How old is Sage & how much does she weigh?
From what I can see in those photos she has an are of callus developing on the outside edge of her right foot. This is indicative of abnormal pressure being put on that area of her foot (there can be a number of reasons for this) & may be happening when she is walking &/or when she is resting/sitting.
In layman's terms it is a bit like us developing an area of rough skin on the heel or on the inside edge of our big toe when we walk - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callus
It is very difficult to alter the chinchilla's gait (how they walk) to reduce the pressure being put on the foot so it is a case of trying to repair what you can, keep everything very clean, & monitor the area for signs of infection or ulceration. IMHO callus formation is the precursor to bumblefoot - chins with callus often develop ulceration under the hardened skin.
In humans we can have insoles put in our shoes to stop us putting more pressure on the area - that reduces the callus formation but obviously you can't give chins footwear.
I would use some bag balm to keep the skin from cracking BUT you have to balance keeping the skin supple with overdoing it so that the skin is too soft to provide a good walking surface. Skin on the foot is designed to be tough so making it soft can be counter productive.
The other important thing is to keep the cage scrupulously clean - all surfaces & change the chin's "toilet" area daily so she can't sit in damp shavings.
Hmmm..... :hmm: That is pretty young & light to have a foot which is showing signs of callus already. I'd make sure the cage floor is spotless, the shavings changed daily where she pees, she has different shapes & ares for walking/sitting on to relieve the pressure, & make sure she has plenty of exercise outside of her cage - watch the way she sits & walks to see if she walks on the outside edge of the right back foot.Sage is about a year and a half and about 600 give or take grams
I'm not sure if it would help, but I remember someone setting up their chin's cage with mostly natural branches in different shapes for perches to help with the callouses so that way they aren't resting on one spot of their feet all the time. Maybe that's something you could do?
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