# Chinchilla seems sad



## Steexy (Feb 7, 2012)

I have a female chinchilla who is about 9 years old now (I have had her for around 7 years). I was always concerned that she may be bit lonely (she seemed to make 'lonely squeaks') but when I lived with my parents there was no space to introduce another chinchilla to her. Recently she has been seeming quite down (i'm not sure I can explain how) and she seems to have pulled a lot of fur out of her tail. Other than that she seems healthy. I was wondering if anyone has any idea what might be wrong with her? Also does anyone think she would appreciate me getting a second chinchilla. I would have to rearrange quite (physically and possibly financially) a bit to get a second cage to introduce them but I think it would ultimately be worth it if a companion is something she is likely to want.


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## Nancy23 (Feb 7, 2012)

I have 4 chins and kits on the way and they are extreamly social animals in the wild they live in herds of upto 100 so to be alone probly is making her down so id definatly recomend another, but you must introduce them slowly to get good results otherwise the fur will fly lol. best of luck


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## Steexy (Feb 7, 2012)

Oh gosh I would love to see a group a hundred chinchillas!

She hadn't seemed too bad but thank you I'll definitely start trying to sort out getting a second one. A slow introduction will be fun to arrange since she has a fairly large cage in my kitchen but as I said she's definitely worth sorting something out for.

Is there a specific age or gender which might be preferable to looking into pairing with her?

Thank you.


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

she sounds very depressed. I would contact a chinchilla rescue and ask them to help you select a compatible chin and help or give you advice on bonding. you could give her a baby safe teddy with no plastic eyes to see if that helps her a little for now it would give her someone to groom but she might chew it too so be careful


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## kirksandallchins (Nov 3, 2007)

Normally, I would say it would be best to get two baby/young female chinchillas as older females tend to accept youngsters with few problems, and with yours being elderly they will still be there for each other when she dies.

With a chinchilla that has not had a chance to socialize, you may find she is happy on her own and will never accept a companion - another reason to get 2, who can then live in a cage near to her her.

Nine years is a good age - have you had her checked over by a vet to make sure she is not ill?


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## Steexy (Feb 7, 2012)

I was a bit concerned that at her age she might not be too happy to bond with a new chinchilla. Particulary as for the past few years she hasn't shown many (if any signs of loneliness). 
I haven't had her checked by a vet as yet (although I was considering it, of course) as her overall health seems absolutely fine and travelling at all really stresses her. Thankfully her tail fur appears to be filling in again already. 
The teddy sounds like a good idea to try for now, thank you, I'll try and sort one out quickly and start looking into getting a second cage to get companion(s) for her. This may sound daft but what is the smallest cage I should look into getting. Grim is quite a spoilt girl and has always been in a very large cage so I really don't know much about minimum requirements :blushing:


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

what about Dusty? Chinchillas4Life :: chinchilla rescue and re-homing shes not too far from Derby. they might have cages you can borrow for introductions.


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## Steexy (Feb 7, 2012)

Thank you for the suggestion, Dusty is adorable. Unfortunately I don't have a car to drive over to the centre and also I think I will be more inclined to investigate a possible young pair for the suggested reasons.


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

where abouts in derbyshire are you located?

if you wanted to contact R&J chinchilla rescue R & J Chinchilla Rescue and Re-homing Centre about adopting from them, we can transport from there to the sheffield area

chinchillas are very social creatures and she would defiantly benefit from a friend


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

have you seen this thread? http://www.petforums.co.uk/small-an...-2x2-pairs-chinchillas-needing-new-homes.html
2 females left in Hatton Derby


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

introducing a single to a pair is not as straight forward as you may think, and i wouldnt recommend it to any one who doesnt have bonding experience, or a good few days to just sit and watch


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