Introduction tips?

[riotheoleo]

My chin Apollo lives alone. He has a ton of toys, human interaction daily and a fleece cuddly toy but I think he is depressed. He sits in a corner of his cage most of the time, only moving to eat, poop, drink, pee and be played with. I don't think it is a health problem because he has been like this a while and has not gotten worse it is just that I have tried several different things (fleece toy, new toys, slightly longer play times) but nothing is working. I have talked to his breeder who previously said he didn't need a partner but now she agrees I should get him a friend. Apollo cost £70 but this new chin she is offering used to live with Apollo, is about the same age as him and is only £40. She has also offered to lend me a cage for introductions. She would've done it but sge works away so she won't have time. I am now researching it but I am getting a lot of mixed responses. I will only do this once I am 100% confident and yes I know they could not get along and I am prepared to buy another cage. Please could you give me some tips on introduction, like everything that needs to be done? Thank you (sorry if this is in the wrong section)

 

[Cass C]

There are many methods of introduction you can use. When I had my boy viper neutered I had to do a re-introduction to his sister Roxy. The entire reason he got fixed was so he and his sister could continue being a bonded pair, but we didn't realize separating them for recovery would unbond them, so be aware even if you bond them they may unbond down the road.

Now to re-introduce them we started by getting them used to each others smell. To do that take something that smells like one chin and place it in the other chins cage. This can be bedding, a chew toy, or piece of fleece. Continue to mix smells for a week or more depending on your chinchilla's reaction. Marking or peeing on the other chinchillas smell means they are not ready for the next step. This happens before they ever see each other face to face and after the quarantine period.

Next we started doing cage swaps every 3-4 days. This allowed their smells to mix in both of the cages. Again watch for signs of agression or territorial behavior. This means they are not ready to meet.

After they seem to be doing well we let them see each other through the cages with enough distance they could not get to each other if a fight broke out. If there are any signs of agression then block their view from each other and go back to letting them get used to the smells. As they get used to each other slowly move the cages closer together. We tried to rush this step and my boy got a nice bite on the ear.

The last step I used before putting them in the same cage was to have supervised playtime with a gate separating them with holes just big enough they could smell each other. After a week of that with no agression we removed the gate and they have been happily bonded for 4 years. Take your time and don't feel like you are failing if it takes few months to introduce them. Trying to rush things will only cause trouble for your chinchillas.

This was just my experience, and there may be better methods out there.

 

[chinlove1258]

My husband and I are going through the introduction process right now with our 10 year old chin, Roy, and our 3 month old, Steve. So far the process is going really great! This is what we have done so far and been successful with: First we put there separate cages close to each other but far enough away so they couldn't touch each other. After a couple days they started to sit next to each other (sometimes humming and chirping at each other). Then after that we would put a dust bath in Roy's cage and then put it in Steve's cage and then back in Roy's cage. Do it whenever you give them dust baths, it neutralizes their smells to be similar to each other. We also would hold Steve up to Roy's cage and let them sniff each other in close distance. If any hostility is shown stop and try it again in a couple days. We have been doing this for a month now. Finally today we put them in a neutral zone (we used the kitchen). We put hiding places from both cages down on the floor and a food dish and dust bath in the middle of the floor. We had a laundry basket to the side just in case we had to separate them. It went really well for us though and they smelled, chased, and played around with each other. We are gonna keep trying to do this throughout the week, clean Roy's cage out really well and then put them in the cage together. When you get to this point be sure to watch them until they start cuddling together (could take a while). From what I've researched they should be bonded at this point. Just don't rush it!

 

[riotheoleo]

Thank you so much!

 

[tunes]

Take them for a drive. Put them in the same carrier and go for a drive for about half an hour. Works for a lot of people. Works great when you come home from shows too.

The other way I intro is cage within a cage. Takes a day or two. Only had to do it longer than that one time. Use a small cage, put a chin in it, put it in the middle of the larger cage that the chins will be sharing. Switch them out after about eight hours. I've only ever had it fail once and I think that chin was just not ever going to be compatible with anybody so he went to a pet only home. I just don't have time for an intro to take a month of cage switching. This works better for me and is much faster.

Also clip the whiskers back to less than an inch. For most chins it takes the aggression out of them.

 

[riotheoleo]

Thanks tunes! I'd love to try the carrier one. Do I just put them together in the car and then do cage by cage intros or do I just put them straight together in a cage afterwards if they seem to start getting along?

 

[tunes]

Clip their whiskers, put them in the carrier, drive for a while, then put them in a completely neutral cage and see how it goes. Throw in a dust bath, some hay, and some wood chews to keep them distracted. You can also put in two houses so they have their own corners to go to if they need it.

Just remember, if he has lived by himself for a while, he may not enjoy having a cage mate no matter how you try to introduce them. Be vigilant in watching for signs of disagreements.

 

[riotheoleo]

He's lived by himself for 2 months however at his breeder once he was weaned he was still with his brother. I'm not sure about who the new chin has been living with (if anyone) but he's 3 months old so that shouldn't be that bad. Would i need to buy a completely new cage or could I just scrub done Apollo's current cage thoroughly?

 

[tunes]

You can scrub Apollo's cage thoroughly. Just be sure to wash any hammocks, houses, etc., as well.

 

[riotheoleo]

Thank you, I think I will try that!