Adding to Your Chin Family

So you are interested in adding to your chin family. We will attempt to give you the information to make an informed decision. First thing to consider is there is always a 50/50 chance that you won’t be able to bond 2 Chins together. If they don’t bond, then it would mean 2 setups of everything.

Choosing a Chinchilla

In choosing another chinchilla with the intent to bond them, you should start by verifying the gender (see Determining Sex article) of both your existing chin, as well as then Chin you would be bringing home. Chins should be kept in gender-specific, meaning girls in 1 cage, boys in the other.

Bringing your Chinchilla Home

When bringing a new chinchilla home, it’s extremely important to keep your new chin separated from your existing chin(s) for 30 days. This is done to protect your chins from catching something brought in by the new chinchilla. It’s a good idea to take your new Chin for a vet visit, allowing the vet to get a baseline to compare to in the future. This visit should include a stool sample to check for parasites.

First 72 Hours

Moving a Chin can be extremely stressful. Following a few easy steps can help reduce the stress. First you, their cage should be put in a quiet place away from traffic areas to allow them to adjust to the new environment. To help their tummy remain working during this settling in time, you can give your chin a dose of Bene-Bac Probiotics (pea size gel or 1/4 teaspoon powder) twice daily for 14 days. If their poops get smaller, you can give Simethicone (0.3ml) twice a day for a couple days to help them return to normal.

Switching to a New Food

If your new Chin is on a different pellet than you feed, you should switch them over gradually. To do this, start with a small amount of the new pellets mixed in with the old pellets, increasing the new pellets and decreasing the old pellets every day until they are on the new pellets completely (this process should be done over a 7-day period).

After 30 Days

Please read our bonding page for the safest way to introduce and bond your new chin to your older ones.

ENJOY!