Chinchilla losing hair around face

[Jjprana]

Hi all,
My chinchilla has been losing hair around his face for 4 weeks now. We took him to the vet two weeks ago and they ruled out ringworm. They gave us a medicine to apply to his bald spots every day. It just seems to be getting worse and not better.

I believe the problem could be his teeth but they would need to put him under to verify that. We have been looking for any other explanation but can't anything. Does anyone have any other idea what could be the issue? His hair is never really wet around his mouth. There are hard stiff spots and balying spots.

If the problem is his teeth, is there a chance for him to recover from that? Most of what I've researched online has said there's no cure and to put a chin down so they are not living in pain. Any information would be helpful.

 

[Narcissus]

Is the chin drooling? Where exactly on the face is it missing hair?

No, teeth issues can not be cured. Maloculison can be treated, but in the end the chin suffers and must be put down. Root elogation can not be treated and is a very painful death.

But generally missing fur on the face my first thought is fungus... easy enough to treat

 

[tunes]

Is he eating normally? If he's eating normally and not losing weight, it might not be his teeth. The only way to know for sure though is to have him anesthetized and get x-rays done.

As mentioned above though, maloclussion cannot be cured. Some people spend money on filing their teeth to extend their lives, and for some it works for a while, but eventually the filings get closer and closer together and the end result is the same. I do know of someone who only has to have her chin's teeth done once or twice year and he is healthy and happy otherwise, so for now she continues with that plan.

My first step would be to get the x-ray to be sure it's not teeth. If those are negative, try getting some Blu-Kote. It's messy. Your chin is going to look like an alien. You need to be super careful not to get it on you or surrounding surfaces or it will turn you violet. Get the kind with a dauber that you can apply to where your chin is losing hair and see if that helps. You would have to do it 5 days in a row, twice a day, morning and night. Just a light coat, you don't have to drown him. If it's fungus, that will help. If it's not, what about allergies? Anything new? Do you use fleece items in the cage that might be affected by fabric softener or detergent?