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[chinguy612]

My girlfriend and I have 4 chinchillas between the two of us. We recently lost our first Max on August 1st after he got behind the tv at her house and chewed a wire. At midnight I drove to her house and just broke down out of anger for her not supervising him properly and sadness because my little fat boy (this was my nickname for him) was gone and I was powerless to do anything. We wrapped him up in a towel and put him in a box to make it comfortable. We burried him next to a tree and then we just held each other for awhile. The next morning my girlfriend planted flowers on his grave and we made a little tombstone for him. He was only 10 1/2 months old but he was my big boy and I'll never forget him. Since then we have gotten a new buddy named Petey for her other chin Oliver and I am making sure she watches them closely. She is only letting them out in the bathroom now which is chin proof. I am so heart broken and I just wish I could go back to stop it.

Heres a collage she made of him with us and playing around.

[GrayRodent]

Unfortunately that is a very common mistake and if it makes you feel any better you are not the only one who has experienced that by far. I had a pet rabbit that came close to having that happen myself (It chewed several lamp cords and somehow no one got shocked but easily could have been). Learning things the hard way is part of pet ownership, sad, but true. The truth is that there is nothing anyone can do to prevent all accidents especially with these animals that are very fast, quiet, and fragile. So be aware because accidents like this can happen to anyone and in unexpected ways.

Another thing you might want to do to help prevent commonly occurring accidents, other than letting your chinchillas play only in rooms prepared for them, is to consider these common hazards I have seen cause problems and deaths on this board.

1. Wire hay balls or feeders that have wire racks. Chinchillas get their heads caught in these occasionally and can die.
2. Wire shelving or ramps that chinchillas jump off of. This is a very common source of fractures which often result in fatal complications.
3. Plastic or cloth items in the cage. These can be chewed and cause lacerations or bowel obstructions. The exception is to this is woven "fleece" items but only as long as the chinchilla does not have a habit of chewing them.
4. Any kind of door in the room can be extremely hazardous if opened or shut near the animal for obvious reasons.
5. When picking up your chinchilla make sure it does not panic and flail around. It must be secured well even if it doesn't like it. Best practice is to stabilize it by the base of the tail and under the chest area at all times when handling. The flailing of a panicked chinchilla can cause serious joint and muscle trauma. (I don't always observe this with mine but he's extremely tame)
6. Always consider that a chinchilla can be right under your feet without you knowing it when it is out.
7. Wires that can stick out that the chinchilla can chew on or get scraped on. Remember that chinchillas are very sensitive to pain and can die from shock if it's bad enough.
8. Food must be checked for moisture and mold. If it's suspect do not feed it to a chinchilla. Anything moldy can cause poisoning and possibly infections if ingested or inhaled.
9. Do not use Febreeze, bleach, or aerosols around a chinchilla. This can easily result in instant fatal pneumonia.

Another accident that I know of here was pretty recent but is the only case I know of like it. This chinchilla was playing in a blanket and got its leg caught resulting in a fracture with possible severe injuries to the joints and muscle. It was a freak accident but I recommend that if you use a blanket that it's not woven material that it can get caught in. I don't know much other than it happened.

I am sorry for your loss and I hope it goes better with your other chinchilla.

[chinguy612]

Unfortunately that is a very common mistake and if it makes you feel any better you are not the only one who has experienced that by far. I had a pet rabbit that came close to having that happen myself (It chewed several lamp cords and somehow no one got shocked but easily could have been). Learning things the hard way is part of pet ownership, sad, but true. The truth is that there is nothing anyone can do to prevent all accidents especially with these animals that are very fast, quiet, and fragile. So be aware because accidents like this can happen to anyone and in unexpected ways.

Another thing you might want to do to help prevent commonly occurring accidents, other than letting your chinchillas play only in rooms prepared for them, is to consider these common hazards I have seen cause problems and deaths on this board.

1. Wire hay balls or feeders that have wire racks. Chinchillas get their heads caught in these occasionally and can die.
2. Wire shelving or ramps that chinchillas jump off of. This is a very common source of fractures which often result in fatal complications.
3. Plastic or cloth items in the cage. These can be chewed and cause lacerations or bowel obstructions. The exception is to this is woven "fleece" items but only as long as the chinchilla does not have a habit of chewing them.
4. Any kind of door in the room can be extremely hazardous if opened or shut near the animal for obvious reasons.
5. When picking up your chinchilla make sure it does not panic and flail around. It must be secured well even if it doesn't like it. Best practice is to stabilize it by the base of the tail and under the chest area at all times when handling. The flailing of a panicked chinchilla can cause serious joint and muscle trauma. (I don't always observe this with mine but he's extremely tame)
6. Always consider that a chinchilla can be right under your feet without you knowing it when it is out.
7. Wires that can stick out that the chinchilla can chew on or get scraped on. Remember that chinchillas are very sensitive to pain and can die from shock if it's bad enough.
8. Food must be checked for moisture and mold. If it's suspect do not feed it to a chinchilla. Anything moldy can cause poisoning and possibly infections if ingested or inhaled.
9. Do not use Febreeze, bleach, or aerosols around a chinchilla. This can easily result in instant fatal pneumonia.

Another accident that I know of here was pretty recent but is the only case I know of like it. This chinchilla was playing in a blanket and got its leg caught resulting in a fracture with possible severe injuries to the joints and muscle. It was a freak accident but I recommend that if you use a blanket that it's not woven material that it can get caught in. I don't know much other than it happened.

I am sorry for your loss and I hope it goes better with your other chinchilla.

Thank you the ones that live at my house I watch like a hawk when they are out. I follow thrm around to make sure they aren't getting into anything they shouldn't be in. As for her new chin and the other I will br making sure she is more responsible and watches them better.