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Re: chinchilla
If you have buy two chins from different breeders then it is sensible to quarantine for 6 weeks minimum. This means keeping them in separate rooms and washing your hands after you have touched one before going to tend to the other.
Once your chins have been through quarantine they are ready to have their cages placed next to each other. This allows them to get used to each other. Make sure you keep the cages separated by a gap of 1-2 inches so ensure there are no nipped toes or noses.
After a couple of weeks of this your chins are ready to meet! Let them out on a neutral territory for the first meeting. Put a sandbath on the floor and plenty of toys for distraction. They may ignore each other to begin with but eventually they will notice that there is another chinchilla nosing around! Watch them very carefully to ensure they aren’t fighting. You will see some mounting this is perfectly normal as they are working out who will be the dominant chin. Some fur pulling is acceptable but make sure it doesn’t get out of hand! If they start fighting put them back in their cages and try again in a few days. Keep on with this routine until they are grooming and playing with each other.
Once they have become friends (this can take weeks so please don’t assume that after a few days they can be housed together) you can try putting them in a neutral cage together during the day and see how it goes. If they cuddle up and go to sleep this is a very good sign! However please don’t leave them in the cage longer than a couple of hours as you are gradually getting them used to each other. Keep on doing this every day for a week or so and leaving them in for longer periods (but not overnight just yet!) After a few weeks of this (assuming there are no fights) they are ready to try to spend a night together! Make sure that they have plenty of hiding holes to get away from the other chin if they so desire. Hopefully by this point your chins will be friends and can live together!
Good luck with your new furry , chins are very addictive
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