Chinchilla Community Forums
Chinchillas => Q & A => Topic started by: MissRobynAnn on October 06, 2015, 05:02:56 PM
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Hi! I have recently gotten a new chinchilla (Charlie) to give my original chin (Chico) a buddy, they're both male, it has only been a few days and I have their cages side by side for a slow introduction. But Chico seems super depressed now, he is lethargic and isn't eating or drinking as much as usual and is turning his nose up to his favourite treats. He doesn't want to come out of his cage and hides when I open the cage door. I think he may be getting dehydrated as his pellets are becoming increasingly smaller. Is this normal behaviour that he will get over eventually or should I be concerned?
Thanks!
Robin
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That's not a good sign at all. If this doesn't improve by tomorrow I recommend an emergency vet visit. Obtain supplies for syringe feeding and instructions. Do not feed treats to a chinchilla that is not perfectly healthy. Feed only pellets and loose hay until this problem is resolved, or the syringe diet provided by your veterinarian. If you treat this aggressively you will have less chances of something really terrible happening. This is not normal and can be potentially quite dangerous. I also recommend separating both chinchillas putting cages in separate rooms. There is a slight possibility of an infectious sickness from the other chin at this point.
There can be contributing factors with this related to stress and diet. How is your environment in the room as far as noise, other pets, room temperature, and light levels? You may need to put the cages in separate rooms until you figure out the cause. What is Chico's background? Is he in a different cage or location? What has his diet been like?
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you should always quarantine a new chin for 30 days to prevent illnesses. Things like respiratory,parasites... can be carried wtihout showing symptoms. If the chin isnt back to normal within 24 hours you should go to the vet as a precaution
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Thank you for your replies. I got Chico about 7 months ago from a pet store. He was 8 months old when I got him. The new chinchilla Charlie i got from a family where he was the only chin and hasn't been around others from what I've been told. Charlie is 3 years old and shows no signs of illness. He is eating and drinking and taking treats. I usually give them raisins or oats, nothing unhealthy. Chico diet has consisted of fresh pellets and hay everyday with a few treats. We have no other pets or kids, it's never really loud in the house. I keep them in my living room and it's dark and quiet during the day when we're at work. I have a large (about 5' tall cage with many levels) that Chico is in and Charlie is in a smaller (I've been told it was a rat cage, with only 2 levels) that he came to me in, and I have the cages next to each other for introductions.
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How is he doing today? If he is still not eating and acting depressed see if you can get him a vet visit ASAP.