I'm going to be getting a 3 year old Chihuahua from one of my co-workers... she can't keep him because her other dogs are beating him up and he has to stay in a cage all day which is not fair for him. But I have other pets at home (a rat and a bird) and I'm not sure how they would react to each other. I've had a Pitbull around them before but she thought the rat was a puppy and tried to mother it which the rat was not happy about but they did get along. I'm more worried about how the chihuahua will act around them, he has only been around other dogs. Does this breed get along with other animals.. I've read a lot of different things and I'm very confused. I just want to give all of the animals a good home, and make sure everyone is very happy

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I have 7 chihuahuas in my home. They get along great with one another when raised from puppies together, but not other animals. Chihuahuas were also used as ratters for a long time, so I would especially discourage trying to get them to make friends. Also, most chihuahuas are loyal to only one master. This is going to make it difficult for the daog to adjust to you alone being it is an adult already.

I own two chihuahuas, a lab, a german pinscher AND an american bulldog. (similar to a pit bull but taller). You should see my little 6 pound chi playing with my 85 pound AmBull. Nina (the chi)bullies 'poor' Ripple terribly and they get along like mother and daughter. If properly introduced you should have no problem..

any dog will chase and kill a bird or rodent. it is instinctive. It should be fine if rat and bird are housed in secure cages.

When i rescued my Chi four years ago, he was around 3 - 4 years old. At the time, i also had a 55 lb Rottie/Shar Pei mix who was a very gentle dog (rescued at age 2) and three cats (also rescues). The Chi took about a month to totally adjust to me and the others pets in the house. He became the larger dog's buddy after me and lays with the cats. He also had a period of mourning when the other dog passed a month and a half ago at age 16. I feel that it is all in how you treat your animals and how you introduce them to each other.