Can anyone please give me their opinions on my baby girl??

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missjess10475

missjess10475

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 24, 2010
Messages
194
Location
Huron, Ohio
I have mentioned this in a different post, but didn't think it was as serious as I do now. My baby girl, Capri, she's 3 months old (born August 29). When I got her from the breeder, she was 292 grams and quite healthy. Thriving and playing all the time. I brought her home November 1. Today is the 19th and she is down to 208 grams. She doesn't eat and has steadily been losing weight. I was putting her in the playpen tonight for play time when I realized she barely weighs anything! I notice her eating pellets (Tradition...same as what breeder fed her) here and there and hay (Oxbox Timothy), but not a whole lot. So, tonight I ground up some pellets pretty fine and cut up timothy hay...mixed it together and added some distilled water to make it soft. I put her in a carrier with the door open and I sat with her until she wouldn't eat anymore. I was surprised, she actualy ate quite a bit.
My question is, should I keep doing this a couple times a day and see if she starts gaining? Or should I get her to a vet? I found one near me, but not sure if they carry Critical Care, which I'm assuming she needs. I looked on the Oxbow site and found a vet that carries their products. I'm calling in the morning to see if they have it. I know some members here sell it, but I feel I need it now.
Is it a good sign that she did eat? I just needed to soften it for her. I'm willing to feed her a few times a day this way if it will help. She's such a sweet baby. I don't want to lose her!
 
I would want a vet to check her teeth, at least. The fact that she ate everything ground up but won't eat much when it's full sized would make me want at least a baseline on her teeth to have something to compare to in a few months.

If it turns out she needs Critical Care, check the classified section here. There are a few rescues etc. that sell it that list here, but you might also get it at a feed store like Tractor Supply or larger pet stores. :)
 
I doubt a 3 month old has tooth issues, unless she was dropped and landed on her face, which you "should" have noticed right away. Didn't she have a pretty bad bout with diarrhea? It's very possible she has an infection going on that your vet missed, or that just didn't show up at the particular time you took her to the vet.

Was she in with another chin? Could she not be eating because she's being bullied? Did you put her in a monstrous big cage? Ryerson's runs are tiny, pretty much the smallest run you can get. If you took her from her mom, in a tiny little cage, and then shove her into a FN, the stress alone could be causing her to lose weight. Not all chins make the adjustment easily, and kits can make it the hardest. Does she have a wheel? A kit that size should not have a wheel, IMO. I think it takes too much away from their bodies.

Don't give her run time. She's losing weight. Whether it's from a parasite or from stress, she needs all the calories her body can produce. Allowing her to run around is not going to help with that. Until you get a handle on what is going on, keep her in her cage.

Menagerie sells Critical Care through her rescue. It's always good to have on hand anyway, but in this case, I would start using it. The problem is, you don't want her to become dependent on it. She needs her teeth to develop normally, and with her so young, if you start shoving soft food at her it could hamper her tooth growth.

I think if it was me, I would try giving her the dry formula that a lot of us use for weanlings or kits in with mom who need a boost. If you check the FAQ regarding kit care, the dry formula is there. Again, since she left mom so early, it would be worth a shot to me to offer the dry formula.
 
I was thinking the same way about her teeth. She makes this weird sound that sounds like us grinding our teeth, but I assumed at such a young age, she wouldn't be having teeth problems.
She has not had any diarrhea.
I didn't buy her at the Ryerson's. I bought another baby (Penelope) from the Ryerson's and she's thriving wonderfully! See, I used to have 2 girls, Chubs and Sabrina. They didn't get along at all, so I seperated them and put a different girl in with each. They all seemed to get along great that way. I bought Capri from a private small breeder. She was in a divided FN 142, just like she is here. The breeder fed her Tradition, just like I do. I thought Capri and Sabrina were getting along great unti last night, I stayed up much later than usual and I watched Sabrina snap at Capri every time she tried to drink from the water bottle. I was hitting the ball and making water come out and poor Capri was trying to lick it up off the floor and Sabrina even snapped at her for that. So, I put Capri in the cage right next to her with Chubs and Penelope. (Chubs IS a girl, we just named her when we thought she was a he, and the name stuck lol) After I put Capri in the other cage, I sat and watched her drink from the water bottle for a half hour! She was so thirsty! I had no idea Sabrina had been preventing her from drinking or I would have seperated them already!
She does not have a wheel. The only one of my chins that has a wheel is Wilson. He's my big boy! I will not give her run time for a while. Here I thought it would do her good to get out and play with the other girls.
I am going over to the FAQ section right now to get the dry formula. She seems to be getting along well with Chubs and Penelope. They're all small now so they're not too crowded. Not sure what to do when they all get older. Don't think all 3 of them will have room in that one half of a FN! I'll worry about getting her healthy now though. Thanks for your advice!
 
That's an easy answer then. She was most likely being bullied and not allowed to eat and drink. Usually females take little ones under their wing, but there is that odd female that just seems to hate everybody. That's the one you'll have to keep a single to prevent fighting from happening.

I'm glad this isn't the one who had diarrhea and that she has started thriving for you.
 
I thought she was taking her under her wing! I have so many pictures of them cuddling together in their corner. Sabrina seemed to treat her like she was her own baby. I had no idea this was going on. I usually fo to bed around 10 pm. Last night I was up til after midnight and that's when I saw this going on.
I'm watching Capri right now. She's the only one awake! Usually she's half out of it and asleep! She's eating some pellets right now. Should I still give her the dry formula to try and get some weight on her, or should I just see how she does for a couple days?

The baby that had diarhhea a couple weeks ago, yeah I think it was because of the supplement. She has had no more loose poops and is gaining weight great! She's gotten so big already! She's actualy bigger than Capri, and she's 3 weeks younger! Poor Capri!

Thank you for all your help too! I really appreciate it.
 
I would not make any changes to her diet at this time. She may have been afraid to eat. See how she does without the other chin around. Give her plenty of water, pellets and hay. She may start gaining healthy weight quickly.

If she doesn't start gaining weight or continues to lose weight after a few days then consider adding something or changing her diet.
 
I agree with Cathy. I would just stick with the normal diet. I thought this was the youngster, but since it's one that is being bullied, it's very possible just getting her away from the bullier will be enough for her to get back on track again.
 
It wasn't enough. She had multiple seizures tonight. I thought she was going to pass away. I was in tears and a complete mess. I live in a small town and I had no vet to call. I called one a half hour away. They said they only deal with chins after hours for emergency euthanasia. I told her "Are you kidding me?? I'm trying to save her, not kill her!" I got ahold of the breeder I bougth her from and she calmed me down. I called a different animal hospital a half hour in the other direction. The nurse called the vet, who she connected to me. He said it sounded very much like a case of hypoglycemia. He told me to put a couple drops of karo syrup in her mouth and keep her in a very small space for the next week or 2, where she can't get exercise. She's basically malnurished.
I feel horrid. I should have done something sooner, but I just didn't realize how bad it was. I'm so mad at myself. I'm as overprotective of these chins. Now I feel like I wasn't overprotective enough.
I have her in my Ryerson carrier right now. She's eating pellets very well in there. I have her water bottle attached too, and 1 alfalfa cube in there. I'm going to get a very small hampster like cage tomorrow morning. Vet said no exercise at all.
I'm so scared, and feel like garbage for not realizing sooner. Praying she makes it through the night. I'm sure I'll be up numerous times checking on her.
 
You are doing everything you can now for her, please don't beat yourself up and try to stay positive for her.
 
Weigh her every day and keep a log. How much is she now? You should notice her weight going up now that she is getting food & water. Isolating her is a good idea at this point, just give her a little extra attention ;)
 
Poor baby! I hope she makes it for you. I agree with Sandi, don't beat yourself up. You sound like a devoted chin mom. I am thinking good thoughts for you and your little girl.
 
MissJess - Something you need to realize is that chins hide EVERY illness they have until it's almost too late. It's instinctual for them, a way for them to stay safe from every predator in the area. Since she's so young, and apparently malnourished, I would guess the bullying has been going on since the time you put them together, and/or, the stress of leaving mom played a part in it as well. You're trying to take care of her, you made immediate adjustments when you found out what was going on, that's all you can do at this point.

I do want to say for other new owners reading this thread, that this is one of the main reasons that when people come to me looking for a "cute little baby to bond with" that I try very hard to steer them to 5 months or older chins. Kits are not fun. They can take a turn for the worse for absolutely no reason. They are so little, their immune systems seem to be not fully developed yet, and they just have nothing to draw on. When they are little like that, I know they are cute and everybody thinks they will bond more for some reason than adults, but kits can be a complete PIA, especially for a new owner.
 
tunes said:
I do want to say for other new owners reading this thread, that this is one of the main reasons that when people come to me looking for a "cute little baby to bond with" that I try very hard to steer them to 5 months or older chins. Kits are not fun. They can take a turn for the worse for absolutely no reason. They are so little, their immune systems seem to be not fully developed yet, and they just have nothing to draw on. When they are little like that, I know they are cute and everybody thinks they will bond more for some reason than adults, but kits can be a complete PIA, especially for a new owner.
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Excellent points - this is also one reason why quarantine is so vitally important for new chins, especially youngsters. I know it is tempting to pop them in with an older chin so that they can bond but it is more important to be able to assess whether the kit is eating, drinking, & (most importantly) thriving before pairing them up.
Quarantine on their own in a different room is about more than just cross infection - it is about getting to know your new chinchilla & their habits so that you can pick up on problems/issues quickly.
 
She made it through the night. I kept her in my Ryerson carrier just for the night, with some food and a water bottle. I got up and checked on her in the middle of the night, and early this morning. I ran and got a different carrier to keep her in for the next couple weeks. She has room to walk around, but not much! It's only about 15 x 10. She has food, water. and an alfalfa cube in there. I watched her for a while and she's still having trouble with one of her legs. She falls over here & there. She looks better today than she did yesterday for sure!
I'm not sure if I messed up on her weight or not yesterday because I weighed her today and she was 304 grams. Either way, she was losing quite a bit of weight. She's eating quite a bit now though, so hopefully she'll make a full recovery. If she doesn't, then I guess she'll just need special care,a nd that's fine with me. I love her to pieces.

Thank you, everyone, for all your help. I appreciate it very much!!
 
Sorry Christy. I never checked back to this thread so I didn't notice your question! Capri has recovered completely. As of last Tuesday, she was up to 330 grams. She hops all over the place and eats like a piggie! She is still in with my other 2 girls for now and that's going fine. I have the bullying chin (Sabrina) caged alone in the bottem of my FN. So, she's right next to the other 3 girls, but can't prevent them from eating! Funny, after I removed Capri from the cage, Sabrina actually started eating more also.
Capri regained complete use of her legs and hasn't had any more seizures. I'm so happy I didn't lose her!
 
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