Preparing For A Play Date

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C

Chin Dad

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Jul 17, 2014
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28
Location
Long Island, NY
This coming Sunday I am bringing my 1 1/2 year old Zoey to a Chin rescue to try and find her a friend to adopt. I am hoping she will get along with somebody as there are several female Chins we are going to try of various ages. She has never been with another Chin since separating from her mother. I am nervous as I really want her to have a friend. Is there anything I can do to prepare her? If she doesn't get along with anyone, I do have a split level cage. Should I take the Chin she hated the least and attempt to bond them through slower processes or will I just stress her out?
:hmm:
 
I would not recommend this for several reasons.

1) When getting a new chin you should always practice quarantine. This means keeping the new chin in a separate cage in a separate area of the house for at least 30 days with no contact between others. Chins could be harboring an illness that could be spread to your chin. The stress of a new home, move, etc. can lower a chin's immune system and cause illness that you may not know about otherwise. This 30 day quarantine period also allows the new chin to become accustomed to it's new home without the stress of other chins. I personally would be leery of any rescue/breeder that was okay with someone bringing their own animal to their facility as that is a good way to introduce and spread disease.

2) The way your chin acts with a different chin in an unknown environment will not tell you how your chin will act with the newcomer in it's own environment. Chins are territorial and may tolerate a chin somewhere else, but not in it's own cage and familiar surroundings. Introductions are usually a multiple step process. Once the new chin has been quarantined properly, then you can begin the introduction process. And as always, there is no guarantee that they will get along.
 
Stackie said:
I would not recommend this for several reasons.
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Thank you so much for the info!!! What is a good quarantine distance? This is very disappointing information I have just learned. Since all the Chins, including mine have been checked by a vet recently I assumed it okay. I do have a brand new split level cage that no one has lived in yet. Perhaps I should just take the most friendly one to the other Chins at the rescue and hope they someday become friends If they don't get along then they can live separately forever. Worst case I give a needy Chin a home. Zoey however remains lonely while I am at work :cry2:
 
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It needs to be in separate rooms. I would be leary of this myself, as your chin is most certainly going to act differently in a situation where it is not at home, and with a stranger around. If your chin is extremely territorial, thats not going to go over well when you get them back home and your chin is in its own territory. You wouldnt know if its territorial as there haven't been any other chins present. I got a second chin (because I wanted two, not because I thought my first girl needed a friend) and allthough I would have loved for them to be buddies, my first girl wants absolutely nothing to do with my newer girl. So they have to be in separate cages. I am fairly lucky as they are fine being neighbors, but others have chins who can not stand the sight of another chin.
 
The thing is, there's always a chance of something going wrong. It's a risk. But is it a risk you're willing to take? You could do this and everything would turn out fine and you wouldn't have any problems. Or something could go wrong. I personally wouldn't think you'd have to keep them in separate rooms, but for the best chance of successful bonding you're going to have to keep them separate for a while, and slowly introduce them. I probably wouldn't take your current chin, just because it could cause stress on her and Stackie's right; if there are chins at a rescue, they could have diseases, and if you haven't even had time to observe their behaviors and physical states and let your chinchilla around them, that is a risk. I would just go, take a good look at all of the chins, and get the one you think will be most compatable with your current chin. Give it a "check up"... Make sure nothing is visibly wrong with it before you take it home. And it is a good idea to keep them apart for a few days just to observe its behavior further before introducing to your chinchilla. I wish you luck, and I hope it all works out for you! :)
 
Must we always quarantine the newcomer? Is there noticeable damage if we go straight to same room neighbors.... Not side by side.... But same room? Is the *damage *irreversible if we skipped the quarantine to process? Or should I just remove the two new girls from the boys room and then try introducing them in my closet or neutral bedroom or the new untouched fn cage later when the girls are more adjusted?
 
The reason for quarantine is to avoid things your chin can pick up. Certain things like respiratory, parasites and others can sit dormant and not show symptoms for 2-3 weeks. Some people are willing to take the risk of exposing their chin but personally I would keep them apart for about a month. Then work on introducing them. Most reputable rescues/breeders wouldn't even allow you to bring your chinchilla totheir place, so be wary if they agreed and thought it was a good idea.
 
Most legit rescues already quarantine the rescues for at least 30 days, so its not the problem with the rescue animals giving the new chin something, its the new chin possibly spreading something to the rescue animals, that is where this rescue has gone wrong. I had done play dates when I was new to chins and thought nothing of it, but when I went to a show with my chins and there was a infected chin there that had spread illness to other chins, all play dates stopped and no new chins were introduced without strict quarantine.
 
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I have had customers ask if they can bring their chin here to pair up and I NEVER allow it. Even if a chin gets along initially with another somewhere else that does not mean they will still get along once they are back on their home turf. If someone wants to try and pair their adult chin with a same sex cage mate I ALWAYS tell them there are no guarantees and if they still want to try then they have to be willing to maintain a separate cage if in the event that it doesn't work out. I DO let them know who I have that is used to other same sex chins but that is never a guarantee that it will work with their existing chin.
 
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ticklechin said:
Most legit rescues already quarantine the rescues for at least 30 days, so its not the problem with the rescue animals giving the new chin something, its the new chin possibly spreading something to the rescue animals, that is where this rescue has gone wrong. I had done play dates when I was new to chins and thought nothing of it, but when I went to a show with my chins and there was a infected chin there that had spread illness to other chins, all play dates stopped and no new chins were introduced without strict quarantine.
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The rescue provider is a vet and mine will be checked before the play date. Also if they get along on the play date, I was still advised to follow traditional bonding methods at home. Much more info I got from her as the plans were finalized. :)
 
There are so many illnesses and viruses that will not be checked for and may not show symptoms. It is not a good idea.
 
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