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Author Topic: New Chinchilla Worries  (Read 1005 times)

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chinmum

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New Chinchilla Worries
« on: June 09, 2014, 09:59:48 AM »

Hello

I just took in an 11 year old chin from a friend who can't keep her any more. But I am a bit worried about her health. She has a quite solid/bloated feel to her stomach and is passing very small poops (about a 5th of the size of my other Chins poops). She is still eating and looking relatively active. Could this be a reaction to the stress of moving? I am a bit worried with her being an old girl... I also noticed a slightly weepy eye (got me worrying about dental issues). She has also been fur chewing in her last owners house and looks generally old and 'not quite right'.

I will be taking her to the vets later in the week in my sisters car when she's free. We live quite far away and I don't want to stress her further with public transport. (Obviously if she gets worse I will take her ASAP)

I just want to know the best diet for her. I have rabbits and if their poops are small it is recommended to only feed hay for a few days to settle their tums and give extra fibre. Is this the same for chins or should I continue her pellets??

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Jill
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kageri

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Re: New Chinchilla Worries
« Reply #1 on: June 09, 2014, 10:46:13 AM »

You have the start of GI stasis.  Stress or all the ingestion of fur could cause it.  In case there is gas give some liquid child simethicone.  I'm not sure the dose for a chin but it's very hard to overdose.  It just causes loose stools if you give too much.  Quick search seems a lot of people just give a dropper full.  Pinapple juice is kind of debated but if she chewed up a bunch of fur people swear by it helping break down and pass such things.  You can also massage her stomach to help get things moving.  I haven't heard of withdrawing pellets for chins like you do rabbits.  On the rabbit forum we usually feed oatmeal and hay when there is any gi upset.
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GrayRodent

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Re: New Chinchilla Worries
« Reply #2 on: June 09, 2014, 11:16:37 AM »

How long ago was she moved? Usually relocation stress is about two weeks and sometimes it does present with anorexia. It is strange she went off her pellets but still eats hay. Either way your chinchilla is probably not eating the right amount to keep her bowels flowing and may not be eating enough to survive. The only way to know is to be familiar with their total food consumption through the day which almost invariably is more pellets than hay. I strongly recommend you smell your food for any possible mold or moisture contamination as well.

Because the stool is already being affected and you are seeing signs of bloat it is certainly very serious. It could have been going on for some time and slowly progressed. The eye infection may be unrelated. Acute eye infections are not uncommon in chinchillas especially those under stress. It is advisable to weigh chinchillas on a regular basis, at least once a week and know their baseline weight to help make these kinds of troubles easier to diagnose.

10 years is average life expectancy for a chinchilla. I recommend you don't get your hopes up too high. I strongly suspect this is a dental problem as well but only a vet can make that determination. I recommend you discuss this with your vet ASAP and ask about obtaining a recovery diet and feeding that until you can get an appointment to keep her alive.

I would not discontinue pellets since they are easier to chew and keep your pet's weight up. Chinchillas do not have much fat reserves to live off of and once it's gone the risk of internal damage becomes very high. They are much more sensitive to this than rabbits. I fully recommend syringe feeding recovery diet for sick chinchillas for that reason and also since the bowels must have something to work with to reverse the stasis. Most importantly you need to know what caused it and if it can be corrected.
« Last Edit: June 09, 2014, 11:19:09 AM by GrayRodent »
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chinmum

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Re: New Chinchilla Worries
« Reply #3 on: June 13, 2014, 04:27:42 AM »

Hey

Thanks for the advice guys. I took her to the vets and got her some recovery aid. She has also started eating a lot more by her self and seems a lot perkier. Her poops are a lot bigger now too and she's pooping a lot more which can only be good news!

I am hoping that the stress of moving is finally wearing off. I'm taking her back to the vets for x-rays on her mouth to determine if she has dental issues but for now were keeping her quiet and letting her settle in.
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