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laurrr86

Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2012
Messages
8
Hey everyone,
For the past few days one of my Chins has been acting really weird. We took him to the vet and our vet doesnt think that there is anything wrong with him so i figured i would just ask on here in hopes that someone can help.
Hes just not jumping around like he normally does and pretty much only moves if he has to. He hides in his hut and wont even come out for a raisin. He moves around very slowly and doesnt want to jump. Another this thats going on is he is letting me go into the cage and hold him. He doesnt normally like that but now he doesnt even try to get away. The vet said that he was alittle pudgy and that we needed to change his diet,he tested his poop and it came back negative for anything. But he said that he should be back to normal in a day or so. We did everything he said and its been two days and he isnt acting any different. Has anyone been though this? and if so,what was the outcome(even though im kind of scared of your answers..) Thanks for your time!!!
Joe & Lauren
 
Once chins reach this point, a big red flag should be raised.

The most important things are to get food into their system and get them hydrated with some sub-q fluids. You need to find a more experienced, chin competent vet for sure- once chins reach this point, they are pretty much knocking on death's door. Where are you located? Perhaps members here can point you somewhere in the right direction.

Critical Care is a good thing to start handfeeding, and some vets do carry it and sell it. Another is Essentials for Life, a member on here named Tanya sells it as well. Until you can get either of these, try mashing up his pellets (what kind are you feeding? They need to be a high quality pellet only- nothing mixed with treats and extras.) and mixing them with water to a pasty to watery consistency, and feed with a syringe. You can add a bit of canned pumpkin to encourage palatability and increased fiber intake.

Is he eating/pooping at all? If not, the next step would be to get him on some GI motility drugs to get his gut moving again. If he hasn't eaten anything in two+ days, the GI system is shutting down.

Then, you need to figure out what's causing these symptoms. Has anything happened before he started acting like this? Got ahold of any foreign objects to chew, ran around outside his cage, had a fall etc.? What is the temperature in your home? Has he been sneezing, had discharge from his eyes? Eating/chewing normally before these symptoms showed up?
 
Ive been watching him closely,we just cleaned out their cage and put fresh everything in. I noticed that the other chin kind of went after the sick one,also we just noticed that the sick chin is limping around BUT after we saw he was limping he jumped from level to level all the way up to the top of the three story cage BUT started shaking when he got back to the bottom. He lays around and doesnt really do much until the other chin is around him,then hes more alert.The do fight but VERY RARELY. ANd its never a dominance thing,they both have their share of "won battles" He hasnt been able to chew on anything he shouldnt be chewing on,and we sit with them when they are out of the cage and running around the room. No sneezing or discharge from his eyes. When we took him to the vet he was pooping normally,and there is enough poop on the top level of the cage for 100 chinchillas lol. Our house is kind of warm but i have an air conditioner in their to keep it cool enough in there for them. And as far as food and hay,we give them oxbow chinchilla food and oxbow western timothy hay. Thank you so much for you help and time,we really apprectiate it. We are from Central New Jersey,and we are thinking of taking him back to the vet for some blood work maybe.. What do you think?
 
I would definitely separate them, not only to observe him for eating and poops, but it sounds he is being bullied. It is very possible they got in a big fight overnight or when you weren't around. He could have fallen and obtained internal injuries while being chased, a broken bone, etc. Chins are very good at hiding their pain and illness/injuries, so when they reach this point, they are in a critical state.

I would look him over very, very closely- their thick fur can hide even nasty, severe wounds. The first thing I would do diagnostics wise is get x-rays to look at bones and internal organs. Blood work usually only tells us if there is disease going on. To me this sounds more like injury/trauma of some kind rather than disease. You definitely need to get some food and fluids in him. The Oxbow is a good brand, don't listen to the vet about changing it. Hopefully some of our members from the east coast and point you in the right direction- I know we have a few.

Here is a thread with a list of good vets in NJ http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1245
 
Okay,thank so much for your help. We are going to seperate them right now and see how it goes. Thanks again for your help!!
 
STACKIE!!!
Okay so they are seperated now and the sick chin just hides in his Igloo. I tried to hand feed him but he wouldnt take it,i gave him a raisin and he ate it,before when i was talking to you we saw him drinking also. I tried to give him hay and he made a noise that almost sounded like he was saying "leave me alone" and anytime i tried to stick my hand in the igloo he made the same noise. I called the vet and left him a message.
 
Some of the vets on the list are no longer in NJ or seeing chins. Dr. Goode is one that no longer see chins. NorthStar Vet. hospital is highly recommended. They are in Robbinsville, NJ 609-259-8300. They are suppose to be there 24/7
 
Stop with the raisins. They can cause more harm than good. No fruit or vegetables of any kind. Chins do not do well with sugar, especially when their GI systems are already in a delicate state. You need to get him to eat the mashed up food, they generally do not cooperate. Take the syringe and squirt a small amount in the side of his mouth, behind the incisors. They will usually swallow it and once they realize it's food, they may become more cooperative.

You really need to get him seen by a good chin vet as soon as possible. Call the vet that Mt. Zion Chins recommended and see if they can get you in, let them know you have a chinchilla in critical condition.
 
When the vet did the exam, were there any x-rays taken? A chin who is "off" the first thing a vet will do if they know chins is get a chest x-ray and look for gas or impactions.
 
Okay so i took him to a different vet today and he did a very thorough exam,said that his heart rate is good and that his temp was good too. Wanted to treat for two things,Hair ball and infection. Gave me antibiotics and said to give him mineral oil. I also started to feed him through the syringe that he gave me... Basically said that hes going to give him till Wednesday to show signs of getting better. If not,than wed have to consider other things. It sucks.
I stayed up with him all night trying to feed him hay,he would take some of it but made it very visable when he didnt want anymore,he would get up and go to the water and drink though,but he isnt pooping... Im worried that it might be to late
 
Chinchillas rarely get hairballs but they can get an impaction. You need to force feed this chinchilla. It may take wrapping the chinchilla in a towel to it. once in the towel, you need to use the syringe to put a small amount it is mouth. It should swallow if you do it right. If he is not pooping at all, he is in stasis and needs motility drugs from the vet to help things move along. Waiting a couple of days without the medications can kill him.
 
Did the vet do a x-ray? You are going in blind dealing with a impaction (hairball) without knowing where it is, different locations require different treatment meaning drugs or no drugs, lots of food or lots of little meals, massage or no massage, sub Q fluids or not. Giving large meals or motility drugs to a impaction in a bad spot can make matters fatal.
 
He passed away yesterday morning guys... :( thanks for your help,it was really appreciated.. We took him to the vet and started him on meds,i was force feeding him with a syringe. We did what we could.. :( my gf and i are very upset,he was our little man =/. We have one more left,and he seems to be in great health but we will be taking him for a check up this weekend.
 
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