Chinchilla Community Forums
Chinchillas => Health => Topic started by: TomsChins on May 10, 2016, 04:35:46 AM
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On Saturday night I was taking one of my chinchillas out and she managed to find her way into the inner workings of the house (long story) but today, after calling DynoRod, we got her out (again, long story). She's back in her cage now and eating hay happily, however, she's not drinking water, which is strange because she definitely needs it after 2 days without any. Any suggestions for getting her to drink?
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I'm sorry your chin escaped. I'm glad you got her back safely. Chinchillas are good at getting away when they're out. My grey chinchilla has a terrible habit of jumping and running but he is also predictable which makes it easy for me to catch him.
I doubt that a chinchilla that is eating is not drinking anything. How is her fecal output? Also how are you measuring intake? The best way to measure is to mark the water level at the bottle. Many owners will use a rubber band and reset it each morning. Make sure it is dispensing as bottles can unexpectedly fail. For vacuum and ball valve waterers changes in temperature or air pressure can cause a temporary blockage. Checking water levels each day should be considered part of a daily care routine.
Also most chinchillas drink most of their water late at night and you may never see them actually drinking except on rare occasions. Because your chinchilla was apparently stressed it may act differently for a few days and may slightly reduce its food and water intake compared to normal. If you verify that there is no water consumption and the fecal output is abnormally and noticeably small and dry you need to consult a vet ASAP. You need to find a vet that actually sees chinchillas on a regular basis. Those that don't are usually incompetent. If in doubt see a vet.
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Thank you for such a helpful response, I will use a rubber band like you suggested and wait until tomorrow to see if she drinks