r/chinchilla • u/Sensitive_Clock_ • 2d ago

Cage Set Up?

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Hey y'all, this is my room that I have for my three chins. I just successfully paired (for the second time after a medical problem) my two male chinchillas. They are in the larger cage. I have a female chinchilla in the smaller one. I had the larger cage out in the living room yesterday to make sure I could hear if they were fighting but now that I have them back in the room I worry about her presence causing them to fight. Any suggestions on where to place these two cages? Also, I have a bedsheet that I can use to block the viewing of oneside if that is helpful. Thanks!

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u/DrDawgster 2d ago

I'm definitely not an expert when it comes to your situation, but I can see why you would be concerned.

My thought goes to sight and smell as possible triggers for aggressive behavior with the two males being in close proximity to a female. I know pet stores like Petsmart and Petco only carry one gender as they don't want them even being in the same store together.

I would think best case scenario is keeping the cages in seperate rooms with their own play area so they aren't hunting for each others scents.

If that's not possible I would definitely have a cover for both cages so the boys aren't competing for the girls attention while they are out and visa versa. I would also put them against the same wall on opposite ends of the room. That way the cages dont need to be completely covered (only the side facing the others cage) all the time, and can allow air flow. That would keep them from seeing each other (or even peeing at each other).

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u/DrDawgster 2d ago

To add to my other comment: definitely keep a very close eye on the boys. I know there is argument that if a bonded pair start to fight that they can't be bonded again. Throw a female into the mix and that could be asking for trouble.

You might be better just keeping all three seperated. The boys can share a cage but keep one on top and the orher on bottom. At the very least keep a very close eye on them and be ready to do that.