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[BiChilla]

Hi all,

My female chinchilla, Bi, is 4 years old. I raised her since she was 3 months old. Due to my recent travel, Bi stayed in a not-so-ideal environment for the past six months, lived with another two 2-years-old male chinchilla. After my retrieval of Bi, I found a few changes in character: not energetic and lacking curiousity, and also the following problems:

1. Developed fungus at her bottom as seen in the picture.
2. Suspicion of pregnancy due to the growth of nipples and round tummy.
3a. Suspicion of urethral infection (found brown-ish deris this morning).
3b. Unusual large size urethral cone (does this seems too big?).

I'm so worried after retrieval of my chinchilla. I feel so sorry for leaving her for 6 months. My main concerns are question 3a and 3b. Before taking her to a vet, I like to get more comments for the urethral signs.

Thank you!

[GrayRodent]

There are several things in this picture that look seriously wrong to me. Since I'm no pro I won't comment on this one but you might consider seeing an emergency vet.

[BiChilla]

Please feel free to give me your inputs here. I love to hear what you think.

[GrayRodent]

Like I said I'm no pro, so I could be wrong and if I am someone who does know these things please correct me.
My first thought is that the vulva appears to be open, which indicates she might still be in labor, or has been in labor. It should have closed back up after a few hours. The urethral cone is extended which could be a sign of straining. Blood is another indication of labor. There could also be an impartial/breached delivery in progress. Or it could be that there's some kind of serious infection there causing very odd symptoms. Either one requires prompt care but breach labor requires care within hours.

These are my thoughts.

[BiChilla]

That is very detail observation my friend. Thanks for your input.

I had the same thought when I first retreived Bi three days ago. However, the nipples growth is just at its beginning, which is only a small bump now (not fur long). It is a good indication that she did not had a labor or going into labor soon. As for the black color at its anus in the picture, it is actually her poo poo 

I look forward for more advices.

[GrayRodent]

That's a good thing. When I saw that I thought I seeing inside. If it was breached it probably wouldn't have lasted the night!

Apart from that it does appear that there seems to be ringworm in that area which has to be very irritating. Could your chin be excessively cleaning that area and causing damage (resulting in swelling that causes the cone to stick up)? Blood in that area is highly abnormal and can be a sign of a serious infection.

If you are seeing changes in the urine there are a several possible explanations. Is she still eating and drinking normally? Sometimes chins can become anorexic when they are in distress and it can kill them if they are not force fed/watered. Dehydration can cause changes in urine, but so can infection. Monitor input and output. Obviously there is output which means there is input - a good sign. You really should take this one to a vet as this is very abnormal.

On the right side (of the animal) it looks like the skin near the urethral cone might be raw and scabbed over but it's hard for me to tell. I've seen ringworm infection in other animals that look similar but not in that area. It seems to me that this is a dangerous place because if it gets inside it can lead to a systemic infection. It's not unusual for them to lick it raw, which, can lead to a bacterial infection as well.
Your vet will probably prescribe oral antifungal medication to prevent this.

The worst sign is depression/ lethargy which usually doesn't occur in chins until illness is in far advanced stages. However I do know that depression is often observed in chins with severe ringworm. Those are my thoughts. Any corrections by others who know more are greatly appreciated.

[Jo Ann]

I've just seen your post for the first time. 
Have you taken her to the vet yet? 
If so, what did he say? 
If not, I strongly suggest getting her there a.s.a.p., please.
I would also strongly suggest never leaving her with that person again ... that is if she survives this time.

   Jo Ann

[BiChilla]

Bi has passed away this morning.

I took her to a vet yesterday confirmed that she was in fact severely infected. The baby was likely to be dead inside and rotting, which was causing severe infection. The only way was to perform surgery but the chances of survival for rodens are always skeptical. In additional to Bi's weak health conditon, I left the vet's office with some pain-reliefs for Bi.

As a result, I urge every chinchilla owner and soon-to-be owner, please make and keep your commitment to your chinchillas. If you can't spend time or take care of your chinchilla appropriately, PLEASE DON'T BE AN OWNER. I am not a responsible owner for my soon to be 5 years old chinchilla and ultimately caused her death.

Imagine this was the same every morning. It was the same way you open the cage and reach you hand to her coat, but soon you realized the temperature became icying cold as her body lying there rock still. Now you know you have lost her.

Please take care and be responsible for your chinchilla for her or his entire life.

[mojito]

I am so sorry for your loss. No matter what it's always hard to lose a friend. Thoughts are with you