What are your thoughts about quarentine?

So I will (hopefully!) be bringing home a new addition next month and I'm in the process of establishing a game plan (i.e. quarantine, chinros... the whole process). It seems that the rule of thumb for the quarantine period is 30 days.

Now, since I come from a science background (biology, and I specialize in infectious and zoonotic diseases) I can't just settle for "30 days" without an explanation. Where did this figure come from? Why? Does anyone know? Or has this become a superstitious habit like throwing salt over your shoulder when you've spilt it?

The mammalian immune system launches it's secondary immune response within 7-14 days (secondary meaning the production of antibodies among other things). It would make sense to wait the 2-week period to see if anything appears wrong, but 30 days seems a bit overkill. I must be missing some other information. Are there other, non-disease based reasons for quarantine?

Most chin illnesses will show up within the first two weeks after bringing the chin home. However, ringworm for example, has an incubation period of anywhere from a few days to a month and it often takes some time before it is noticeable.

The quarantine period is also to monitor the chin to ensure he is adjusting well before bringing him into a room or cage with another chinchilla who may potentially stress him further. Food and water intake should be monitored as well as urine and feces.

Okay. Thats what I figured.

Wouldn't ringworm be noticiable in the breeders herd? (If it was present at all?)

kogia said:

Okay. Thats what I figured.

Wouldn't ringworm be noticiable in the breeders herd? (If it was present at all?)

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If it has just started or you don't notice an infected animal it could be very easy to miss.

Or has this become a superstitious habit like throwing salt over your shoulder when you've spilt it?

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You've nailed it.

Wouldn't ringworm be noticiable in the breeders herd? (If it was present at all?)

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Nope, I firmly believe certain strains of it are carried in chins.

Chins will go for years without it, some are repeat offenders, it comes and goes. Babies are the most likely to get it if you have an outbreak.

I don't quarantine, there is no effective way to do it if you keep them in the same building. As far as ringworm goes the spores live in everything for decades, it's kind of moot to attempt to rid your stuff of it.

I do wipe the cages of the incoming chins down with vinegar a week before they arrive.

If I'm getting a chin from a reputable source, such as a breeder, then I'm not likely to quarantine. I trust the breeders I buy from to not sell me a sick animal. Also, look at chin shows. You have hundreds of chins from dozens of breeders in one room with no quarantine what so ever.

However, if I'm rescuing an animal from somewhere I don't know, then yes, I'm going to quarantine to the best of my ability to make sure the chin is healthy before introducing it to the rest of my guys.

There are (should be) several reasons for quarantine including monitoring a new chin for signs of illness, food/fluid intake (transition problems), baseline bodily functions (urine and faecal output), as well as temperament, behaviour, and disposition etc.

Some people dismiss quarantine as an unnecessary but there have been cases of herds being devastated by longer-term gut problems such as giardia which were brought in by new chins. Ringworm is the most commonly touted problem but it is by no means the only potential "threat" to an established herd.

There are (should be) several reasons for quarantine including monitoring a new chin for signs of illness, food/fluid intake (transition problems), baseline bodily functions (urine and faecal output), as well as temperament, behaviour, and disposition etc.

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You can do all that and keep the animal(s) in the same barn as the rest of your guys. I agree they should be in separate cages and watched but short of a body suit and full decontamination chamber with ventilation the traditional separate room quarantine is pointless. People's houses have only one ventilation system - if it is airborne, consider it passed.

There are a few things like bordetella that are passed by fluids (sneezing). Chins I've known that have gotten it have not survived 24 hours, not a whole lot you can do there.

Giardia is an issue with chins because they pass and eat theirs (and others) poo. If they're within poo flinging range it'll go through your herd. If you touch the poo you can infect yourself and others. Here it is often a contaminant in the water supply, I've been buying and using cyst-reducing filters as I don't enjoy getting it either.

Spoof said:

Here it is often a contaminant in the water supply, I've been buying and using cyst-reducing filters as I don't enjoy getting it either.

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You arn't kidding-I had it for a month after I visited Equador...ugh...


Anywho, all this info is very helpful! Thanks.

Kind of OT but easier than starting a new thread: When quarantining, how often should you clean the cages? I know I clean my chin's cage bi-weekly, but if I ever decide to get another chin ( which is a no brainer, really ) should I clean it more often, or the same?

Spoof said:

You can do all that and keep the animal(s) in the same barn as the rest of your guys. I agree they should be in separate cages and watched but short of a body suit and full decontamination chamber with ventilation the traditional separate room quarantine is pointless. People's houses have only one ventilation system - if it is airborne, consider it passed.

There are a few things like bordetella that are passed by fluids (sneezing). Chins I've known that have gotten it have not survived 24 hours, not a whole lot you can do there.

Giardia is an issue with chins because they pass and eat theirs (and others) poo. If they're within poo flinging range it'll go through your herd. If you touch the poo you can infect yourself and others. Here it is often a contaminant in the water supply, I've been buying and using cyst-reducing filters as I don't enjoy getting it either.

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I agree with some of the above but not all of it - from a UK perspective we do not have too many problems with giardia in contaminated water supplies.
Some of us also have the ability to "quarantine" in a totally different environment from our herds - for example some people choose to quarantine their chins in the house before moving them into the shed/garage (or the other way around).

I also disagree that traditional quarantine is "pointless" - if keeping chins separate means that owners monitor new chins more carefully, increase basic hygiene (hand washing after feeding, handling the chin etc), and get to know their new chins then that is a good thing which benefits the animals.

Of course full quarantine will never be possible in a home setting (that's a ridiculous suggestion anyway) however there are basic precautions which can be taken the reduce the risks of spread of possible infection. That is what "quarantine" (as the term is bandied about in the chinchilla world) is about - basic "infection prevention & control".


A few years ago a UK breeder imported some chinchillas from Europe - they did not observe quarantine and within 3 months approximately 1/2 of their herd was dead, including some of their best breeders, favorites, and the majority of the new chins ....................

I think the IDEA of quarantine is good. However, IMO, and as several others have posted to do it effectively is almost not possible unless you have a separate shed/house/garage/barn, and even at that factor in human error of not washing their hands, etc and your quarantine is not really a quarantine. When I started rescuing I consulted several members here, and several vets about quarantine and the effectiveness and necessity and the consensus was the same- since I was going to do this from my home, then there was no true reason to do it because of our ventilation system.
As to the comments about quarantining an animal to observe it for transitional purposes rather than just for illness I guess I have a different opinion. As a responsible breeder/owner/rescuer IMO it is your job to know the habits of your animals-and to understand the common "side-effects" of bringing a new animal home. Most of us know that our animals, especially the new one, will be most likely be stressed by introducing something new to their environment (whether its a new pet, or baby, or a new environment entirely), and we know what to watch for. If you are observing all of your animals on a daily basis then you will notice when a chin isn't eating, isn't pooping, isn't drinking, is fur chewing etc... and you should notice this whether or not the new animal is alone or if it's in the same area as your existing animals. I understand that some of the larger breeders may not be able to observe 100+ animals on a daily basis, but I would bet most of them do at least a quick glance and would notice anything big. I also understand that there are certain illnesses that are difficult to detect and could spread to a whole herd quickly and really cause some serious problems. But again IMO most of the cases of this that I have read probably could have been caught in time, but it just wasn’t either by the new owner, or the old owner, or by a vet.

IMO you can never do a true quarantine unless you have a totally separate area that doesn't even share the same air.

That said, I do a 30 day quarantine whenever I bring a new chinchilla into my house. Not only to do my best at keeping an unhealthy animal away from my other chins, but it also gives the new chin time to adapt. It can get use to me, the new noises of the house and it's new cage, food and toys. I also find that this is a good time to start a bond with the new chin.

I usually do quarantine in my bedroom so the chin may hear the other chin in my other room but isn't brought into a room full of new chins.

Wow.... Battle, BATTLE!!!! Everyone here has contributed excellent points, from breeders, international breeders, to rescuers/owners.

This will definitely wind up like the "Choice of Feed" debate... There will be no end.

I think it all comes down to probability of risk. How much risk one perceives, and how much risk they are willing to accept in the gain of time, convenience, and possibly money.
For those that make a business of this, it may serve them better to keep Quarantine to a minimum or none at all. And for hobby breeders, rescuers/owners they may have more time and resources to focus on long term care.
I think we can all agree...
Good hygiene when handling the animals & the hygiene of the animals themselves.
Good clean sources of feed, hay, water.
Cleanliness of environment, including their cage and surroundings.

Any thing short of these is increasing risk, and bordering animal neglect.
Because no doubt there are people that would say that cutting back on food, cages, and care saved more money than a few hundred dead animals. Look at Global Exotics!

TheNobleFight said:

Wow.... Battle, BATTLE!!!!

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There is no "battle" here: just constructive discussion - which is what this forum is about. Please don't stir up dissent where there is none.

illowfight:As to the comments about quarantining an animal to observe it for transitional purposes rather than just for illness I guess I have a different opinion. As a responsible breeder/owner/rescuer IMO it is your job to know the habits of your animals-and to understand the common "side-effects" of bringing a new animal home. Most of us know that our animals, especially the new one, will be most likely be stressed by introducing something new to their environment (whether its a new pet, or baby, or a new environment entirely), and we know what to watch for. If you are observing all of your animals on a daily basis then you will notice when a chin isn't eating, isn't pooping, isn't drinking, is fur chewing etc... and you should notice this whether or not the new animal is alone or if it's in the same area as your existing animals. I understand that some of the larger breeders may not be able to observe 100+ animals on a daily basis, but I would bet most of them do at least a quick glance and would notice anything big. I also understand that there are certain illnesses that are difficult to detect and could spread to a whole herd quickly and really cause some serious problems. But again IMO most of the cases of this that I have read probably could have been caught in time, but it just wasn’t either by the new owner, or the old owner, or by a vet.

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Sinfulcindylou I agree with your post for the most part - except that it is the ideal (just like the idea of "proper" quarantine) - not everyone does know how chins will be affected (if at all) by new environments and pets owners certainly may not. Also chins are vastly different in how they react and it is only through experience that one gains the knowledge to spot abnormal behaviour when chins have different characters and behaviours. This is anecdotally backed up by any number of posts on this and other forums from new owners who have "problems" with their new chinchillas and they are not sure what is going on either behaviourally or in some basic health aspects .............

Generally I'd say once you've had a good number of chins for a while you can walk into your chin room and you just "know" one of the chins is a bit off - no-one can teach you that or explain exactly what that sense is but it's definitely there - again, the more inexperienced or pets owners don't necessarily have that "spider sense" and so, again, "quarantine" (in it's broadest sense) is beneficial for both the animals and the owners as it brings into focus the health and behaviour of the animals and hones the observational skills of the owner too.

BTW I have friends who run the UK's biggest dedicated chinchilla rescue - they have a separate quarantine room & have been advised by their very chinchilla competent vet that is the right way to go - so everyone has a different take on quarantine.

I also think there's a massive difference in what is practical for ranchers, rescues, "hobby" breeders, and pet owners - most of what is discussed in this thread would be totally impractical for a rancher or larger hobby breeder but that does not mean one opinion or perspective is right and another is wrong, does it?

very helpful & interesting thread.

sounds like one of the main health concerns is the ringworm. i always do a 30 day quarantine because that is what i have read here to do and will continue to do so. BUT while i have the attention of people: What are the signs of ringworm (aside from the visual ring)? Where on the body is it usually found? What are the treatment options.

Thanks. I just like to be prepared (plus i am bored at work. lol)

I have a room with the vents shut off when there are rescues in it, it has it's own air conditioning system so that the air doesn't mix too much with the other rooms. That actually works pretty well. I clean up the chins in there separately and make sure that they have different dust. I don't mix anything between my chins and the rescues in quarantine. They are quarantined regardless of if they look sick or not. A healthy looking chin can spread strep or other disease to a herd in no time.

I think quarantine is important even if it means that the chins don't come into contact with each other's droppings for a month or more. Even keeping them at a distance is going to lessen the likelihood of anyone getting sick.

The other aspect is that it can be downright stressful for a chin to be in a new place with too many other chins around or being placed with another chin. Quarantine for three weeks will ensure that a chin will be acclimated to the environment before being forced to deal with a whole new stress of a cagemate or being around other chins for maybe playtime or having chins run around that chin's cage.

I think that there can be varying degrees of quarantine. I watch rescues here for a minimum of a month before they can go anywhere. So in a sense I have quarantined them for disease for the sake of new owners. But, when the chin gets to a new owner's house he should be allowed to acclimate before being forced to be around a new chin or have playtime.

I think it's important for there to be a procedure when new chins are brought in no matter what the environment is like. For my customers I instruct that the chins should stay in their cages for a week before being taken out for playtime. (I know people don't follow my advice sometimes...) The reason isn't because of disease transmission in that case, it's that I want the chin to not be stressed out and make an easier transition to a new home. I want for the chins to not be terrified of their new owners and a surefire way to mess things up is to let them out and then chase the chins all over the place stressing them and making them hate people!

Interesting - is it routine in the US to have houses with air heating and/or built-in air conditioning?

AZChins said:

The other aspect is that it can be downright stressful for a chin to be in a new place with too many other chins around or being placed with another chin. Quarantine for three weeks will ensure that a chin will be acclimated to the environment before being forced to deal with a whole new stress of a cagemate or being around other chins for maybe playtime or having chins run around that chin's cage.

I think that there can be varying degrees of quarantine. I watch rescues here for a minimum of a month before they can go anywhere. So in a sense I have quarantined them for disease for the sake of new owners. But, when the chin gets to a new owner's house he should be allowed to acclimate before being forced to be around a new chin or have playtime.

I think it's important for there to be a procedure when new chins are brought in no matter what the environment is like. For my customers I instruct that the chins should stay in their cages for a week before being taken out for playtime. (I know people don't follow my advice sometimes...) The reason isn't because of disease transmission in that case, it's that I want the chin to not be stressed out and make an easier transition to a new home. I want for the chins to not be terrified of their new owners and a surefire way to mess things up is to let them out and then chase the chins all over the place stressing them and making them hate people!

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Just curious and looking for opinions- So would you say overall it's better to put a chin thru two series of stressful events rather than one? Introducing them to your home and that new environment, and then after they have settled down, introducing them to yet another environment? Just curious.

I also held onto my chins for a minimum 30 days before I would rehome them, most went to the vet just for a check up for my own sake and I didn't share dust. All of my chins have their own containers. And new owners were given instructions of how to care for their chins when they got them home, but again we're talking about people and once the chins leave your care, no matter how much those people said they understood, or how many questions they could answer about chins and their care, once they get home you never know if they will do what they said or what they were advised to do.

And yes I agree that not every person, especially new owners, is going to know what to look for. However, if we are talking about quarantine, then a new owner would only be quarantining if they were introducing another animal, which means they would already have one, and hopefully they would be responsible and would have done reasearch and they would know what to look for when they do bring home a new animal. I do see a lot of new owners that come and ask questions because they can't figure out what is wrong w/ their chin, but I think in most cases they usually are asking about a single chin, not the new chin they introduced. (or they are asking on how to actually introduce the new chin). Again tho, I will stress there is tons of room for human error and having run a rescue I know that peopler are NOT responsible most of the time and DONT do the research required (IMO) to own a pet, or even better there are the people that do the research, know the hazards, and still do things their own way. Which in the end is what we're all talking about here. We all know the risks involved if we don't quarantine, but everyone is going to do things the way they think is best

I agree with most everything that has been said, ideally quarantine is logical. Just not always practical or obtainable given the environment.

Interesting - is it routine in the US to have houses with air heating and/or built-in air conditioning?

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North = Heating 8 months, no a/c or air circulation in the summer.
Midwest = heating & a/c runs half and half.
South = a/c runs 8-10 months, people often do not have heat = no circulation in the winter.

It is common in the north and south to only heat or a/c the main room via fireplace or window unit.

Central systems only circulate when they're on, so it's an interesting point.

The unit in my barn looks like it was attacked by chewbacca, I haven't found a way to get the built up fur off of the vent/coils. I even surrounded the thing with XXX sized nylons and bought him a 2' x 2' HEPA buddy to assist with fur collection. Downside to window units.

For those that make a business of this, it may serve them better to keep Quarantine to a minimum or none at all. And for hobby breeders, rescuers/owners they may have more time and resources to focus on long term care.

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That be the truth.