henry
Newborn Degu
Posts: 1 
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Post by henry on Aug 19, 2015 17:53:10 GMT
I was out at a pet shop with my mum and they had a rescue chinchilla, I had recently lost my Degus and had a huge cage going spare so got him but now I have him I am worried he is lonely, he lives beside my desk which I am at for a few hours daily, he calls out and I pet him tickle his chin bbut at night he still calls out and I am getting really worried about him.
Can chinchillas live alone ok?
If I do go for company is all males best or snippy and a lady friend??
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Post by Maravilla on Aug 19, 2015 18:16:43 GMT
had a huge cage going spare How big is "huge"? Chinchillas need a lot of space, far more than degus do. Even in my biggest one (200x70x160 cm) I would not keep chinchillas in as I consider it too small for those animals. Can chinchillas live alone ok? No. Like degus, guinea pigs, rabbits and several other rodents chinchillas need at least one partner. And your new friend is showing it in his special way. I have never had chinchillas so I am not familiar with their introductions and best combinations. I understand that you felt pity for this little creature in the pet shop. But taking him without being prepared at all, without any information about his needs concerning housing and food, the social behaviour etc. was not a good idea. I hope you are aware that chinchillas are normally active at night so if he is living in your room this could mean a considerable disturbance of your sleep even though you do not feel this right now. |
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Post by moletteuk on Aug 20, 2015 9:29:01 GMT
He definitely needs a companion. You might find some more guidance on introductions on this site www.chinformative.com/ |
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Post by polly on Aug 21, 2015 16:31:47 GMT
Firstly, consider how you are going to go about introducing another chinchilla to your current one. secondly, if you introduce a female to your male, the result will be a litter of kits. Neutering is not an option, simply for the reason of putting your male with a female, and is only a last resort for serious medical conditions. It is possible for a chinchilla to live quite happily alone, providing plenty of human interaction occurs on a daily basis.
You give no indication of what you are feeding your chinchilla, what type of cage you have for him, his approximate age if known, his general state of health and any other related information that may help.
If you can post all the information you can regarding your chinchilla, it will be helpful. I tend to suspect that what you are hearing is your chin emitting an alarm call due to being in strange surroundings. Give him as much time to settle as he needs, and think very, very carefully about how you are going to proceed.
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