Unsure about hair loss around eye!

[Azalea]

My chinchilla, Zia, his suffering from hair loss around her eye. She has had this before and i was given some ointment for it and it cleared right up, however it's back and getting progressively worse. It does look a little flaky, so I suspect that it's fungus. I also noticed a tad bit hair loss on her nose and immediately though teeth problems, but shes not drooling or wet, and is still eating food and chewing on wood pieces like a normal chin would. What are your opinions? I have a vet appt on Monday, but I feel like that's too late (the balt spot is smaller than the average pinky fingernail).

I cant get a pic, but here are some facts that might be helpful:
I recieved her in 2008 from a neighbor who no longer wanted her. I have no info on her past and is seems like she was abused in the home before my neighbors. She was super skittish and didnt respond to noise well, but she is better now. Shes at least four years old (i recieved her in 2008).

Front teeth are fine, xray can only tell about the back.
She eats her food oddly. She only bites part of the pellets off, but she has been doing this for years and was healthy so i didnt think anything of it.
I swear she never sleeps during the day. She always has her eyes open.
Poop is also still normal.

Any opinions?

 

[lilchinchilla]

It does sound like fungus. Fungus can cause eye infections, baldness around the eyes, nose, or any areas on the body that may have moisture like those areas do.

Without a picture to see, I couldn't say 100% however, but what you describe does sound like fungus. It can create flaky skin, bald patches; some fungus strains can even cause bleeding and cracked skin where it is bald.

You could opt to wait to see the vet and have the fur around the bald areas cultured to see if it is fungus (or use a black light. Some fungus will glow under black light and some you have to culture, depending on the strain.).

Or you could choose to treat it now, with tinactin foot powder (1 tsp to one cup of dust in the dust bath.). If you do treat it before the vet visit, the fungus will more than likely not show up in a culture or black light because you are treating it.

 

[Azalea]

Thanks for your input! This comforts me a lot, I was thinking the worst possible situation. I'll still take her to the vet, but in the mean time I will buy some tinactin foot powder.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Just a little FYI, chinchillas can sleep with their eyes open.

 

[Azalea]

@Cuddlebug
Holy crap, I didn't even know that. That would explain so much.

Does anyone know approximately how much it will cost for the skin test? I know it varies, but how much did it cost for you/do you have any idea?