From: jensen@rtsg.mot.com (James D. Jensen)
Subject: Re: New Chinchilla, Old Chinchillas
Organization: Motorola Inc., Cellular Infrastructure Group
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 00:44:31 GMT

GEN5075@Husky1.StMarys.Ca (CLAIRE MOXON) writes:

>Hello all,

>I just bought a new chinchilla this weekend (a silver one) to be a pal (of
>sorts) for my regular gray chins (2 of them, 1 male, 1 female).  The two
>greys are in the same cage, and the silver in a separate one.  I let them
>all run about together in the hall yesterday (their usual running ground)
>and they did not fight or seem at all upset to have the new arrival run
>with them.  I had expected some disagreements, but all went well. 

Sometimes you just get lucky.  Usually new chins will fight, but maybe
since the new one is still fairly young, the others accepted her.  If put
together in close quarters it might be different, or especially if you put
the new one in the other cage.  I tried this with immediate fighting.

Is it a real silver, meaning it was bred from a white and a gray?  I have
not seen many of these, although some pet stores have marked them as such.
If so, you would have a chance of producing whites if he breeds with
another chin.  Also, if he is a true silver, do not breed him with a
white chin, since there is a lethal factor.

>The problem I have noticed is that the new chin, now two days old (well, he
>is six months old, but in my apt. for two days) is not drinking *any* water.
>He has eaten pellets and seems to be otherwise happy, although perhaps more
>docile than the other two, but the level in the water bottle is the same as
>it was when I first filled it.  Is this the "new home" jitters or should I
>worry?

First of all, I assume you have made sure there is no problem with the
water bottle.   Assuming that, some chins just don't drink much.  It seems
like females tend to drink more than males as well.  He should have
some to drink after a few days though.  Keep a close eye on him, and look
for any sign of sickness, such as soft droppings, droopy/watery eyes, etc.
You could try offering him some cranberry juice.  This advice was given
to me for a female who had just given birth, so I don't think it would
hurt him.  (Not sure it would help either). (Advice was from a reliable
source, not some quack vet!)

>The two greys are very aggressive in personality in comparison to the new
>one, but he is not looking at all ill, and is very rambunctious once out of
>the cage.

Yes, they all seem to be different.

>I have also noticed that the male grey has started making wierd noises in 
>the middle of the night, almost sounding like a crow cawing - very loud and
>about 10 or 12 of these cawing noises in a row, then quiet for 5 minutes
>then some more.  He does this about 5 out of 7 nights a week, for about the
>last three weeks to a month.  Any ideas what this means?  Also, any ideas 
>about how to get the female to be more receptive to the male's mating
>attempts -she usually just clicks at him or bites him on the ear.  The poor
>little guy must be getting awfully frustrated...


I have never totally figure out all the noises these guys make.  At times
I think they are lonely, and want attention.  I have heard sometimes the
braggart chin will make a noise after a successful mating.  If this is the
case, your other worry may disappear.  Also, the female often barks at the
male when he tries to mate, but she isn't in heat.  If it just started after
getting the new chin, it could be some means of communication between them.

She should be more receptive when she is in heat.
If she hides from him a lot, you may want to 
try removing any hiding places she has for awhile.  I usually try to make
them as comfortable as possible so I give them stuff to sleep on/play with,
which could get in the way of matings.  Unless the cage is very cluttered,
the male chin usually won't have much problem though.


If I get more time this week (work has been keeping me from the net)
I'll post some other info regarding possible problems with pregnancies,
which I have just recently encountered.

JJ