Article written by Anjela Ross of Crystal Chinchillas
Guest writer for
The Chinchilla Club
You can visit Crystal Chinchillas for further information
by using the link below
Chinchilla Health Problems
Introduction
On the whole Chinchillas tend to be trouble free as far as
illnesses go. They are not the type of animal that tends to suffer constantly
with various problems. However, when a Chinchilla does become sick,
they appear to go downhill very fast and need to be treated with urgency,
as it is not uncommon for a Chinchilla to die within a couple of days from
first noticing symptoms or lethargy in an animal. Some ailments such
as Pneumonia are usually fatal unless your animal is particularly tough
and gets treatment very early on. Usually respiratory problems seem to
wipe a Chinchilla out within hours and sometimes there is little that can
be done in time. The main illness in Chinchillas that you can do very little
for and results in death; is Malocclusion.
As many of you may know, it is often difficult to come
across a Vet that has had a lot of experience with Chinchillas. Unless
they have had experience, then invariably for common health problems, such
as those listed below, it is easier for you to treat the animal yourself.
Without causing your pet additional stress of the trips to the Vet, when
it is already under the weather.
Constipation
Constipation can occur out of nowhere. Your pet can appear
uncomfortable, listless and can often be seen stretching up on his hind
legs. Chinchilla droppings should be plump, well formed, a good size and
not to dry in consistency. If you notice that they have become very dry
or small, then it is a sure sign that your pet is constipated. Depending
on the severity of the case, it is usually something that can be cleared
up either in one or a few days. Treats are often the cause, too much of
a good thing can upset the usually balanced diet of a Chinchilla. Also,
after giving birth a Chinchilla can become constipated, especially if she
has consumed a large afterbirth.
The problem can usually be promptly adjusted by the addition of some fruit
to the diet. A natural enjoyable medicine for the Chinchilla. Start off
by allowing a few raisins more than normal, a couple of times during the
day. But be cautious as you do not want to over do it and turn the problem
around making the animals droppings to loose. If the extra raisins over
the course of the day have not rectified the problem, then also add a nice
large slice of apple and perhaps the following day half a prune. Prunes
are something your Chinchilla will readily feast upon snatching it up in
his greedy little paws. This normally gets the system back to normal. If
the constipation is very severe and the droppings are very small, you can
also administer a teaspoon full of Syrup of Figs. Place this into a small
pipette and your pet will ready lick the syrup from the spoon as you drop
it slowly into his mouth.
Diarrhea
Not a nice situation to have to deal with, especially if
the problem is severe and then, often the droppings are covered in a mucus.
Diarrhea can be caused by too much fruit, or an unusual treat that has
not previously been allowed. This is a problem that needs to be fixed as
quickly as possible, if not just for the sake of the animal becoming weak
and listless, as well as loss of weight and dehydration. Then for the mess,
with the runny droppings around the cage and also that your pet can get
dirty and may need to be cleaned up from sitting in mess.
If the droppings are only slightly soft then the best course
of treatment is half a slice of well done, verging on burnt toast. The
charcoal is good for the problem and especially if the bread is brown or
whole grain which can provide fibre to help dry up the droppings. Refrain
from allowing your pet any treats or hay and allow him only his pellets
and water, for at least 24 hours whilst administering burnt toast several
times during that period. Keep an eye on the amount of water that he is
drinking, as the problem can cause lack of appetite and willingness to
drink sometimes, so be sure to watch that he is still drinking enough.
If the case is more severe then sometimes the best thing
to do is to starve your pet for 12 hours, allowing only water and thereafter
allow only pellets and water for the next 24 hours, as well as burnt toast
during this period. To help matters you can also allow your Chinchilla
a teaspoon of live yoghurt, strawberry seems to be a favourite flavour
for chinnies. You can give two or three teaspoons of this during the 24
hour period after the starvation at various times during the day. Your
chinny will love it as well as it helping to make him better. The way in
which the live yoghurt works, is that it helps to rebalance the gut, so
that the bacteria in the gut are once again equal and not at war so to
speak. This should then sort out the diarrhea and allow things to return
to normal again. You can also administer a teaspoon of powdered glucose
in a rabbit sized water bottle during the time that your pet is under the
weather, if he appears to lack energy. The glucose will help to keep him
going whilst he is recovering and getting back to normal.
Seizures
Several reasons as to how and why Seizures in chinchillas
can occur. But firstly, how to recognise a seizure. In a Chinchilla, it
is similar to humans, being that the animal collapses and loses control
over its limbs. It can jerk violently or sometimes just flops and looks
as though it is dying and this can be very distressing to witness, so we
can only assume that it is also distressing to the animal and therefore
stop it from occurring again. A seizure will last at most for five minutes,
from beginning to end and during this time the animal must be kept calm
and secure from further injury. In the past when I have experienced this
problem I have gently, quietly held the animal, stroking it calmly and
talking to it. Whether this helps the animal I am not sure, but you can
be sure that it will help the animal remain calm and as it recovers I am
sure it will help the animal to feel better more rapidly by recognising
it is in safe hands and someone is there.
First, we have to try to find out why the animal has had
a seizure in the first place. Starvation can be a cause. You should make
sure that your Chinchilla has access to food 24 hours a day and is not
left for long periods of the day without anything to eat. This can cause
a fit as the animal senses food is on the way and cannot control its desire
to eat and starts to fit as a result of this. It can also be the case if
the animal has not eaten for a while and is then tempted by one of its
favourite treats, the desire becomes too much for him. There is no cure
for this type of seizure, other than to make sure that your pet has food
regularly throughout the day and enough to last him for a while, whilst
he is left untended and may become hungry.
The next type is over excitement or exhaustion. This can
be from playing for to long, especially if you let your pet out of the
cage each day, make sure that he has fun but does not get over excited
from racing around for too long. Or that he does not become stressed running
from people continuously trying to catch him or the presence of another
animal that frightens him for example. This is how these type of fits can
easily be avoided.
Another reason for seizures is vitamin deficiency. This can
be from an unbalanced diet. Usually as far as vitamin seizures are concerned
it is down to feeding your pet stale pellets. Pellets usually only last
six months maximum in an airtight container, before the vitamin content
is gone from them. Your pet may still eat them because he is hungry, but
it does not necessarily mean that he is getting the goodness he requires
out of them. So to avoid this problem always check your pellets date for
freshness and if you only have one or two chinnies then avoid buying it
in large quantities, buy less more often to be assured of freshness. If
you are still a little anxious that your Chinchilla is not getting enough
vitamins you can buy liquid vitamins from your chemist. The multi vitamin
type suitable for babies works well for chinchillas or obtain a special
rodent vitamin supplement in liquid form from your local vet. If you add
the required amount to a rabbit sized water bottle for two days out of
every week, then just regular fresh water for the other five days of the
week, this should be enough to keep your pet in tip top condition and avoid
any further problems.
Calcium deficiency is also another reason for seizures to
occur. This is often more common in pregnant or nursing females. Be warned
though that a severe seizure during pregnancy can often result in the unborn
young dying in the womb. Preventing calcium deficiency can be done simply
by allowing your Chinchilla a piece of cuttlefish in the cage. This is
packed full of calcium and also provides stimulation for your pet as it
busily scrapes all the soft chalk substance from the bone and gives your
chinchilla the benefit of receiving plenty of calcium at the same time.
If for some reason your pet does not take to the cuttlefish it is also
possible to buy calcium drops from the vet or from some large pet stores
and can be given orally by dropper.
Summary
The above Health problems can easily be solved by yourself
as explained. However, if things get out of control or you find the problem
to be getting worse, or other attributing symptoms are noted, then the
best course to take is to contact an experienced Vet. It is better to be
safe than sorry as far as a much loved pet is concerned and if you feel
that you cannot treat the animal, then it is best to let the experts take
over. This will make sure that your Chinchilla gets the correct treatment
and returns to health as quickly as possible. If there are other health
issues you feel would be useful to include here then please email me to
let me know, or if you require advice on any health problem, I will do
my best to answer your mails using my experience over the years of dealing
with Chinchilla health problems.
I hope that this article proves of help to you and look forward
to writing another article for you in the following issue. If you have
any ideas of topics for future articles, then feel free to send me your
suggestions.
Until the next issue....
Anjela
Mail Anjela at Crystal
Chinchillas
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