Chihuahua & other animals?

[geisha]

I already have 4 rabbits (which are in hutches in the back garden), 3 cats which mainly live in our kitchen and a Gerbil in the living room. I would really like a chihuahua and I have read up on them but I would love to know how they would get on with the other animals. Our cats are still kittens (the eldest being about 8/9 months and the other two being about 4/5 months) so I thought introducing now would be a good time but I would love to hear from someone who already had a Chi or has introduced one to other animals.
What do you think?

[Punkygirl0101]

We brought an adult chihuahua we rescued from the pound into our home with 25 cats, and we had 7 dogs then, we also had a rat, and some hamsters. He did really well. If your getting a puppy, it should go along fine. Puppies can easily adapt.. but alot of adults can too.. Good Luck!!

[jilfina]

If you're going to adopt ask if the dog has been socialized with any animals. If not, bring one or two with you to the shelter so they can meet on neutral territory.

If you're going to buy from a breeder they normally start the socializing process. If not it may take some work.

My chi does really well with cats and lizards. Those are the only two she's been around. Not sure how well she'd do with others.

[geisha]

Thank you. I have been looking online at breeders and am trying to focus on those chis which say in their profile that they live with animals already. My favourite one so far lives with other dogs, cats and kids! I think I would rather go to a breeder after the experience of getting my cats. The first one we got was from the shelter and I wouldnt change her for the world but now I have the other two (which are just mixed breeds too) which I got from a lady who breeds cats I can see the developmental differences. I know this isnt the case with every animal though.

[maryjane238]

You got dsh cats from a breeder? I think you need to do a LOT more research before you even consider getting a dog from ANYWHERE.

[geisha]

What does dsh stand for?

[maryjane238]

domestic short hair....basically the same thing as mutt for a dog

[geisha]

Sorry I should have clarified the cats thing a bit better. The lady I got them from has 5 cats, she was breeding them the whole time she was living in london as kittens are hard to get hold of there, she wasnt doing it for monetary purposes or anything like that just sharing her love of animals. I didnt buy the cats from her, but the reason I went down that road was because I wanted to see the kittens parents and the environment they were coming from.

[maryjane238]

okay, sorry to jump to conclusions. make sure you do a lot of research on the breeder, though. especially with small breed dogs...they seem to be even more exploited than the larger breeds most of the time. be careful of websites, too. i just read an article about this awful puppy mill that this lady was running selling small breed dogs and it had a link to her website. the website claimed that she only bred for health and temperment and raised all of the puppies in her home and they were socialized with people and other animals. people that bought puppies from her had no idea b/c her home was actually very nice and she only brought the puppies inside when prospective buyers were coming over. the rest of the time the dogs all lived in a big filthy shed. anyway, the point was just be careful!
as far as the personality differences, all dogs and cats are different regardless of their backgrounds. I have 3 dogs, one from a breeder, one bottle raised from 1 1/2 weeks of age, and one rescued at 4 1/2 years. they are very different but i couldn't pick a favorite. i love them all the same.

[geisha]

:D Thats ok!
I know what you mean about different personalities - our kittens who came from this lady are from 2 different litters born a week apart and they are like chalk and cheese! But Bella was different, after speaking to some people who have had cats for years I know now that she probably came from a bad home but she has made huge improvements since we got the other 2. Even though she is the eldest she follows them around and copies them a lot which I find funny.
I have been doing a lot of research on chis thats why I posted here as well. I would never get an animal without having plenty of knowledge on it first. Again this is the same reason I would prefer to go to a breeder but I understand what you are saying about how people can be deceiving about it all. Sarah (the cat lady!) still keeps in touch with me now and sends me pics of her animals all the time. She said herself she is wary of the type of home her kittens were going to.
Are the any sites you can suggest which would be good for chis? I have looked at the www.findachihuahua.co.uk site which seems to be a good place and read as much as I can about them!
I appreciate the fact that you DID stick up for the animals to make sure that I was doing the right thing and not just some crazy getting a dog without thinking of the consequences!

[maryjane238]

I don't know about any Chihuahua breeders personally and I live in the US anyway! Good luck finding one, though!

[jilfina]

If you're looking for something to read about chihuahuas [behavor, health problems, etc] then invest in the book Chihuahua For Dummys. It comes very highly recomended from a lot of people that have them.

[geisha]

Oh thankyou so much! I will go to amazon immediately! Everyone here is so helpful :D