Geriatric chinchilla owners unite!

[Barbra Salas]

Hi there! We've had quite a few geriatric chinchillas and are currently dealing with some old age complications with our very first chinchilla who is still with us at almost 24. We think he can recover, as does his long time vet (who is particularly amazing,) but it has been a roller coaster of stress and relief. I just wanted to have solidarity with other senior chinnie owners. The eye issues, the fur changes, the arthritis, the gut problems and more. Roo has been amazingly healthy for most of those years. This part is hard and while we think he will recover, you never can quite tell, and I could use some support of stories from other geriatric chinchilla owners. These babies are sometimes so hard to help.

 

[Jawramik]

That's amazing that you've kept Roo happy and healthy for nearly a quarter century! When I first got my chin, I read that they could live over 20 years (which was a bit of a shock, I never would have guessed they were so long-lived when I agreed to take her in ), but it still surprises me when I actually hear about individual chins reaching such a ripe old age. I hope my girl will be with me that long! I hope Roo recovers from whatever issues he's currently experiencing.

 

[Barbra Salas]

Thank you so very much! He is actually doing a LOT better right now but requires a lot of old man care. He has let us know that he really is not ready to throw in the towel! So we will support him as much as we're able. Benebac plus (the one with Zoo on it) has really helped us maintain older chinchilla guts FYI. We had one die at 18 of a gut issue, one die at 24 from choking. It was horrible, but there were definitely a lot of other issues going on that caused that. And now Roo is almost 24. We did just lose a 5 year old who had an unknown injury from his previous home that caused a spinal cord injury ultimately. Vet said we would have had to have an MRI to know. And we had no concrete reason to do an MRI before he declined. It was very hard.

 

[Barbra Salas]

Also if that's your picture of her, she is very very cute.

 

[Jawramik]

Thank you so very much! He is actually doing a LOT better right now but requires a lot of old man care. He has let us know that he really is not ready to throw in the towel! So we will support him as much as we're able. Benebac plus (the one with Zoo on it) has really helped us maintain older chinchilla guts FYI. We had one die at 18 of a gut issue, one die at 24 from choking. It was horrible, but there were definitely a lot of other issues going on that caused that. And now Roo is almost 24. We did just lose a 5 year old who had an unknown injury from his previous home that caused a spinal cord injury ultimately. Vet said we would have had to have an MRI to know. And we had no concrete reason to do an MRI before he declined. It was very hard.

Wow, it sounds like you're definitely doing something right if you're getting multiple chins into their late teens and 20s. Glad to hear that Roo is doing better! I'll definitely keep Benebac in mind, I've heard those sorts of supplements can be helpful. Do you give it to younger chins, or is it really only necessary/helpful as they start to get older? I know gut issues are one of the most common health issues chins can experience.

Yes, that's my girl Margaret in my little icon photo. I've had her for about 2 years....though I think it's getting closer to 3 years now. Time flies! She's my first chin, though I've wanted a chinchilla since I was about 6 years old, so she's sort of a childhood dream come true. She was one of those rescues where it just seemed like it was meant to be. I'm completely in love with her, she's a total sweetheart. I hope she lives as long as Roo and your other elderly chins!

 

[Barbra Salas]

I saw chinchillas as a child too and always wanted one! And all FIVE of them have been rescues that kind of just fell into our laps! I have had a lot of chinchillas and taken care of various ones as an animal care professional for over 20 years. (I am no longer in animal care.) So that's how I came to pick up a lot of stuff.

No you don't need Benebac until they get older. We usually see a decline in poop quality and quantity sometime in the mid to late teens. That's when we start adding one click of Benebac Plus (the best one has "Zoo" in green on it and we usually get it from Chewy) a week or once every other day. Then we increase as we see quality decline. By the time they are very very old (20's) they are usually on Benebac twice a day. But as with anything, consulting with a vet who knows what they're doing is crucial because you never know what else might be going on. But it has helped us to avoid a lot of awful. Now Roo is on that and Cisapride and critical care supplementation probably for the rest of his sweet little life. Happy to do it as long as he's happy, and it's sustainable.

 

[*Amber*]

Congrats on taking such great care of Roo. I had one that was 21. He had an eye ulcer thet I had to keep putting medicine in. He was blind but would still get in his wheel lol. Then one day I noticed his breathing wasn’t right. And had to put him down. Not sure what had set in he didn’t have any discharge but I knew it was time. He fought me getting into the carrier to go to the vet which still breaks my heart to this day. By the time we got to the vets he didn’t want treats and it was time. I stayed in my room for 2 weeks and cried. 21 years is a long time of memories with that little fuzz butt and I had also went through a bad time in my life and he would always make me laugh. Go Roo!!! We love hearing about geriatric chins living their best lives.

 

[Barbra Salas]

Oh man I am SO sorry. It is truly so very painful. And yes, you get it. 21 years is a very long time. Roo has been in our lives for almost 23. He is such an integral part of the family. My son grew up with him and considers him like a little fuzzy brother. It will hurt a lot to lose him when it's time. He's holding his own and improving bit by bit right now. I can't imagine he has a lot of years left but we will cherish the ones we have!