kit born paralyzed! LONG STORY.

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Tumbleweed1978

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Jul 8, 2013
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My 18 yr old son purchased a pair of chins from Craigslist 2 months ago. He named the girl Gordita, GiGi for short, and the boy Taquito. My son just rented a room from a friend, and is not allowed to have them, so they have fallen into my arms. According to the ad, they were a proven breeding pair of 2 yr old standard grey chins. When the woman delivered them to the house, they were in a tiny travel crate and it was kinda dark, so I didn't get a very good look at them. She said that she too, got them from Craigslist, from the original owner, who bought them both at a pet store, at the same time. The first owner was a self proclaimed "expert" breeder, and when the pair failed to produce kits, she assumed they were either infertile or just a "bad match", but did not bother to research why. I wish I knew who this woman was-I would call animal control and have her shut down! Clearly she's an idiot. Anyhow, the second owner only had them a few months, and during that time they had a single stillborn kit. She and her family are moving to Texas, and thought the move in this heat might kill them, so she sold them to us. As soon as I took them out of the travel crate I knew they were Black Velvets, not standard greys. They appeared in good health, and gorgeous! I knew about the lethal gene, and was horrified to think that the breeder was uneducated enough to intentionally bond these two, or that she could not tell what color they were! I separated them immediately, but of course she was already pregnant, having been back-bred right after her last stillborn. The second owner knew even less about breeding than the first, and had no idea she would go into heat right away, or that she should have a break between pregnancies. I'm really glad I ended up with them and FINALLY they don't have to keep breeding unsuccessfully all the time. So, I was AMAZED when her little Black Velvet boy was born alive on 7-2-13! My son named him El Guapo. (Handsome in Spanish.) Immediately I noticed a problem. His back legs are completely crossed, and they drag behind him when he moves. However, he is nursing really well, and Mama is very attentive and protective of him. He scoots all over the floor of the cage like a pro, and does not seem to be in any pain. He sits up and rolls over without any problems, and has regular bowel movements. I really have high hopes for this little guy! I have spoken to 3 chinchilla breeders and they all agree that he was injured in-utero by humans (the previous owners) roughly handling mama during pregnancy. I am so upset to think that against all odds, he survived the lethal gene combo and still ended up this way because of some mean human.
Does anyone have experience with injured/paralyzed chins, and advice on how to modify their cage to accommodate their special needs? I have already lowered the food and water, and I will be using the smallest pyrex dish I can find for dust baths, once he's ready. At the moment GiGi (mom) and El Guapo are in a single story nursery, but eventually I hope to put El Guapo in with Taquito (dad), in his 5 ft tall mansion. I was told to build some little ramps for him, but out of what? The way his belly drags, I'm not sure what would be best. I don't want him getting rug-burn or splinters! I hope to introduce GiGi to my other two girl rescues, ChaCha (Chalupa) and MiMi (Margarita), although I don't know if they'll get along. Of course I will wait until El Guapo is weaned and moved in with daddy before I attempt to begin introductions with the ladies.
Any help, advice, or encouragement is greatly appreciated!
 
Actually, if he is paralyzed, I doubt he will breed with mom, you can most likely keep him with her. My opinion! I would feel comfortable with leaving them together.

For the ramps, well sanded soft surface pine will do the job, otherwise, you can put some nice fleece to cover it.

He was born this way knows nothing different, so he is happy ;0)
 
Urinary incontinece is going to be a issue health wise, you should do some internet research on the subject since taking care of a special needs chin will require alot of attention, use the rabbit people as a starting point by doing a search on paralyzed rabbits.
 
Someone on our forum had a kit with a leg(s) problem. Anyone remember the story? Was it Tiny Tim?

Only thing I can think of is physical therapy of some sort. Limbs in humans that do not move "curl". At the office i worked in , the limbs require life long stretch modalities. In this case, it enables care givers to dress them and move them without ended up with limbs like stone and frozen.

Wish I could offer more advice. I hope the person with the kit that had the similar problem posts here.
Glad you have a soft heart too. One day at a time. Keep up the good work.

Note: I'm on vacation or I would dig around for that story. Just not sure if it is posted here or the old forum......
 
You're thinking of my kit...Little Jimmy. I had my vet amputate both his hind legs when he was 5 weeks because he and his mother decided to try to chew them off since they were useless.

I made ramps for little Jimmy to climb up to a low shelf and he loved it. His food dish was a jar lid so that he did not have to try to climb into a bowl to get his food. The only thing I would worry about is preventing him from getting chubby. Jimmy was very happy to stuff his face and gained over 200g in about 3 weeks. My vet and I believe that the weight is what caused the stress on his organs which caused his passing.


Here is a video of him dusting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHqlGJtoNH0
 
Thank you all for your responses and encouragement! It is so nice to know I have people to talk to about this <3
I can't figure out how to upload pics from my hard drive, or I would share them!
 
In addition to what everyone else has said, I just wanted to add I would not put him in the tall cage with his dad. A chin that is paralyzed should have a longer cage instead of tall, that way if they fall they won't have very far to go.
 
Paralyzed kit/fur biting

Now Mama is chewing his fur off! She has never been a fur biter before, but I know she is stressed out by my daily handling of her baby. I want him to be friendly, and I also have been VERY gently stretching his legs out and massaging the muscles daily in hopes of strengthening and stimulating his muscles. I know he NEEDS to be handled.
Is there any way of stopping this chewing behavior??? I've read some horrible stories about kits having their paralyzed limbs chewed off by mama or THEMSELVES when they run out of fur to chew! It seems they sometimes know that the limbs don't work, and have an urge to get rid of them.
HELP!!!
 
If she is just chewing the fur I wouldn't worry but do keep and eye out for wounds! I don't think your smell should affect that?

I had a baby guinea pig with paralyzed hind legs, it was from birth asphyxia and they actually improved as he got older because it was not a spinal cord injury and eventually he could use the back legs to shuffle.

I would keep him in a low cage, maybe one set of low shelves with a ramp and I would use either a soft sawdust or fleece lining. Right now with his mom the cage should be small. My guinea pig baby couldn't keep up with mom to nurse so I had to put them in a much smaller cage so that he could keep up until weaning. If she starts to mutilate him you should probably try hand feeding. =x

GL, I hope his paralysis ends up being partial like my baby guinea's was (btw if you don't see any signs of improvement within 4 weeks that improvement isn't likely to happen)
 
Good morning Tumble.
When kits nurse and cuddle close, mom's take the down time to groom babies and rid them of waste when the are tiny. Since the baby doesn't move too much, I'm guessing she is grooming him more often than a kit who has more mobility. By day two, a healthy kit starts to test his speed running. In short bursts. Just be mindful to examine baby for possible excessive grooming, as already posted.

Your not doing anything wrong with kit removal for short periods of time. Perhaps if it made you feel better when taking the kit out of the cage, sit close by mom's cage and offer her his nose to the bar when she's calling for him. I always chuckle and tell new mothers they can have the kit back in a second. Hee hee
When you have large litters or fighting, it is common practice to rotate kits in and out. Or if you have to hand feed.
So hugs to you today!! Keep up the good works. It's not easy. We breeders have had our share of heart breaks with the young and old alike. Sorry you had this happen. Be joyful and I'm glad it's you and not a person of no moral character.


Tabitha's little one was the kit I was thinking of when I posted yesterday. She did a great job while he was here. :)

Alex
 
Thanks for your input! I don't think she is fur biting because of my scent, but just me putting my hand in the cage visibly upsets her. Right now she and the baby are in an "All Living Things" rabbit cage from Petsmart. I removed the plastic shelf and ramp, and replaced it with a wooden shelf for mama. I'm working on a way to possibly cover the plastic ramp with fleece so she won't chew on it, and to make it easier for the baby to use, although I want to wait until he is bigger before I put it in the cage. I put the shelf on the lowest bar, so if he did fall, it would only be a few inches of a drop. I have not seen any improvement in his legs, but he is really mobile without them! I am using the finest pine shavings I could find, and he has no irritation what-so-ever on his belly, legs or tail. When he sits up, his legs and tail fold under him, giving his underside time to air out. All is well thus far!
My next problem is going to be whether or not to separate mom. I don't think he'll be physically able to breed, but what if nature finds a way???? I don't have a place to keep mama right now, since she doesn't get along with my two other girls, and can't go back in with the daddy. And I really don't have the space for a fourth cage! I'll have to figure something out in the next couple of weeks...
 
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