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[skdundon]

My daughter's Chinchilla (Chi) has had watery eyes for several days.  It's just the fur around the eyes.  She seems perfectly fine, eating, playing, etc.  But she is so worried that it is something serious.  Chi has always sneezed occasionally and sometimes rubs her nose, but there is no real discharge or anything.  She seems healthy as a horse! What do you think?  I have made an appt. with a vet that sees Chinchillas for Friday.  Our usual vet is on vacation (naturally!). Also, Chi always wants snacks.  We try to give them very sparingly, but she just waves those little tyranosaurus arms like crazy!  What are good snacks for her.  I have banana chips, rose hips and raisins.  She eats timothy hay and chinchilla food.  Thanks for your help.

[Snickerdoodlesmom]

Could be a tooth problem. Where did you get her?

[skdundon]

Petsmart.  We have had her a month so she is 5 months old.  The day before we bought her they took her to their vet and she passed with flying colors.  She doesn't act sick at all, it's just the eyes.

[GrayRodent]

It is not too uncommon for chinchillas to get dust or things in their eyes and sometimes minor infections that clear up in a day or two. If it clears up by Friday I recommend cancelling the vet appointment. Otherwise keep the appointment. If she is put on antibiotics make sure she does not go off of her food. If she stops eating hand feeding will be necessary at least by the day after it happens to prevent life-threatening complications. Talk to your vet about it. As far as treats go if you stop giving them for a while she will probably learn to be not so spoiled.

[Snickerdoodlesmom]

Malocclusion can appear later... Buying a chinchilla from a store is not the best idea because they are often breeders' rejects My own chinchilla is from Petco and has been fine for 2 years except for fur biting (which I suppose is why the breeder rejected him). But I pray that your girl just had some dust in her eye. As for the treats, go easy so she doesn't get sick. But spoil her with love all you want

[GrayRodent]

Typically when malocclusion is bad enough that the roots encroach into the tear ducts there are more symptoms. Usually anorexia, drooling and matting of the fur, and emaciation will appear first. It is somewhat unusual for a chinchilla to survive for malocclusion to become that advanced but not unheard of. Most commonly when eyes are watery it is because dust bath dust or other irritants cause minor swelling near the tear ducts of the eye and cause it to weep. Sometimes a scratch or trauma to the eye will cause that and sometimes an infection may take hold and require treatment.

As far as the sneezing is concerned if you think it's a problem you may want to get that checked out. If it is a respiratory infection it will require prompt treatment. After six months of having your chinchilla you should be able to judge what is normal and what is not. Do not mess with respiratory illness it is almost always lethal.

And yes, snickerdoodlesmom is right about the treats. You should feed no more than the equivalent mass of two raisins a day or you risk health problems. These are treats and not a necessary or healthy part of a chinchilla's diet. I always recommend for owners to weigh their chinchilla at least once a week. If there are health problems developing you will likely see a decrease in weight. Anything approaching a 15-20 percent variance should be checked out (unless your chinchilla is less than a year old and should be growing). Chinchillas will hide sickness well. I hope all goes well for you and your pet.

[skdundon]

Thank you all so much for your advice.  Friday Shannon and I took Chai to the vet after school.  She said Chai has a respiratory infection, but her lungs were clear.  She gave us Baytril (cherry flavored) and told us Chai would love it and probably lick it out of a spoon.  Ha!  Someone forgot to tell Chai!  She hates it and won't come near it.  We tried to use a syringe but she fought against it.  We are afraid of hurting her.  Any suggestions on how to get the antibiotic down her? 

[GrayRodent]

I am glad you caught that before it got into the lungs.
As far as antibiotics go I've been there and done that. Have one person hold her and the other person go in with the syringe. Go just behind the front teeth if you can and do not shoot straight down the throat or there is a chance of choking. Have a (not too damp but damp enough) damp rag or paper towel ready, and another dry paper towel to dry with since some will probably dribble out and make a horrific mess. Sometimes it helps to wrap the chinchilla in a towel first. Have everything set up and ready before you even take her out of the cage and think it through to make it goes as quickly and safely as possible. When holding her try not to let her flail around. She has to be secure and still to be safe from injury and choking.
Watch her food intake and output carefully. If you notice she has stopped eating by tomorrow you will need to take care of it immediately to prevent GI stasis which can be fatal if not managed promptly. You may want to syringe feed yogurt (about 1 tbsp worth) about 3 hours after the antibiotics to guard against that as well.