Chinchilla Community Forums
Chinchillas => Health => Topic started by: LindyLu on March 20, 2010, 12:00:01 PM
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Dewey spent the day at the vets office yesterday. He had his mouth checked out....apparently his teeth are so bad, they were growing in all directions. Including one tooth growing to the side & poking the inside of his cheek (causing a wound with puss in it).
The vet had to trim & file down ALL his teeth. He's still on the Oxbox Critical Care & now on Baytril as well (to cure an infection in one of his teeth). We're going back in a month to do x-rays and make sure no teeth are fractured below the gum line...otherwise they have to come out!
Vet said this was caused by bad feeding when he was younger (when I didn't have him) ...and that it's SO important chins get water filled greens & roughage because he see's this problem all the time in chins that only get hay & pellets. *shrugs*
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*shrugs*
me too , that the second time we've heard a vet say that.
I have never fed fresh veggies to mine, and I haven't had any problems. Then my numbers are small. ::nod::
I hope little Dewy takes to the trimmings OK, it can be a rough road for them.
With the soar in his mouth I really recommend the homemade pydiolite from the "joy's of chinchilla's", it sure has help with healing mouths with my chins.
1 cup of boiled water, 1 teaspoon of sugar & 1/4 teaspoon of salt, chill and put in his water bottle. He'll love it, it will keep him hydrated and help heal him mouth. ::nod::
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I thought fresh greens were actually not good for chinchillas? Can any experts clarify?
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::silly:: That's a first for me. ??? I've always been told there is to much water and roughage in fresh lettuce and most of the common green vegtables and that it would cause diarrhea. Broccoli will often cause gas, so I stay away from that ... gas is something you do not want in a chinchilla ... it can be life threatening for chinchillas.
Now I have given mine a thin slice (about the size of a dime) of fresh carrots, a thin slice of apple or banana and a small strawberry or blueberry on occasions, but those are rare treats. Dried rose hips and dried papaya are normal treats for my little ones.
As a general rule ... the vets I have known, that seem to know what they are doing ... will put a sick chin on water and hay (no pellets) when recovering from an illness or tooth problems. I'll have to ask around with some of my regular sources and see what they say about fresh veggies and green as a regular part of their daily diet. You never know ... it could be something new they have found out that we have not heard before. ::shrug::
::wave:: Jo Ann