A lonely chinchilla (complete with sad story)

[RobVsWorld]

Hey guys,

I'm new to this forum and basically joined to ask advice on this subject because I'm concerned for my chinchilla's wellbeing. Long story short, I started with 2 chinchillas who I was told were males, however one was a female and they had 2 baby girls. We had the male neutered and they lived together for a few years. One of the daughters passed away at around the age of 6 due to pneumonia. This was about 5 years ago. The mother died last year from an ongoing struggle with tooth problems (she was on critical care for over a year and it was really a miracle we were even able to keep her alive for that long). The remaining daughter and the father were together for a while until the dad died just a few days ago from what the vet said was intestinal blockage and perforation which is to my understanding 100% fatal (he at least lived a long and otherwise healthy life. he was about 12 when he died). It was very sudden in that he was fine, 24 hours later he seemed weak and short of breath, we rushed him to the vet and she recommended he be put down to prevent suffering. Now we are left with just one of the daughters. My question is this: Is the the apparent loneliness really going to get to this chinchilla? Should we consider giving her up for adoption to a loving family with other chinchillas? She has been around other chins her entire life and I am especially worried about her. She seemed distressed each time another chinchilla was lost, especially after her father who was the last to go.

Any advice/help/information on chinchilla loneliness would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Rob.

[Heather]

I'm so sorry to hear about your losses, but it's lovely that you care so much about them. I have never lost a chin (I'm dreading the day), but my friend lost her male and got another from a rescue to keep her female company (the rescue neuters males - mine are from there too!). She kept them in separate cages at first but now they live happily together. If you don't want to get another chin I've read on here that you just need to spend more time with only chins, and maybe get a SAFE soft toy for your little one to snuggle with. I've had to separate my boys due to biting each other, but keep them in cages next to each other and they are fine - they still play together when they're let out, so maybe that's an option if you're worried about introducing another chin. I worry that giving her away may be too much change on top of losing her dad - she would miss you! I know how heartbreaking it can be if your chinchilla is sad, so I hope you reach a decision that you're happy with soon.

[starleomach]

Just give her some extra love and attention and she will be fine if you do not want to get a friend for her

[dianah]

i am so sorry to hear your sad story i lost one of my boys last year and it's absolutely heartbreaking.

i think it depends. how is she? has she changed her behaviour in any way? is she eating? has she lost any weight? is she as affectionate as she's always been? some cope ok as long as they get enough human attention and as someone already suggested, a stuffed toy (just make sure there's nothing she can eat) helps in some cases (some ignore them though!)

is getting another girl not an option if you find that she's not coping? i just rescued a little girl who's had a horrible horrible life (she was about a week away from death when i got to her) and i would never give any of mine to anybody, you never know what people are like, i'm sure mae's previous owners looked perfectly nice, yet they had done horrible things to her. obviously there's plenty of lovely people too but then i'm paranoid, i don't even go on holiday because i don't trust anybody to take care of my lot!

[ymistry]

I have a very similar story. We had a "male" chinchilla and then got a male friend for him. Turns out one of the males was actually a female. We ended up with 2 little ones before I got the dad neutered. It has been years since then but the third one in the family passed away early this morning leaving a lone chinchilla behind. ;-(  She is now over 10 years old and she is not used to living alone. I was just wondering how your chin is coping with it all and if there is anything you'd recommend to make the transition easier? I know they are very social creatures so i am very concerned about her.