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Q & A / Have you ever re-homed a chinchilla? Why?
« on: October 14, 2017, 11:29:27 AM »
I'm really struggling with one of my new chins, Fitzgerald. I bought him simultaneously with another new chin, Hemingway, about 8 months ago.
{1} Despite planning to house them together, I have been unable to do so because Fitz is too hostile to Hemi. Therefore, their available space is cut in half, since each of them only gets half of my double-decker Ferret Nation cage. This is unfair to Hemi, who could have double the space – and a compaion – if Fitz were nicer.
{2} For a while, I was switching them upstairs/downstairs for variety, but Fitz has become a constant risk of peeing outside the cage. I had to take out his shelf because he was backing his little butt all the way up to the edge and peeing off of it. (He's even managed to pee out of the floor pans, which are 3 inches high, just because he neurotically piles his wooden shavings into the corners until he's created a "ramp.") Because I've had to take special precautions in Fitzgerald's half of the cage, I don't switch them anymore... which has cut off Fitzgerald's access to the wheel.
{3} Possibly as a result of losing his wheel and his shelf, Fitz has started to chew the bars of the cage. Due to my living situation, I can't move the cage out of my bedroom, so this is definitely a problem for me. I'd also rather not buy a second wheel because the Chin Spin is a hundred dollars.
For the record, Fitz is the same chinchilla that I posted about in this thread:
http://www.chinchillaclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,5202.0.html
He's gotten less aggressive and horny since then, but he's still not a great pet... and his life's mission seems to be foiling my best laid plans.
I've started to wonder if I should find another home for him (if I can) and try to match Hemingway with a different companion before he gets too old. Does anyone have any advice?
{1} Despite planning to house them together, I have been unable to do so because Fitz is too hostile to Hemi. Therefore, their available space is cut in half, since each of them only gets half of my double-decker Ferret Nation cage. This is unfair to Hemi, who could have double the space – and a compaion – if Fitz were nicer.
{2} For a while, I was switching them upstairs/downstairs for variety, but Fitz has become a constant risk of peeing outside the cage. I had to take out his shelf because he was backing his little butt all the way up to the edge and peeing off of it. (He's even managed to pee out of the floor pans, which are 3 inches high, just because he neurotically piles his wooden shavings into the corners until he's created a "ramp.") Because I've had to take special precautions in Fitzgerald's half of the cage, I don't switch them anymore... which has cut off Fitzgerald's access to the wheel.
{3} Possibly as a result of losing his wheel and his shelf, Fitz has started to chew the bars of the cage. Due to my living situation, I can't move the cage out of my bedroom, so this is definitely a problem for me. I'd also rather not buy a second wheel because the Chin Spin is a hundred dollars.
For the record, Fitz is the same chinchilla that I posted about in this thread:
http://www.chinchillaclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,5202.0.html
He's gotten less aggressive and horny since then, but he's still not a great pet... and his life's mission seems to be foiling my best laid plans.
I've started to wonder if I should find another home for him (if I can) and try to match Hemingway with a different companion before he gets too old. Does anyone have any advice?
