Getting a 2nd female chin

Hi everyone!!
I've had my first chinchilla Gwenny since May. I love her very much and spend a lot of time with her and buy her new stuff every week, but I can't help but to think she could use a chin buddy. I'm afraid she'll eventually get lonely, so I want someone to keep her company while I'm at school, in work, etc. Also I think I'd really like having two of them.
I know it's possible they'll never get along and I'll have to keep them separate anyway, but isn't that still better than to have no other chinchillas around?
Gwen is almost 5 months old and the second one would be a month younger. I've heard that bonding two female chins is more difficult than two males, is there anybody here willing to share experience?
My mum keeps telling me they'll hate each other, but I think, with proper introductions, that... can be prevented, right? She's also afraid the second one will kill the first one, which has this rare colour (Black Pearl) and cost a lot of money, so...
Anyway, what I wanna ask is, is there anyone here who can tell me how do their 2 female chins get along?
And sorry if there are any mistakes, not a native speaker.

Chin Breeding & Babies

I taken off it and she or he’s in a 3 tier cage. I'm able to commonly convey to after they’re gonna give delivery and so get ready cages for them but this was so unexpected I didn’t move her and now I’m sort of in a reduction: move her into your scaled-down cage I have ready and threat distressing her or leave in during the three tier and danger her leaping on the child or leaving It alone. The newborn is kind of tiny and thin but Mum is sitting down on her and grooming her inside their den and the newborn is moving all around and appears to be satisfied. This newborn looks basically like another infant I’ve experienced in the past just a little more compact. The Mum is rather large for any chinchilla and the father, as I claimed is pretty little. Somewhat advice will be drastically appreciated. i get

Chinchilla possibly hurt during play time

Hi!
I've had my little gizmo for about 7 months now. He is 9 months old.
I play with him almost every night and play time is always supervised.

Last night, he decided to jump on a shelf (which is typical) and try to jump from the shelf to his cat tree (which is not typical of him). He missed the jump and hit his jaw off the cat tree ledge. I was worried but he acted fine for the most part.
He was shaken up at first but then went back to normal of jumping off walls and everything.

Fast forward to play time today. For the most part, he was pretty normal today too, but he called it quits a little earlier than normal (which, this happens sometimes so it's OK). It was his dust bath day so I convinced him to come back out for a dust bath and we always have pet time during that. I scratch his neck, behind his ears and typically under his jaw. He loves under his jaw and always makes an "ah that feels so good" face, and he was doing that with one side of his face but not the other.
Red flag...
So i kept scratching the side and he nibbled me as if telling me to stop. This never happens (and it wasn't a bite).

I felt the jaw and his shoulder and all feels normal, he's eating as usual, and all-together, he's ok. It just seems like it might be sore since he hit it, I don't think it's a fracture or anything. I just don't know how much soreness can affect a chinchilla.

Do you think this calls for a vet visit or do you think I should just give him a rest day or two and see if it feels better and then decide?

Thanks in advance!

Try to choose house

Hi!
Please, tell me can I buy one of these cages for my chin? Is it ok to use rabbit cage? Any other suggestions?
Thanks for your time!

Chins chewing on other Chin's fur

So i have a male and a female couple who have been together for a year. They just had babies 3 months ago and the are all living together in a two story critter nation. We take them out to run around every day, we give them plenty to chew on. All of a sudden someone in the cage is biting the fur off of the dad on the back of his neck. Its definitely in a place where he couldnt possibly reach it himself.(see pics) His demeanor hasnt changed, he is as happy as ever and everyone seems to be getting along, i never see fighting or hear unhappy squeaks. I would rather not separate them but i feel like i have no choice. Anyone have this happen before?

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Teaching your Chinchilla "No?"

I posted this in the general forum and it received 0 replies, but it probably makes more sense in the behavior section anyway.

My 1 1/2 yr old chin named Gandalf is a playful little dude - and maybe even a bit too playful. When I open his cage to refill his food bowl, give him chin rubs, etc., he tries to jump on my shoulder. I normally would be fine with this, as I let him jump on my shoulder (and head, arms & everything else) during our play sessions in a safe environment while I'm sitting on the floor. But when he attempts to do it when I open his cage door and standing, I am worried he'll slip, fall, and seriously injure himself. He also may dart off and escape into areas not safe for him, but I'm less worried about this than him falling.

Each time he attempts this, I'll do the following:

1. Say "No" firmly but loudly.
2. Blow on him, as I read this is a a safe way of disciplining your chin. #2 I do after #1 fails to make an impact.
3. Both of the above numerous times

He does seem at least temporarily dissuaded, especially with the blowing (which doesn't seem harmful to him outside of giving him a whiff of my stinky breath). But the next time I open his door, he'll try again, so it doesn't seem as if any lessons are being learned.

Any other training ideas? Maybe giving him a small treat if he lurches a bit like he wants to jump on my shoulder, I tell him "No" and he backs off? Does this type of reinforcement even work?

Hair ring help!

Soooo, about a month ago I removed a hair ring from my chin and I went to do another check today but he wriggled loads, shed hair and squawked quite a bit... Any tips?! Thanks!

What to do in summer?

Is there a temperature in which you shouldn't let your chin out for play time? I want to do what's best for my boy :)

Thoughts on coconut oil

I’ve noticed my chinchilla’s ears have been getting rather dry and a little jagged, I looked up some things I can use to cure it, the main two things I found were bag balm and vitamin E tablets, but I also have a large jar of coconut oil and was wondering if it would be ok to use that?

Hedgehog WANTED

anybody have Hedgehog for sale?

6 month old Male Hedgie

My family is allergic to pets, unless they’re hypoallergenic and this hedgehog was my first. Sadly, he is moody and requires more work then other hedgehogs might. I can’t give him enough attention to train him and he doesn’t get Along with my dog either.

His birthday is December 15, 2018, he’s about 6 months old now and his name is Shadow. For $200 I can give you both him in addition to a cage I created with him and a water bottle.

I bought him from a breeder originally and he is free from mites and does not have wobbly hedgehog syndrome. Willing to go down to $175 and will travel a decent distance to deliver for the right person.

Please tell me about yourself as well as some brief interest you may have on hedgies. I know nobody is perfect and caring for a pet is a learning experience; I just want to find someone willing to put in the effort.

New chin owner: yet another poop post

So around a month ago I adopted my first chin. There were some hiccups with his diet around the start (with many websites advocating for daily fresh greens, mistakenly) which were quickly corrected after 3 days. His poops returned to normal for a while, before turning slightly soft a few days ago. Some are longer than they should be and can have a slight tear drop shape. They dry hard. Treat giving has completely stopped, and I have removed his pellets so he's on a hay diet.

He is currently eating Timothy Hay Natural, and Oxbrow chinchilla pellets (garden variety). I've removed any new toys, including a pumice stone square (which I doubt could be the cause) and a set of small animal woven balls. https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/tN4AA...KcF/s-l400.jpg

Behavior wise, he is still very active at night, and plays normally. There are no lumps on his belly, and he let's me touch it, his ears are regular in color, there's no discharge around his eyes, and he is still eating normally. The only difference is that he has been drinking a lot of water, possibly before the softer poops.

Is there anything else I should be doing? When should I start panicking and calling the vet?

Additionally, although he doesn't show any physical signs of overheating, could this be caused by the temperature being a few degrees too hot? I live in a farmhouse, so temperature can occasionally fluctuate. If this is the case, would cooled/frozen river rocks be enough to counter this?

Finally, I lived within range of the Earthquakes which hit California, so could these softer poos just be from stress? Thank you guys for your time and patience.

Chin with attitude!

Hi all, so my lil boy, Chiko, has got a proper attitude and hops around like he owns the place! I've only had him for just over a month!

I've heard of chinchillas owning you not the other way around but I was surprised at how quickly it happened! 😂

Does anyone know any ways to decrease attitude?! Otherwise I'd love to hear everyone else's stories! My favourite so far, other than him audibly grumping at me, is him physically moving me away with his paw 😂 he's so politely rude!!!

Hair loss on nose

My chinchilla has previously had ringworm and started losing fur on his ears and nose and eyes. I took him to the vet where they prescribed him meds and it went away after a couple weeks. Fast forward to now (a few months later) I just noticed he’s begun to lose fur on his nose again. It doesn’t seem to be bothering him and it doesn’t look aggravated, but it seems to be scabby in one very very small spot, which I’ve read could be from dryness and rubbing against the cage? He sticks his nose out of the cage a lot to sniff around and peek but idk if this is what caused it. Any ideas? I really hope it’s not ringworm again.

How do I apply blu-kote?

Hi,
I purchased blu-kote (dauber form) for my chinchilla, who was bitten on his cheek. Before I try applying it, I want to verify that I’m going to do it correctly. Do I apply a little on the wound with a q-tip and then leave it to dry? Or do I leave it there for a little and then wash it off? This is a relatively new chinchilla so I want to make sure he’s comfortable while I apply it too. I’m planning on dabbing it on there while he’s tired, but I’m unsure if he’ll be bothered when it touches the wound.
Thanks!

Cleaning a stained litter tray...

Hi, so I'm a relatively new chin mum (very happily so might I add ☺️) and my lil chin has pretty much litter trained himself. As much as this makes my life easy, he's managed to already stain his baking tray that I use and he's only had it for about 2/3 weeks. Is this normal or does anyone know of any homemade, pet safe disinfectants as the one from the pet shop makes no difference!!!! Thank you :)

My chinchilla is barely eating!

I've noticed my chinchilla Nunu, has been throwing out the food pellets for 2 weeks. He tries to eat the food pellets, but he ends up dropping it or throwing it away. My other two chinchillas, eat the pellets just fine.

He seems to be getting thinner, slouching more often, bites on my hand much lighter than he used to, and is slower than before.

From my own observation, it seems he has some mouth pain going on, since a few months ago, I've noticed he squeals at moments, while in the process of chewing the food pellets. Now he exhibits behaviours, that would show pain in a chinchilla. (Droopy ears, stationary and squeals).


My mum refuses to take him to the vet, claiming it was old age, it's too late, waste of money, or the doctors/vets in New Zealand are stupid, and can't fix anything.

What could be the issue with my chinchilla? (My assumption is that it's his incisors, though I can't tell if his teeth are the issue.) Is it too late to take my chinchilla to the vet now? What sort of remedies can I do at home to help relieve my chinchilla?

I really don't know what to do to help my little Nunu feel better.

Introduction of new Chinchilla to older (both female)

I have seperated my two level cage and bought all new padding and such. I let them settle in yesterday. Today I put them both in our spare bedroom with some cardboard boxes to jump around on and hay for distraction.
When the new Chinchilla came up to sniff the older, the older chinchilla snipped at her, so I seperated them for a second, but she did this a few times in 30 minutes. I know some fighting is normal, but the new one is significantly younger (smaller) so it's hard to watch her get bullied for no reason . I also see that though she snips, she is also scared. She does not mount or continue pouncing. Just snips and runs away. :cry3: Now I have snipped the older's whiskers a bit and put them in each other's cages in hopes of getting used to smells. Any more advice? What are the chances the older NEVER stops harassing her ? :cry3:

Chinchilla Malocclusion

I own two male chinchillas who are both 2 years in age. I noticed that my one chinchilla named Paco had runny eyes with white discharge. I immediately took him to the vet, and they prescribed an antibiotic eyedrop. The drops did not help, and they then gave me an ointment cream, which also did not work. I am starting to think he has malocclusion, considering his eyes. Recently, I have also noticed him rubbing the sides of his face on the bottom of the cage, and he is not taking his chew sticks and food as usual. He has also lost weight. I am taking him in to get an X-ray to confirm if this is the issue. If so, does anyone know if malocclusion can be treated or relieved? I know it is painful, and I am preparing myself for the worst if he needs to be put down. He is just so young, and his cage mate would be lonely until I could get another Chin.

Chin keeps cutting the bottom of foot

One of my chins has a cut the bottom of her feet i think from a sharp ledge that i now have took out. She doesn't seem in any pain and it looks to be healing but the wound is reopening as she has not stoped running on her wheels or playing. Her house is all fleece and wooded ledges so it should be comfy to walk on. I also got some bag balm to help with the cracked feet.

My question is if i keep finding some blood should i consider taking out her wheels until her foot looks fully healed? The vet said she looks fine and the foot should heal.

My new chinchilla was bitten, what do I do?

Hi, last night my first chinchilla (Rocket) got out of his cage because I accidentally left the top door open. My second chinchilla (Bilbo) follows Rocket around from his cage during playtime; he seems to want to fight but I’m not positive. I’m guessing Rocket and Bilbo fought through the cage bars because Bilbo had a bite mark on his cheek. It’s red and looks like it bled. He keeps rubbing his nose with his hand, so it’s evidently bothering him. After seeing this I don’t think I’m ever going to try and introduce the two. What can I do to help Bilbo be more comfortable?

(I’m sorry the image isn’t too clear, it was difficult to take a picture of Bilbo since he wouldn’t stop moving. He has a red mark on his cheek) Attachment 22876


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Chinchilla peeing everywhere

Hello, lately my chinchillas have stopped using their litter boxes and decided to pee all over my carpets during play time. I use a white vinegar and distilled water solution to clean it up but it still smells like chin pee. I was just wondering if anyone had any solutions as to getting the smell out of my room. Also, I've heard that rat pee can have hazardous effects on one's health and I was wondering if chinchilla pee could have the same effects. Thanks!

New Owner! Cage questions!

Hey guys! I have been wanting a hedgehog for the last 2+ years but the time was never right, but now it is! I live in California where unfortunately they are illegal, but I managed to find a few that need homes. I've spent the better part of my day off researching about them and have pretty much everything down but the type of cage to get. Everyone seems to have their own opinions on which is best but I can't decide from a regular small animal cage or a plastic tub with holes drilled in the side of it for better temperature control and air, any suggestions on which is best?

Are hamster balls safe occasionally?

Hi, I want to let me chinnies run around me in my room, but my parents are against having them loose in there. In addition to playtime, is it alright to let them run around in a ball for a little? I want to let them play in my room while I work. I understand that hamster balls are unsafe, so I wouldn’t do it often.
Thanks


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Is my chinchilla sick?

Hi,
Throughout the entire 3 months I've had my chinchilla, I noticed he doesn't have as much energy as my other guy. He'll sometimes stay inside his cage even when the door is open for playtime, or when he goes out he only runs around for no more than 10 minutes. He's more energetic at night, of course, and he'll popcorn and wall-jump a lot during those 10 minutes. I offer him more playtime and leave the door open, but he just goes inside and falls asleep. He seems be drinking fine, but he doesn't eat as much hay as my other guy either. I offer him apple sticks, timothy hay sticks, his usual toys (only two big toys because those are the only ones I can find that aren't destroyed within minutes), and tiny nibbles of rice pops (I give teeny bites that are smaller than his hands every other day or so.), but he doesn't seem to excited about any of them except the rice pops (out of disinterest I think, I'm trying to find him more interesting toys.)

Before I fostered/adopted him, he was in a private shelter for a year. Their cages were smaller than the one he has now, they only got playtime in a plastic ball (because it was a matter of safety since the shelter volunteers couldn't catch them), and they didn't have too many toys (cardboard is all I saw when I went there).

Should I be worried? The shelter said he was the shyest one who wasn't too used to human interaction, so do you think it's just because he's shy to go out? He isn't shy to hop on my lap, but if I get up he hides or goes back into his cage. Thanks.

Chinchillas in earthquakes

Hi we've been having a lot of earthquakes recently and their aftershocks. The animals haven't really reacted to them but the recent Aftershock was strong enough to knock a plant off the window sill. I've been worried about Roo and what would happen if there was a strong one. Do you know any emergency safety tips or how to decrease chances of her cage falling?

Chin w/broken leg. Advice?

So, due to an accident, I stepped on my Chin last night, resulting in a broken right radius and ulna.
Im so so glad it wasnt worse but still, we are not happy about it.

He is currently with a cast? I think. (Im sorry I'm Spanish) and has the entire leg restricted right now.
No hide, no shelves no anything and of course, no more playtime.
He looks misserable and really wanted his shelves back. He was, for the first 15-30 minutes looking up to see if he could jump to them but found out that they werent there anymore, wich frustated him a lot untill he got tired.
How can I make his life a lil more enjoyable while he heals?
Also, just realiced that he won't be able to have sandbaths.

Vet told me he will be healed in a week but maybe up to 20 days.
It seems a little cruel to me to deny him of sandbaths or a hidey house or... anything really for a month.
I hope he gets healed as soon as possible but I do want his recovery to be less boring and misserable.

Im also expecting him to chew on it and to break it while i sleep so he is going to have to go back to the vet. Maybe everyday if he keeps messing with it. Wich... you know. Not something he enjoys. At all.

Should I give him extra applesticks? I usually give him one at night, and he has a couple toys and cardboard tubes but he is only really interested in apple sticks.
Any similar experiences? Did your chins manage well getting used to live in a bare cage for a couple of days?

Wet Butt On Chinchilla

My chinchilla is now probably a year now, he is a male beige chinchilla and I've been quite worried. I came downstairs for my usual routine and noticed that his butt is wet. I quickly investigated and came to the conclusion that its probably not blood (due to the fact that there is no sign of blood anywhere on his butt). I quickly got worried and gave him a dust bath to hopefully get rid of the moisture and still, there was no sign of blood anywhere and the dust stayed the exact same colour. It's hard to see because it's at his butt, however, I'm fairly certain it's a brown poo like colour. I'm worried he might have some kind of sickness, like diarrhea, but he hasn't had any treats for a few weeks now and is on a normal chin diet. After I gave him the dust bath it slightly went back to normal colour either than the fact that there was a bit of hair clumping together (because it is wet). Either then this, he is still very active and is doing everything else properly. Is he ok? Should I bring him to the vet? please help.

Arizona Chin Wanted!

Searching for a chinchilla in Arizona. I would prefer a female, baby chinchilla or at least under a year old. The color is not something I care too much about, ebony, grey, white, all are fine and would be suitable. I am in the Tucson area but am willing to travel around Arizona to pick up the chin! If you have a young/baby male, I’d be willing to take him if I can’t find a female.

My family had chinchillas when I was younger, plus many other small critters, so I know quite a bit and am very fond of them. I have a huge cage already and set for my future chin, I have purchased the best of everything to ensure my chin has an amazing quality of life.