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Health / Bald Spot on Base of 4 Chinchillas Tails
« on: January 07, 2015, 10:54:08 AM »
Hi, I apologize if this question has been asked before.
CHINCHILLA INFORMATION:
I have 4 chinchillas: Puff (mother), Fluff (father), Vladimir (daughter) and Fruit Loops (daughter). We bought Puff and Fluff when they were 6 months, in 2011 and we were told they were brothers. Vladimir and Fruit Loops were born 6 months later. Fluff was neutered in 2011 [The pet store told us, Puff and Fluff were both males and we didn't realize that Puff was female until after Vladimire and Fruit Loops were born]
QUESTION:
For around a year now, 3 of them have had bald spots on the base of their tails. Our vet told us
that that was normal because they are not the dominant chinchilla in the colony. However over the summer, Puff has had a bald spot grow on her tail.
The chinnies have plenty of things in their cage with different textures to chew on. They have two wooden houses that they sleep in made of chinchilla safe wood. They get daily exercise when I am home from college, and when I leave, my family takes them out 2x a week for the entire day. I will be leaving again on Saturday and won't be back till the beginning of March. They are kept entertained most nights, with a extremely long playlist of animated TV shows and music that they like (Puff like Dora, Vladimir likes Jazz music...)
1) I am not sure what to do, I tend to be very paranoid about health concerns so I don't know if this is a behavioral/colony thing, or a stress issue or a health issue. The vet told us that Puff has a severe underbite and would have to be put down early, so I am unsure if losing hair at the base of her tail, is a sign that something is going wrong with her teeth.
2) I also don't know if it a problem that Fluff, Vladimir, and Fruit Loops have the spots on their tails. Some sites I looked at said that chewing the base of the tail is a bad habit but others said it wasn't a problem and some said it was a sign there was a major problem.
Thank you for any help you can give! I really appreciate it!
Emily & Puff, Fluff, Vladimir and Fruit Loops
** I can include pictures if it would be helpful **
CHINCHILLA INFORMATION:
I have 4 chinchillas: Puff (mother), Fluff (father), Vladimir (daughter) and Fruit Loops (daughter). We bought Puff and Fluff when they were 6 months, in 2011 and we were told they were brothers. Vladimir and Fruit Loops were born 6 months later. Fluff was neutered in 2011 [The pet store told us, Puff and Fluff were both males and we didn't realize that Puff was female until after Vladimire and Fruit Loops were born]
QUESTION:
For around a year now, 3 of them have had bald spots on the base of their tails. Our vet told us
that that was normal because they are not the dominant chinchilla in the colony. However over the summer, Puff has had a bald spot grow on her tail.
The chinnies have plenty of things in their cage with different textures to chew on. They have two wooden houses that they sleep in made of chinchilla safe wood. They get daily exercise when I am home from college, and when I leave, my family takes them out 2x a week for the entire day. I will be leaving again on Saturday and won't be back till the beginning of March. They are kept entertained most nights, with a extremely long playlist of animated TV shows and music that they like (Puff like Dora, Vladimir likes Jazz music...)
1) I am not sure what to do, I tend to be very paranoid about health concerns so I don't know if this is a behavioral/colony thing, or a stress issue or a health issue. The vet told us that Puff has a severe underbite and would have to be put down early, so I am unsure if losing hair at the base of her tail, is a sign that something is going wrong with her teeth.
2) I also don't know if it a problem that Fluff, Vladimir, and Fruit Loops have the spots on their tails. Some sites I looked at said that chewing the base of the tail is a bad habit but others said it wasn't a problem and some said it was a sign there was a major problem.
Thank you for any help you can give! I really appreciate it!
Emily & Puff, Fluff, Vladimir and Fruit Loops
** I can include pictures if it would be helpful **