problem new chinchilla

[weiser23]

My wife daughter and I bought 2 chinchillas a male and female from craigslist and we are having problems with the female leaning back and spraying pee on us when we try to pick her up, or sprays the male for no reason. to the point that we separated them which is sad because they really like each other we think ,We where told they have a litter of 3 kits that did not make it 3 or 4 months ago,, My wife and I had a chinchilla for a long time and missed him so decided to get some more

 

[ChinnyMom]

keep them separated. without pedigrees or health history of these chins, or the health of their 'family tree', these chins should not be bred. genetic problems can show up in the kits and that means a low quality of life that could otherwise have been prevented by not breeding them in the first place.

as for the spraying, it is because the female is scared. stop trying to pick her up for now. just spend time by the cage, talking to her and letting her get used to you. put a hand in the cage so she can come investigate. she'll warm up to you. it could take time. chins are finicky critters.

moving homes is a big deal for chins. new place, new sounds, new smells. their world gets turned upside down when they move homes and get new owners. they are scared.

 

[weiser23]

should i keep them apart even if they have been together for a long time, since they are mates wont that make matters worse

 

[starleomach]

You should just keep them apart. Some females attack males when pregnant and when delivering. Separating them will not male matters worse. He wants to get to her to mate not from attatchment

 

[ChinnyMom]

they will be fine separated. they will be better off separated too. chins don't NEED a cagemate, that is simply what we WANT for them.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Spraying him (and you) is her way of telling him that she does not want him around. This could escalate into fighting which could in turn resulting injured or dead chinchillas. It does not matter that they were together before and had kits. what matters is that she does not want him around now. Separate them before something bad happens that could have been prevented.