Planting chinchillas: opposite-sex and same-sex individuals together in one cage

Information / How to place a female chinchilla with a male chinchilla

WE WARN YOU IMMEDIATELY: you CANNOT just immediately put a girl chinchilla in a cage with a boy chinchilla!

Domestic chinchillas retain the instincts inherited from their long-standing wild ancestors. In the wild, chinchillas live in herds, and matriarchy reigns within the group. The main chinchilla female (alpha female) herself chooses a male for mating and controls the mating of the remaining females of the lower level of the hierarchy. This reproduction mechanism is due to the poor food supply in the Andes Mountains; it does not allow the chinchilla population to grow excessively.

A female chinchilla will not tolerate an unexpected invasion of the personal space of an unfamiliar male; she will drive him away, bite him, and even kill him.

The procedure for mounting chinchillas takes time and requires attention and control. Let us remind you that sexually mature chinchillas are suitable for creating a pair - a male and a female, at least 10 months old, and preferably a year. Below we offer our own method of planting.

According to our nursery’s method, chinchillas are planted in stages:

Here's what's done at each stage:

How to board chinchillas

Chinchillas are school animals that prefer to live in groups, however, the period of domestication was not in vain for them and made adjustments to their habitat. So, now she can live alone and at the same time feel great, receiving the necessary contact and communication from her owner.

Living alone for a long time, a rodent may negatively perceive the appearance of a new chinchilla in its habitat, which now, like the owner’s attention, will have to be divided.

What to do in such a situation and how to make the introduction of animals less painful and dangerous? To get started, you should follow the basic rules and tips below:

• Make sure the animals are healthy.
• It is better to conduct acquaintance during the day, since these hours are the period of calm for the rodent.
• At the meeting place, experts recommend installing shelters in case of unforeseen situations.
• Taking a sand bath together can help improve relationships.
• For comfortable living together, a spacious cage is necessary.
• The number of inhabitants of the cell should not exceed 3-4.
• Do not insist if the chinchilla refuses to accept a new neighbor.

Kid or adult

Baby chinchillas become independent at the age of 2 months, and from that moment on they can find new owners. At the age of 7 - 12 months, chinchillas are fully formed as adults. Watching a baby chinchilla and playing with him is very interesting and exciting. A baby chinchilla needs careful care, affection and care, because at an early age there is a risk of hereditary or generic diseases.

In the photo: A 2-month old chinchilla is ready to go to a new family.

An adult chinchilla has the advantage that it is already physically strong, has life experience, its character has developed, and the future owner has a good idea of ​​what quality of pet he is buying. In our nursery we prefer to purchase already grown chinchillas aged 10 months and older. It is at this time that it becomes clear how healthy the chinchilla is and what its potential is in terms of weight, exterior and fur quality.

Placing same-sex chinchillas together

The successful outcome of breeding same-sex chinchillas depends on who exactly they are trying to make friends with.

A female and a female, no matter how hard the owner tries, will not be able to get along together, especially if one of them lived alone for a long time.

Things are different with the mounting of males. It is quite possible to make friends and place two male animals in one place even after a protracted period of loneliness, however, experts recommend that breeders pay attention to the occurrence of fights and quarrels between rodents during the first time of cohabitation.

Same-sex couples are better pets than singles

If you do not want to have offspring from chinchillas, care for a pregnant female and newborn chinchillas, you can consider the option of creating a same-sex pair. Female sisters or male brothers are ideal for this. They, being relatives, have been together since childhood. A pair can be formed from unrelated females or males if they are mated in childhood. Kids quickly get used to each other and will not conflict when they grow up. In our nursery, chinchillas that have reached the age of 2 months are separated from their mothers into common same-sex groups.

To keep as a pet, we recommend purchasing a pair of same-sex chinchillas. A single pet will experience stress from loneliness, but two chinchillas will play with each other and never get bored.

How to breed chinchillas of different sexes

There are situations when it is necessary to put chinchillas of different sexes in the same cage. To make the landing go smoothly and easily, experts recommend following the following rules:

• For breeding animals, the best option would be to place a female with a male, and not vice versa. This is due to the fact that it is more difficult for females to share their territory with someone else.
• The selection of a partner must be carried out no earlier than the chinchilla turns 6 months old.
• So that the acquaintance does not become a big surprise for the animals, and the unfamiliar smell does not cause fear, it is worth placing cages with rodents close to each other in advance.
• If the first acquaintance at a short distance was successful, and no aggression was shown, experts advise making an exchange of territories: place the male in the female’s cage, and the female, in turn, is placed in the male’s cage.
• You should not start breeding while the female is in heat. Females need some time to get to know and accept a partner, while the partner himself is no different at this time.

If you need to place three chinchillas in one cage, two of which have a different sex from the third, it is better to choose the option of a female and two males living together. The coexistence of two female individuals, as already written above, is not possible due to the characteristics of the animal.

In the case when the female does not respond to the male or refuses to accept him, experts recommend that the owners retreat and not insist on living together. It is much better in such a situation to select another male for breeding.

Planting chinchillas - 5 ways

In order to reduce the likelihood of conflict risks when breeding chinchillas of different sexes, you need to know not only the biological characteristics of the body of these animals, but also the nuances of their psychology.

Despite the fact that for humans the chinchilla is an almost odorless animal, nevertheless, one of the main means of communication between chinchillas and each other is smell. Chinchillas recognize each other using primarily their sense of smell.

Therefore, if you try to directly, without preliminary preparation, place one animal with another in a cage in which it has already lived for some time, even if only for a short time, a psychological conflict between them is almost inevitable. The owner of the premises, having discovered a new smell on his “legal” territory, will try to evict its owner.

Naturally, the new settler, in turn, will resist this with all his might and means. Showdowns can take a variety of forms: from light snorting and snorting to serious fights that end in severe injuries.

In order to reduce the initial mutual aggression and protect animals from unnecessary “showdowns,” there are several ways of mutual habituation.

Methods of mutual addiction:

Method 1 is simple . Let’s call it “we are nearby”. In this case, the cage with the new animal is located next to the cage of the old-timer, but in such a way that the chinchillas do not reach each other through the bars and do not bite off each other’s fingers, lips or noses.

Article on the topic: Turtles in Russia: what species live and are found in our nature

The advantage of this method of habituation is that the animals see each other, smell the neighbor, but at the same time each is in its own territory.

Gradually, the animals get used to one another, and the smells from neighboring cells are no longer felt by them as foreign. Moreover, chinchillas begin to perceive another cage standing nearby as their own habitat, which is still closed to visitors for some reason unknown to them.

That this is really the case is evidenced by the fact that if you leave the cage doors open during a general walk around the apartment, the chinchillas will calmly come in and study their neighbor’s cage. It would seem like a foreign territory... But no! They no longer experience any fear or discomfort.

After the animals get used to each other, they are placed in a common cage. The described method is the simplest, but time-consuming. It can take from several days to several weeks. This method can be recommended to a chinchilla breeder with little experience in keeping these animals.

Method 2. It can be called this way - “they swapped places.” Carriers or small, so-called “exhibition” cages are taken. The chinchillas sit in these carriers for several hours.

Then the chinchillas are changed places - transplanted to where the neighbor used to sit. This chinchilla castling is repeated several times until the chinchillas get used to each other’s smell.

In this case, the carrier is not washed after the previous chinchilla, so as not to remove its smell. After the animals get used to it and stop reacting aggressively to their neighbor, they are released into a common cage.

3 way. It's called "we come to you." Its essence lies in the fact that another chinchilla, which lives in a large cage, is added to it, but... in a carrier. Yes, that’s right, they literally take a carrier with a chinchilla and put it in a large cage.

Article on the topic: Leatherback turtle - description with photos

Chinchillas will be able to communicate, show dissatisfaction with each other, but they will not be able to seriously fight. As one of the wise correctly noted, “a bad peace is better than a good quarrel.” Is not it? If you try to directly, without prior preparation, place one animal with another in a cage in which it has already lived for some time, even if only for a short time, a psychological conflict between them is almost inevitable.

4 way. It is the reverse version of the previous one. The aboriginal chinchilla is locked in a carrier where the new tenant was previously sitting, and placed in this carrier in his former large cage.

A newcomer who was previously sitting in a carrier is released into the same cage. The neophyte chinchilla moves freely around the cage, leaving its odorous “substances” in different places.

5 way. To make it easier to get used to, you can use a common bathing suit, in which one animal washes first, then the other. In order to choose the most suitable method of boarding for your situation, I recommend paying attention to the character of the chinchillas and their temperament. If both animals are calm, somewhat phlegmatic, and close to each other in age and weight, then you can use the first two methods. They are methods of mild psychological suppression and work well with similar animals.

If one of the chinchillas is noticeably more active and restless than the other, if there is a gap in the weight, age or life experience of the animals, and in the end, if you yourself have no experience of boarding or have, but intuitively feel a possible failure, then it is better to play it safe and To avoid future problems, use the third and fourth methods.

Of course, they are somewhat tougher than the first two, but... in some cases, they are much more effective. And also, I would recommend placing an aggressive animal in a small carrier - this will help somewhat reduce its temperament and reduce the overall intensity of passions. Here, as with people, staying in a small solitary confinement is always more effective than in a large general one. Inexperienced males are especially susceptible to this so-called “stress of the first meeting”. Or experienced ones, but frightened by an extremely aggressive female. It's sad, but it's true...

It is believed that in order for the planting to go smoothly, certain rules should be followed. The boarding of chinchillas should be approached in good faith and carried out with maximum thoughtfulness and care towards the animals. As experience shows, their future life together largely depends on how smoothly the first meeting of chinchillas went.

Article on the topic: The smallest turtles in the world (photo)

And not only with each other, but also with other chinchillas. A negative experience leaves a serious imprint on the psyche, and it can be quite difficult to get an animal out of a stressful state. According to psychologists, it only takes about 60 seconds for people of different sexes to understand on a subconscious level whether they are suitable for each other for family life.

Chinchillas don't even need this minute. If you suddenly didn’t foresee or foresee something, then the first meeting of the future married couple will end very quickly and negatively - with bickering, a quarrel or even a fight. And this is a real psychological trauma for the chinchilla. Subsequent attempts to reconnect and reconcile animals that quarreled at the first meeting may lead to nothing.

Alas... There is no point in doing anything when the female is in heat. There will be no calm landing. The male will not care about such psychological subtleties as mutual habituation. Male nature will demand its own, what kind of cupids are there! For the female, in turn, the persistent desire of the “first person he meets” to cover her will also not bring the slightest pleasure. The result of all this is an immediate, momentary quarrel.

Now, as for the optimal age to start planting. Based on my own experience, I can say that the first mating in chinchillas should occur no earlier than eight to nine months in females and no earlier than six months in males.

There are, of course, cases of earlier planting, but personally I don’t see anything good in this. What could possibly be good about early pregnancy in a female who is physiologically unprepared for this? Why this unjustified risk?

It's like a lottery, you know. Everything may end well, but... In general, if you, after all, cannot bear to put the health of your children on the line, then so what. Nobody can prohibit this. But you still need to realize that all responsibility for what is happening and possible consequences falls entirely on the owner.

Article on the topic: The homeland of the red-eared turtle, how and where did the red-eared turtles appear?

By the way, early seating can also occur unintentionally - due to ignorance or carelessness. But, as lawyers say, ignorance of the law does not excuse one from responsibility. The physical condition of the chinchillas is also of great importance when boarding.

Naturally, future parents must be healthy, and their body weight must be at least 450-500 grams. everyone has it. This is due to possible weight loss, which can occur during mounting in both females and males, but in any case, it is a bad sign that requires an immediate response from the chinchilla breeder.

In general, when it comes to setting up such a psychologically complex creature as a chinchilla, it is better to play it safe. Believe me, this is exactly the case when moderate conservatism will only be beneficial. For both you and your pet.

Chinchilla and guinea pig in one cage

Living together with a guinea pig and a chinchilla in the same cage is quite possible, but it is not the safest option.

These rodents can form friendships and have good relationships, but issues of cage arrangement prevent them from coexisting in one place.

The main problem is the presence of shelves in the cage, which should be at different levels for guinea pigs and chinchillas. Pigs are not adapted to jumping, and getting up or down from a shelf for another animal can result in injury or death for them: an unsuccessful attempt to get up or down can lead to fractures and damage to internal organs that are incompatible with life.

You can allow these rodents to make friends and communicate, but it is better to do this on a neutral, safe and convenient territory for everyone.

Features of chinchilla breeding

In order for chinchilla breeding to be successful, the breeder must follow simple rules:

• Animals weighing at least 450 grams are allowed for mating,
• It's better not to happen to young individuals,
• Before giving birth, the male should be placed in another cage for two to three days to avoid re-covering the female.

Animals mate most often at night. Pregnancy lasts on average 110 days, but a female can carry offspring for 100 or 130 days. The exact duration depends on the number of cubs (there are usually no more than six) and the characteristics of the female’s body.

The onset of estrus (estrus) can be determined by the changed behavior of the female: she becomes more restless, the genitals change color and become swollen.

The onset of pregnancy can be determined after a month and a half by the swelling of the nipples, as well as by a uniform weight gain. If you palpate the abdomen, you can find small compactions - embryos. However, it is not recommended to probe very often - this can lead to miscarriage.

Most often, chinchillas give birth at night and females do not require human assistance. However, if the female has already given birth and feels safe, labor can begin at any time of the day. Difficulties with childbirth can only arise if the female is injured or seriously ill during pregnancy. In order for the female to bear and give birth to healthy offspring, it is recommended to switch her to a diet with an abundance of succulent food and the addition of dairy products.

Chinchilla and rabbit in the same cage

Friendship between a chinchilla and a rabbit, as well as with a guinea pig, is quite possible, but it has a number of pitfalls that the owner needs to know about in advance.

Firstly, rabbits, despite their external fragility, have sufficient strength to strike another animal and injure it during their dissatisfaction.

Secondly, cages for rabbits and chinchillas have different structures, which also does not support the hypothesis of cohabitation. Chinchillas are active animals and love to jump, so their housing should be high and equipped with a large number of shelves. Rabbits need a cage of small height and impressive length.

Their behavior also opposes the boarding of these rodents. As a rule, they are individual farmers, and may not tolerate a stranger on their territory.

Waking time also gives its disappointing verdict: rabbits are active in the morning and evening, while chinchillas are active at night, and this difference becomes critical: the pets will not be able to get enough sleep, since while it’s time for one to sleep, the other will just wake up and begin to be active.

Friendship on neutral territory is possible for these animals, but under the careful supervision of the owners to prevent the unpleasant consequences of this union.

Does your chinchilla need a friend?

Enclosures with chinchillas always attract crowds of admiring onlookers in pet stores. The women whisper in a low voice: “Are these the same ones?” That’s right: in front of you are “those” animals with an amazingly beautiful silver coat. Through the efforts of furriers, chinchilla fur coats are turned into much more serious and expensive fur coats for beautiful ladies. Let's put an end to this sad place. Let’s just say that we fully share all the aspirations and fears of animal rights activists and other people who are not indifferent to the problem.

Chinchillas are the most expensive rodent pets offered for sale. We can all probably guess the reasons. Animals have taken root well in our homes and give their owners many pleasant moments. The lifespan of animals in captivity is up to 20 years. And simple aesthetic pleasure is a great thing.

Chinchillas, for all their visual attractiveness, do not really like to be picked up and stroked. Moreover, they actively object to all encroachments on their personal space; they may scratch or bite. Therefore, loving owners can only admire the tricks of their pets.