new chin

[davey]

havent been on here for a while with moving house and stuff but we are all settled now and just bought a new chin (female) as a play mate for my other chin whos 5yrs and male, apparentely shes 2yrs old and had 2 previous owners. shes very shy and scared at the moment as can be expected could anyone give me advice on making her comfortable and introducing her to my male please, i already have them at opposite ends of the same room just so they can see each other, but she wont come out of the corner of her cage, just want her to settle in well..

 

[lauralynne]

You bought a female to play with your male? Not a good idea, they will breed. Are you wanting kits?

 

[davey]

dont want to breed at the moment but maybe sometime when i know alot more about it, will they breed even if the only time theyre together is supervised playtime? didnt think much about the sex of the chin cos just wanted to get her, she had 3 cats surrounding the cage and the person didnt have anytime for her and he only had her for 2month so just wanted her to have a good home and someone to play with, not wanting to pair them in the same cage

 

[Stackie]

Yes, they can breed even with supervised playtime. It literally only takes seconds for the male to impregnate a female. By the time you reach them to separate or look away for a minute, she could already become pregnant.

You also should not breed a chinchilla/s of unknown background. They could be harboring genetic diseases that could be passed down to their offspring, not to mention some females just are not built to give birth. Some can have small pelvises which causes birthing problems.

Chins do not necessarily need a play mate. Several of mine live happily alone, and some chins don't even like others. I have one chin that has killed another before and will get very aggressive anytime he even sees another chin. Introductions can be a very tedious process and often times fail no matter how hard you try, unfortunately.

Neutering is an option but you will want to have an experienced vet to perform the procedure.

Also wanted to add, you will want to keep her in a completely separate room from your other chin for at least 30 days to be sure she is not sick and passes it along to your other chin.

 

[mercynursie]

Just wanted to add this to make sure you know that they can even mate if cages are close enough together.Make sure with any opposite sex animals to put a solid barrier between cages(a simple piece of cheap cardboard will do).Instinct to mate is a very powerful drive and animals can amaze you at what they will do to "do the deed" in polite terms.

 

[davey]

right, so i need to get one neutured, thinking the female as theyre is no possible way of me tracing her background so wont be able to breed her even if i wanted too, but my lads is traceable, will take a while but can be done, is it a expensive operation? and most importantly safe? and iv wanted more than one for ages, not just a playmate for my other chin just i love chins and eventually when i know alot more about what im doing ill get more, really appriecate your help

 

[Godofgods]

I bought a female as a play mate for my male several years back as well. To answer your concerns about breeding... My three chin children would say that yes, they will breed'

 

[Stackie]

right, so i need to get one neutured, thinking the female as theyre is no possible way of me tracing her background so wont be able to breed her even if i wanted too, but my lads is traceable, will take a while but can be done, is it a expensive operation? and most importantly safe? and iv wanted more than one for ages, not just a playmate for my other chin just i love chins and eventually when i know alot more about what im doing ill get more, really appriecate your help

It is an easier and less invasive surgery to get the male neutered rather than the female. I am not sure of prices over where you live, but they vary here. Generally a standard neuter is around $200, but like I said, that can vary. Small pocket pets (including chins) are considered moderate to high-risk when going under anesthesia. However, if you find a vet experienced with surgeries and castrations on small pocket pets, rabbits, rats, etc. there shouldn't be too much to worry about. I know many over here in the states have had their male chins successfully neutered by reliable vets.

Another thing to worry about is post-op. Sometimes chins will go off their feed for a period of time after a surgery due to pain or stress, so occasionally owners will have to hand feed for a period of time before the chin begins eating on it's own.

If you do decide to go with the neutering, you will still need to keep them separated for another month or so as sperm can survive in the reproductive tract after the neuter for around that amount of time.

 

[Jenn]

I agree that the male should be neutered, as the risk for complications are higher for the female. They do need to be in separate rooms for the quarantine period, and as stated above, they need to remain apart after the surgery for a month-6 weeks.

Keep in mind that after you do all of this, the male and female may not tolerate each other and you may have to keep them separated indefinitely.

Good luck!