Giardia

[Squirrel_Butt]

My chin mom and her kits are infected with Giardia.  Right now it is dormant. The vet advises against treatment until the kits are weaned, which will be on October 23.  The vet also said that he encounters many people that do not treat their chinchillas unless they are having the clinical symptoms, because of the side effects.  Input anyone?

[chinclub]

Was their a problem that caused him to check for this?  It is true that giardia can be dormant .  It is actually found in many public water sources in very small amounts.  If your chinchillas are healthy and are eating, drinking, and having normal solid poop than I wouldn't treat. 

[Squirrel_Butt]

Raisin was a rescue, so as soon as I obtain a new animal no matter the source, I get them checked out. Raisin's fecal tested positive for Giardia.  After she delivered her kits, I brought all 3 in to the vet and the vet took another fecal sample from her.  That one tested positive as well.  We have a dog in the house that barks a lot. That may stress her and trigger the Giardia.  There is also a senior male chin in the room, but he doesn't have direct contact with her or the kits.  The infected chins do knock some poos onto the ground, and I vacuum before I let the male out.   He is the only one that I let out right now because the babies are too young to safely run in here, and Raisin is not fully tamed yet.  There is the possibility that infected poos could get knocked to the ground after vacuuming, so i block off the areas where they could land as best as I can. The male is getting smarter as to finding ways past my barricades.  I'm not sure what I should do.