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« on: March 24, 2012, 05:49:14 AM »
Chinchillas as well as other rodents have teeth that grow constantly. The hard food keeps them trimmed and shaped properly. When the overgrown parts of the teeth grind against each other they wear unevenly causing sharp places that grow into the flesh above them. This is a very painful condition that will get worse until the animal stops eating ASSUMING that is the problem.
Because it seems to be clearing up on it's own leads me to think there's a different problem, possibly a traumatic injury caused by colliding with something. Often tooth problems present with the chin crumbling or partially eating pellets and they rarely go away on their own. Are you seeing signs of chewing on the wood?
Still, keep a close eye out for infection or changes. Also it's best not to feed chins nuts as their systems are not designed for that. It can easily lead to diarrhea. Raisins are good though, just no more than 2 a day. But, always, when in doubt, see your exotic vet.