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Common Ailments... |
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This list is not comprehensive, nor is it in any way a substitute for professional veterinary advice. It is provided merely as background information to give you an idea, as a potential or novice chinny-owner, of the type of thing you may (rarely if ever, I hope!) encounter in your years of ownership. Remember, NEVER underestimate the power of good hygiene and proper care and attention of your chinchilla to prevent many of the following:
Chins do occasionally develop cataracts. The middle part of the eye will be cloudy or indeed white, depending on the severity. In my own chin Aisha, the cataract is invisible by day, and then at night the milkiness shows up as her pupil widens to let in more light, starting off as an ellipse-shape, opening fully to a complete circle when it gets dark (rather in the way of a cat's eye). Sight will gradually diminish in the eye over time, though no other problems usually arise. Chins adapt very well to losing some (or all) vision, so generally no treatment is advisable. If the eye is normal in every other respect (i.e. not irritating to the chin and free from any infection), then no further action is required.
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This is a cataract when viewed in the daytime. You can just make out a narrow white ellipse in the centre of the eye. (In fact, in very strong daylight, it's almost impossible to spot.) |
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This is the same eye at night-time. The cataract behind the eye can now be more clearly seen, as the pupil has widened to let in more light. (The quality of the picture is poor as it was taken in low light with no flash - the pupil reacts very quickly to light, and if a flash is used the cataract has vanished by the time the picture is taken!)
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NB A milky or white patch on the surface of the eye (as opposed to behind it) need not necessarily indicate a cataract - it could be caused by a previous irritant or scratch which may have left scarring on the surface, or it could be an ulcer - if in doubt, see your vet.
This is evident when the stools become much dryer, harder, smaller and more ball-shaped. (Normal stools are long-ish, a bit like a small chinchilla pellet, though more oval) You may see your chinny stretching its hind legs more than usual, and she may seem lethargic or off her food. There are several causes of constipation including: too many treats, wrong diet (e.g. poor quality / old food or the wrong type for chinchillas), and insufficient exercise. Sometimes overfeeding causes constipation.
If your chin is suffering from constipation, withdraw all treats and ensure your chin is drinking lots of fresh water. Try a raisin or a little piece of apple or pitted prune to "get her going" (don't overdo this, as you could end up causing diarrhoea!), and increase the amount of exercise you give her. Ensure her staple food is fresh and of good quality. If your chin is guilty of overeating, measure out her food each day, rather than just keeping her bowl filled up (not a good idea anyway!) If there is no improvement in two or three days, consult a vet; it may be something more serious.
CUTS & ABRASIONS / BITTEN TOES
During the lifetime of your chin, you can expect a few minor cuts and abrasions, especially if you have more than one chin - they do occasionally snap at one another during an argument! These minor scrapes usually heal themselves, though you can bathe in a little saline solution to help keep the wound clean. Avoid dustbaths till the wound has sealed and dried out. Major wounds should always be looked at by a vet.
If you have more than one cage, you may also experience "nipping" through the cage bars from time to time, sometimes resulting, unfortunately, in the loss of a toe! Thankfully, chins do not appear to suffer as a result of the absence of a digit, and they generally do a nice neat job of toe amputation! One of my girls, Heidi, fell foul of Reba, my single female, and duly lost a toe-tip*. While I was devastated, Heidi's paw healed very quickly indeed, and she doesn't seem to have noticed that the toe is all but gone! There was very little blood, and there was only the tiniest piece of bone visible. The skin healed over the bone, and the fur has grown over it, so you'd hardly notice unless you looked carefully. The important thing is to keep the wound very clean and let it heal naturally. Using Sterzac powder (an anti-bacterial powder from your local chemist) will help prevent any infection while it heals. If, after the loss of a toe, there is still protruding bone even after healing, visit your vet, who may be able to trim it off for you, to avoid it catching.
If there is any lasting redness, swelling or irritation, always consult your vet.
| Maya developed in infection after being bitten by Eloise through the cage bars - it was only a minor wound at the time, and within a couple of days it looked healed. Then a few days later Maya began to hold the paw up, and the swelling and redness became apparent (the middle toe resting on my fingernail in this pic). A short course of antibiotics was needed to treat this infection. |
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*Note: Prevention is always better than cure - needless to say, when Reba is out for her free run, the cage containing my other girls is now safely covered up to prevent her from "picking a fight"!
You'll know if your chin has diarrhoea - runny, sticky or very loose stools, and sometimes a mucky chin! It can be caused by feeding too much fruit or raisins, or by damp hay or less-than-fresh water (algae develops inside the water bottle if not cleaned every day). Sometimes a new food or treat can also cause an upset stomach. For mild cases, remove all hay and treats and feed your chin on only pellets and water. If you can coax her to eat some very well-done toast (blackened, in fact), so much the better, as it will help to firm things up, as can a small helping of oats. It is also safe (if you can coax your chin to lick some from a small dropper), to give paediatric kaolin (sold for children), about a quarter of a teaspoon daily, for no more than a couple of days (be careful when giving this - you don't want to cause constipation!). Some owners prefer to remove all food except for the fresh hay (and water) for a day or so. Remember though, that diarrhoea can quickly lead to dehydration, which is especially dangerous for small pets, so waste no time getting to the vet if you are in any doubt at all, or if the diarrhoea doesn't subside within a couple of days.
This is evident when one eye or both appears sticky, weepy or swollen. It is usually caused by a foreign body (e.g. dust from the dustbath) in the eye, or sometimes it is a symptom of another ailment e.g. a tooth disorder. Remove the dustbath for a week, and consult your vet.
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Normal healthy eye |
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Same chin - infected eye (this was actually caused by an underlying ulcer) |
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Applying eye-drops can be tricky! I find wrapping the chin up in a towel helps to keep those wriggly paws out of the way. Then, holding the chin close to your body in your right arm, and holding the eye-drop bottle/tube in your right-hand fingers, you can support the chin's head a little with your left hand, using the thumb to gently tease down the lower lid and the ring finger of the right hand to tease back the upper one. And in with the drops! Take care not to place the bottle/tube too near the eye to avoid poking the eye itself. |
Luckily, chinchillas do not harbour the dreaded flea, as their fur is too dense, but they can harbour mites and occasionally succumb to fungal infections. Mites may cause loss of fur, scaly skin and itching, while a fungal infection may cause scabby sores, particularly around the face. Mites and fungal infection can both be spread from other animals, so always prevent cross-contamination by regular good hygiene. A visit to the vet for some medicine, be it a cream or powder or whatever, usually takes care of the problem, but don't delay in seeing the vet, as these particular problems do spread across the body very quickly, and before long you will have a very uncomfortable and unsightly chin on your hands! Remember also to cleanse and sterilise her cage and all equipment to prevent re-infection - this also goes for any other pets in your home prone to the condition . And finally, always wash hands between pets!)
If you find your chin has chewed her fur to the extent that she has developed bald patches, she may be guilty of "fur biting". The suspected causes of this phenomenon include stress, boredom, bad sleep patterns or other trauma. The best way to prevent your chin from becoming a fur biter is to provide lots of interesting toys for her to play with, sufficient food, adequate opportunity to exercise and interact with you and others in the family, and peace and quiet for undisturbed sleep during the day. Make any change to her environment which may be stressful a very gradual one.
This is fairly common in breeding and inexperienced males. Fur becomes trapped round the penis (under the sheath). The hairs can wind themselves tightly round the penis, constricting the blood supply. This condition requires prompt treatment to remove the hair, as it can quickly become serious, even life threatening (blood poisoning). Usually, symptoms can be clearly seen - the penis cannot return properly into its sheath, and can be seen "sticking out". However, sometimes there are no such obvious signs, so it is important to check your male every month or so for any changes in appearance, such as unusual swelling, or for any excessive "personal" grooming behaviour exhibited by your chin.. To check for a hair ring, get someone to help you, holding your chin both at the top and under his bottom. With very clean hands, gently draw the foreskin back to reveal the penis. Very carefully, using two fingers, grip the penis and extend it fully by gentle pulling. (Use cooled boiled water for lubrication) Check for fur right down to the base, and carefully remove if present. If a ring is tightly wrapped around, you may have to, very carefully indeed, use round-nose scissors to cut the hair free. NB Using scissors to remove hair rings is a job for confident, experienced chin-owners only! (If in any doubt at all about trying this, let your vet do it!) Then gently return the penis, covering with the foreskin again. Any swelling should go down in a matter of days. If it doesn't, see your vet, as there may be some infection present.
Note: A little swelling of the male penis can be totally normal, especially during mating times, but, in my experience, it's worth checking for fur rings anyway , just to be on the safe side. My own male Oliver developed a little swelling recently, though he displayed no "typical" signs of a hair ring (he lives alone, so it didn't occur during a mating). On checking, I did indeed find some trapped hair, and after removing it, the swelling subsided.
Caused by inadequate ventilation, too hot a room, or cage placed in direct sunlight. Chins should be kept in an environment measuring no more than 77 degrees Fahrenheit. They do not sweat, but instead radiate excess heat through their ears, so if their ears seem red, they are too hot. This can be dangerous, so move your chin to a cooler environment. You could pack some ice-cubes (wrapped in fabric to stop chins from touching them directly) round the cage to aid the cooling process, and put on the air-conditioning if you have it. Some chin-owners put terracotta pots into the freezer to cool, and then put them into the cage for the chins to lie close to (or inside!) Provide plenty of cool fresh water. (NB Using a ordinary electric fan does not reduce the ambient temperature, it merely circulates the air at the current temperature)
Chinchillas can harbour internal parasites like giardia, cryptosporidium, tapeworms, roundworms and the like. These decrease a chin's ability to absorb nutrients from its food, leading to possible problems later in life e.g. weakened bones and teeth. Sometimes they cause diarrhoea. Worms can cause a "bloaty" tummy - your chin may even look pregnant. This happened with my rescue chins Aisha and Eloise. It takes a vet to identify the problem properly, so if your chin doesn't seem to be developing normally have him/her check it out. Always use bottled water or boiled, cooled water to minimise the risk of internal parasites.
RESPIRATORY DISEASE / PNEUMONIA
Sniffles, chestiness, difficulty breathing or a runny nose are possible symptoms of respiratory disease. To prevent colds and the like, keep your chin in a cool, non-humid environment free from draughts. Pneumonia can be caused by keeping your chin in too hot an environment. See a vet if your chin is showing symptoms.
The health of your chin relies, to a great extent, on healthy teeth. They continuously grow, and must be kept in check by regular gnawing. Overgrown teeth can cause serious problems. If your chin has difficulty eating, is dribbling or has bad breath, or is losing weight, there could be a tooth problem. If they have become too long or uneven, the vet will trim or grind them down. A good supply of fresh quality meadow or timothy hay will provide your chin with the fibre she needs to keep her teeth ground down. Always provide plenty of wood for your chin to chew on. Consider putting a calcium block or cuttlefish bone in the cage - good to chew on and a valuable source of calcium for your chin's teeth and bones. There are several suitable woods, but also ones which are poisonous to a chin e.g. cedar, elderberry, plum. In the absence of a definitive list of safe woods, stick with clean, fresh white untreated pine. Sometimes, unfortunately, a tooth problem can be hereditary. Normal chin teeth should be short, even and yellow. If they aren't, or your chin is displaying any of the symptoms of a tooth problem, consult your vet. Check your chin's teeth weekly.
Read about my own Sophie's toothy problems here..
If you can see or feel your chin trembling, there could be a number of reasons. You may have a very nervous, stressed chin on your hands, or it could be suffering from some form of deficiency. More common deficiencies include calcium and thiamine (vitamin B1). These can be added to the chin's diet in the form of supplements - multi-vitamin drops for chins containing both calcium and thiamine can be added to your chin's water bottle. Some breeders also recommend drops containing these supplements sold for human babies, though you must alter the dose accordingly. Also, introduce a calcium block or cuttlefish bone to the cage.
Seizures can very alarming to witness. Your chin may exhibit very strange behaviour, either becoming unusually still, as if in a trance or, at the opposite end of the spectrum, contort into a ball, nose to tail or stretch, arching backwards. She may lose all co-ordination and balance and bare her teeth. A seizure may last from a few seconds to several minutes. Afterwards she will be listless and lethargic, and perhaps off her food.
There are many cause of such symptoms. They could be caused by a similar deficiency to those of trembling episodes. It may be caused by trauma e.g. head injury from a fall. Heatstroke, hyperactivity, severe stress or toxic ingestion can also produce seizure-like symptoms. An underlying condition may trigger seizures - so if you chin is underweight or poorly, this in itself may trigger seizures. Sometimes, unfortunately, it can simply be hereditary.
You must seek the advice of a vet if your chin displays any symptoms, as it can be difficult to pinpoint the causes.
On a personal note, my own chin Reba suddenly began to have regular seizures when she was one and a half years old. After a year of reading up, nursing and monitoring her, the seizures have now stopped altogether. It was a harrowing time for us both; you can read her story here.
WEIGHT LOSS / LACK OF APPETITE
In the first instance, any weight loss, or lack of appetite should be investigated by a vet for underlying causes, as there are many possibilities. It may be though, that your chin is recovering from known illness, or your vet can find nothing to treat, in which case you can do several things to encourage weight gain:
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Vitamin C can gently stimulate the appetite. Abidec vitamins (for human babies) contain this, so three drops can be added to drinking water.
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100% pure natural oatmeal can add that extra bulk - add a teaspoon to your chin's food a couple of times a week. Ensure though, that your chin isn't eating this INSTEAD of her pellets!
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Wheatgerm, high in protein and folic acid, can similarly add those extra calories - give as you would oatmeal.
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"Enervite" or "Nutrical" high calorie supplements (sold for dogs, but great for chins too) can be given daily (about an inch, straight from the tube, or from your finger)
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Vitamin B12 will stimulate the appetite in a more rigorous way than Vitamin C. It can be bought in liquid or tablet form from a chemist or health food store.
Try one (or a combination) of the above suggestions. And be patient, some chins take quite a time before a sustained improvement is noticed. NB: If you are at any point worried that there is no improvement, or that your chin isn't otherwise healthy, go back to the vet.
(Last Modified 29/11/2006 )