A bit sad :/

[ChinC]

So I took my first chinchilla back to petsmart because his poop wouldn't get any better.it was crazy how it only took 5 days for us to start bonding.now I need some help I was given the chance to buy him back when he gets better or buy one from a lady that's selling a healthy kit.ill really hate to let go of him need some opinions ASAP

[ExoticFamily]

I thought you had said his poo was getting harder?
For me it is super hard to get rid of a pet, especially once I get that personal bond!
One thing that would make me weary is .... what if the store doesnt give him the proper medical attention he needs?? I would feel more secure taking him to the vet myself, and making sure they do everything possible to help him pull through!

[ChinC]

it was getting harder but then it just got soft and he was stepping all over it, they told me that they were going to take it to an exotic vet, the refunded me my money incase i didnt want him again but dam i was used to already see him wait for me by the cage door to get out and play

[dianah]

the kit was probably healthy when you bought it, like we discussed before, the problem was probably caused by sudden change in diet and perhaps stress from environmental changes. i don't quite understand why you took it back to the store rather than to the vet?

i would suggest that perhaps you could look into diet, health problems etc before you get another chin. just because they're healthy one day doesn't mean they won't get sick the next. they're very sensitive animals and soft poo is actually one of the easier things to treat. do you definitely have your heart set on chinchillas? what about guinea pigs? they're much more hardy and they're just as loving!

[ChinC]

I took it back because they have a 14 day coverage on animals like many breeders also have if the animal does get sick don't get me wrong I did all research to find out how to make him better but if I bought the chin there and it still hasn't hit the 14th day then in a way they have the right to take him to a vet. As far as eating when I seen him like that I just kept him on hay and water for 2 days then I gave him a little bit of pellets an it was going downhill again. The first days can be stressing for a chin but this guy seemed stressed the first day and that's all he would eat hay out of my hand and when Ill get home hell wait for me by the cage door to play,he even would take naps on my lap something I accomplished in a short time what takes others weeks or months to do

[dianah]

i am not saying you didn't have the right to take him back, you did of course, as the shop you got him from offers this. what i'm trying to say is that this can happen with any chinchilla you buy. gut problems sometimes take a week or so to settle and soft poo is one of the easier things to treat. i myself would take an animal to the vet rather than return it because i would consider it mine regardless of how long it's been with me but of course not everybody thinks like that and that's why there are return options. but my point is that chinchillas do get sick, they do respond to stress and change tremendously and you may end up in the same situation.
and like you said.. he would eat hay out of your hand and was quite keen on you yet you chose to take him back rather than keep him and get him better... i am not criticising your course of action, i am just pointing out that the next kit may be the same.

from what you're saying it seems to me that the diarrhoea was a reaction to the pellets. if that's the case, the kit was not sick.

[ChinC]

no of course im taking him back my mom didnt want me to buy a pet and she even fell in love with him lol but what they did was refund my money incase it was something serious as i read on many pages that can be a hazard. I do miss him because his cage is in my room which is the coldest out of the whole house and when i felt it was hot in the room i turned on the ac with it being 69 degrees! I called today to see how hes doing and they said theyll call me back tomorrow but i do plan on getting him back.

[Squirrel_Butt]

Take him back. Many times the bond you share can help him in addition to seeing the vet.  If you are concerned about contracting what he has, just wash your hands after coming in contact with poos. And that's if it is even contagious to you. It sounds like it is gut problems to to sudden changes.

[dianah]

i agree. a chinchilla that's already responding to stress in this way would benefit from not having the added stress of being moved again. also, how much did you buy him for? what is their profit margin on a chinchilla? how much is a consultation with an exotic vet? hence, how likely are they to take him for treatment?

as for contagious diseases - it is extremely unlikely a human would catch anything from a chinchilla. there are zoonotic diseases that can jump species but i have consulted my vet on this as i was concerned my rescue who's a sickly chin could catch a cold etc from me and she thought the chances were miniscule.
in any case, anything would be MUCH easier to treat in humans than in chinchillas.

[Squirrel_Butt]

Keep us updated.

[ChinC]

I bought him for 125 at petsmart it seems like when I got him they finished receiving him because I spoke to them yesterday and they told me he has giardia which he is being treated for. From what they told me it seems like the poor chin had it since the breeder sold it to them but the good part is that he's under treatment and they are keeping in contact with me updating with every move they do,their supposed to call me in a week when they finish treating him and testing him again

[Squirrel_Butt]

My chin mom has that. I just monitor her and the kits.  Was yours showing symptoms? Mine are subclinical carriers so the vet advised to not treat them unless they start showing symptoms and to keep an eye on their poos as the metronidazole has to be used with caution. Just wash your hands after handling your chin and you will be fine.

[ChinC]

Yea his poo was a problem that's why I took him back and I always washed my hands before and after handling him

[Squirrel_Butt]

Are you going to buy him back?

[ChinC]

If they give me the yes I see why not I'm waiting patiently to see what they tell me :/