Suggestions? New chinchilla at home!
Hi! I made a 3-minute video edit of my two chinchillas. It’s been two days since I brought Mina home (the 2-month-old white fluffball), and I’m trying to help her bond both with me and with Elly, my 1-year-old chin.
The breeder told me Mina is really sweet, but right now she doesn’t seem like it at all 😭 I know she’s in a completely new environment, with a new chinchilla and two new humans, so I’m wondering if this behaviour is normal.
She keeps chewing the cage bars like crazy and trying to escape (and she actually managed to once 😭). I’ve let her out for about an hour on both days, and when she was out she seemed SO happy and was sprinting around the room!
I also put a little wooden hide in Mina’s cage that used to belong to Elly, so she has somewhere to feel a bit more sheltered. It definitely still smells like Elly, so I’m hoping that might help her get used to her scent too. Mina has been chewing on it a LOT though 😭
I honestly don’t know what to do because Elly was much calmer when she was her age. Is Mina just stressed because everything is new? Should I give her more time and space? Any suggestions would be really appreciated.
About the bonding between them: I’m not really sure how it’s going either. When they sniff each other, they don’t bark or make any alarming noises, just some little sounds sometimes. Mina does seem a bit defensive/aggressive towards Elly, while Elly is mostly very curious. There was only one moment when Elly reacted a little aggressively too.
I’d really love some advice, especially about what behaviours I should consider normal during the first few days and what signs would mean I should separate them or slow down the bonding process. T^T