Successful Intro?

[greeneyedbaby190]

So I have had Sasha now since early April. Since then I have habitually been searching craigslist looking for a bigger cage, hoping to find a FN. Unfortunatly I was not able to find a FN, but I did stumble across a chinchilla. I have known since we got Sasha that we wanted another one (Sasha is my honeys after all). So I called and after meeting "Chichi" for the first time I fell in love with this beautiful (dark ebony? possibly medium?) chinchilla. So we took her home. After a month of quarantine we decided to try introducing Sasha and our new baby who we decided to call Morsel.

At first we tried free play time which was a huge disaster. So after doing a little bit of researchwe decided to try smooshing which appears to have worked.

So now after about a week of the girls living together I have a question. Is it normal for them to just not move? There is no fighting, but it appears that both of them are sulking/throwing a tantrum. Sasha still popcorns/wall surfs when we give the girls play time, but where before she zoomed all over her cage she now sits on a ledge and just looks sullen. Do we just need to give them time or would we better off doing something else? Also Sasha attempts to groom (atleast I a pretty sure that is what she is doing) Morsel. (Pics as soon as I can get them I promise)

 

[igotfatchins]

If they're not fighting, I would say that's a successful intro. Good job!

I have a chin that just sits there and does nothing. So being a bump on a log isn't too uncommon.

Whenever I do hair ring checks, the boys look sullen and inactive for a few days afterwards. So maybe they just need some time to adjust after the incident like your chins.

 

[greeneyedbaby190]

I hope so. I know it is probably just Sasha throwing a fit, but she is just not acting like her normal self....bad fuzzybutt making me worry >.> lol.

 

[Godofgods]

well that alone isnt tomuch to worrie about. Think of your own behavior (or anyones) it changes a little bit when someone new comes into the picture. And even if you dont punch the new person it may still take a while to adjust to their presence.

Sometimes they will jsut lay their like that. This is a pic shortly after introducing my male and female a few years back.

Just laying their' doing nothing. lol (old picture, both mini hut and ladder have been removed from cage)

--

Side note: im sure your new chin jsut loves you... naming a prey animal morsel.. lol

 

[greeneyedbaby190]

Thank you for the encouragement, I really appreciate it.

Haha we simply could not resist with the name...has a rather interesting story behind it. (Some DnD thread that my boyfried was reading online.)

 

[igotfatchins]

Thank you for the encouragement, I really appreciate it.

Haha we simply could not resist with the name...has a rather interesting story behind it. (Some DnD thread that my boyfried was reading online.)

I would love to hear the story behind it, if you don't mind sharing.

 

[greeneyedbaby190]

So as an update on Sasha she sadly seems to be getting worse. Before she would let us give her scritches and now she knacks whenever we so much as put our fingers in the cage. My honey has been bitten by her twice now, hard enough to draw blood. I just do not know what to do with her anymore. She may just have to become a look chinchilla instead of a love on me and give me scritches chinchilla. Luckily the girls are getting along just perfectly, cuddling and grooming eachother so that is one plus at least.


Now as to Morsel's name I can not remember the exact specifics right this second, but in short my honey was reading a Dungeons and Dragons thread called dopleganger demossey (sp?). The entie basis of this thread was that the main character took on an atribute from everything that he consumed. So from a cat for example he might get night sight or boosted speed. The members of that forum decided that they wanted to eat a cat so they hunted one down and did so. Unfortunatly it was not a stray as they had imagined and they ended up meeting the owner of the cat while she was looking for him. Of course they felt bad now and bought her a kitten, whom they decided to name Morsel in tribute to the cat that they had eaten. Later in the thread the cat ended up saving their life and so the seed for me to call a chinchilla Morsel was born, of course it is seriously cute as well, and not just a little ironic.

 

[igotfatchins]

How is Sasha during playtime? I have a male that kacks and tries to bite me whenever I try to hold him too, but he's really sweet during playtime. His behavior is getting better with time so there is always hope!
I have never been able to give any of my chins scritches. I also have a chin that pushes my hand away in annoyance when I try to pet him. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

I'm glad that Sasha and Morsel are getting along though.

 

[greeneyedbaby190]

Well, I am beginning to believe that she is going through puberty, not sure if that is correct...but she is at about the right age for it and she sprayed me for the first time yesterday. She is also aloof during playtime, I am hoping that once she settles into the way things are she will go back to being loving, but we shall see. Hopefully is just hormones, but for now it is just a waiting game.

On a side note, Morsel is doing absolutely fabulous. She is gaining weight (we were able to feel her ribs when we first got her), off the kaytee brand food for good (now on oxbow) and letting us pick her up with no knacking...and seems settled in and added to our family nicely.

 

[Godofgods]

My first male that i took in, would bark at you if you even walked near his cage, much less get close to it. He simply was not comfortable with the new envirnment at all. It took time, but nows hes the friendliest chin i have.

I also have a girl that flat out wont let you pet her. And thats pretty much never changed.