that chins are not faithful friends You can have 2 guys as cage-mates for 5 years and then suddenly one of them freaks out and kills the other for no reason...not to say that you should not keep cage-mates, just take it slow and watch for signs of aggression or irritation. If they have spats too often, they may just not be suitable for each other, don't try to force it. And remember that most chins do just fine by themselves and maybe all your boys need is that time together through the bars

 

[SarahKay]

Oops

I hadn't heard anything about quarantining so mine are still together. Should I just move their cages away from one another then?

 

[Cuddlebug]

Now that they have been together for playtime and their cages are next to each other, there is really not point to doing the quarantine. Leave the cages as they are and just take the introductions slowly.

 

[SarahKay]

Thank you!
The baby (Roo) was a very healthy baby and I have not had any problems with him eating or drinking or anything like that so I imagine that it will go smoothly despite my overlooking the quarantine period.

 

[SarahKay]

The two boys are getting along wonderfully! They have had two play dates together and there has been a lot of curious sniffing and my baby has been attempting to mount Zeb. They seem to really enjoy each others' company so far and they sleep next to each other in their cages so I think tonight's the night that I'm going to swap cages and I hope to combine their cages completely in a few days.
I think I'll combine them this weekend so I can watch all day and make sure everything goes well but I am very excited.
Just wanted to post an update.