Opinions on two chins or 1

[readingchinlover]

Would like some opinions from you as to owning 1 as opposed to 2 chins. Is a single chin totally happy being with himself or would he prefer a cage mate? My little guy seems very happy but would like some of your pros and cons. I give my guy alot of attention as I`m retired so time spent with him isn`t a problem. I really appreciate any information any of you can give me.

 

[tunes]

I always like to see caged animals have a roomie, but not all of them need it. Some chins get along just great by themselves, especially if you have time to spend with them. I think it's a personal preference whether you have more than one, and you always have to go into it with your eyes open, knowing at some point you may need to have two separate cages in case they turn on each other.

 

[alli713]

I think so long as you spend time with them, a singleton is perfectly fine. Not all chins will want a friend and may just turn out to hate the new chin, it's very possible and happens all the time. So you'd have to decide if you have room for another cage should they decide not to get along. And, they could get along for a month or even 10 years and still turn on one another, so it's always something you'll have to be able to deal with.

 

[Laurie]

I totally agree with tunes and Alli. While we like to seem companionship for our animals it's not always what they want. I have a couple of single chins right now, who seem to be very happy. They interact with me and to me that's all that matters. I do love seeing my other chins with their cagemates snuggling but I know spending time with my "single" chins makes them happy.

 

[Brea]

I have two chins that refuse to be caged with other chins. If he has been by himself for a while now, I wouldn't worry about him.

 

[jess_w]

I had one chin at first and he seemed happy on his own, but I decided to get him a cagemate anyway. I only really have time to spend about an hour a day playing with my pets so I felt he would like the company. So I got another male and bonded them, they're now the best of friends and it's very cute to see them together. I'm pretty sure he's happier now than he was when he was alone.

The downside is that he no longer likes interacting with me... at all! He used to enjoy being stroked all over, would climb on my arm etc, but now he is extremely wary of me and only really trusts Jerry (that's his new cagemate). He hates it if I go to touch him or pick him up. Jerry's a little more outgoing but still not as friendly as my original one was when I had him on his own. They do tend to bond to humans better if you just keep one, but whether that's a bit of a selfish reason to keep one alone I don't know...

Anyway, if you have time to give him a lot of attention and he seems okay I'd probably be tempted keep things how they are. It's personal preference really though. I'm sure your guy will have a happy life whether he's alone or in a pair =)

 

[Easterpiggy]

I think it also depends on if he has ever been with another chin in his lifetime.

 

[Carol~Anne]

If you're retired and you have lots of time to spend with your chinchilla then I say keep him all to yourself. I had so much fun with my only chin for four years before I added more. You can always add another one later on if you like, but you have to keep in mind that your new addition might not get along with your old. I just don't think there is a hurry to get another one of anything for the most part.

 

[readingchinlover]

thanks to you all for the information, I think I will leave my tootie alone for now. I do have limited space and really don`t want to deal with seperate cages should they not get along. Also I think it might set back our bonding with each other with that wouldn`t be good.

 

[Jovi]

I have a question related to this. I have been struggling with this same question since my chins cagemate died. I know some prefer to be alone but is that a product of how we have kept them as pets? In the wild chinchillas live in colonies. Does anyone know if chinchillas ever "prefer" to be alone in the wild? My reason for getting two originally was because of the fact they are colony animals.

 

[Carol~Anne]

I have a question related to this. I have been struggling with this same question since my chins cagemate died. I know some prefer to be alone but is that a product of how we have kept them as pets? In the wild chinchillas live in colonies. Does anyone know if chinchillas ever "prefer" to be alone in the wild? My reason for getting two originally was because of the fact they are colony animals.

You're not alone in wondering and not too long ago I started a thread on another forum asking people if they thought that I was selfish b/c I was thinking of keeping my single boy Zeke all to myself instead of getting him a cage mate. I'm still in a quandary over this and haven't made up my mind yet.

I had an only chin for four years and I gave him tonnes of attention every day and he seemed really content and he was very affectionate towards me. Then I introduced him to a young bonded pair and eventually he seemed to enjoy their company more than mine but I was happy that he had some buddies of his own kind to relate to.

The problem with bringing a new chinchilla home for a buddy for your original guy/gal is that there's just no guarantees they will actually like each other. They seem to be quite picky who they will take to and who they won't and there's no guarantees at all.

It's a chance you take when you bring a new one home, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't and some just do prefer to be an only chin and you really don't know until you try it but you can't keep bringing home chin after chin to see which one pairs up with your original one. At least I can't do that nor am I willing to do that.

I really do think that if you have a single chin and do have the time to interact with him/her and have a nice cage with lots of interesting things in it, then they seem to do quite fine on their own.