Can a chinchilla break her tail?

[ScribbledJoy]

I have a five month old female who has been a total busybody for the two months I've owned her. During our daily five minute playtime two days ago, she seemed perfectly normal. Yesterday we didn't get to playtime, but she wasn't acting out of the ordinary in her cage.
But today, I bring her out for playtime and she's agitated, constantly biting very hard at the base of her tail (she's always been a bit of a fur biter, but not this hard and not usually around her tail this much). She doesn't really try to jump up onto the furniture now, and mostly hops around on the ground. When I try to pick her up or touch her back right side or tail, she makes the angry bark and I back away. When I coaxed her onto my shoulder, she sat very still for a few minutes (NEVER HAPPENS) and would let me lightly pet her and feel around gently. Even watching her in her cage now, she's not trying to get on any of her favorite perches and her eyes seem perpetually half-closed (in pain?). There seems to be a kink in her tail, right near the base.
I'm worried, especially since there's going to be this huge snowstorm tomorrow and everything, including the vet's office, is going to be closed. What do I do??

 

[tunes]

Yes, you can injure the tail. You can actually pull it apart, which is why we say to never pick a chin up by the tip of the tail. She is obviously in pain and it sounds like she injured it or the area around it somehow.

Can you confine her to a smaller cage until the storm blows through? Make sure she's eating and drinking. If you have her on shavings, consider putting her on fleece so you can really monitor her poops to make sure that is going well. Mark her water bottle when you fill it to see if she is drinking. Then as soon as you can, get her checked at the vet. If the storm doesn't hit this morning, get her in now. If it did hit, keep her confined so she isn't jumping around and doing more damage until you know what is going on.

 

[Riven]

I agree with Peggy, if a chin is in enough pain they will chew the affected limb (tail) off! Make sure she doesn't self mutilate until you can make sure it's re-set and get her some pain meds.

 

[ArmyWife]

If she starts self mutilating, you may need to make a e-collar for her