RIP Chip and Timmy.

[Christina Noraas]

I am a new at owning chinchillas so of course there are expected to be mistakes and mishaps but I took the deaths to one of my first chinchillas Chip very hard; he had escaped out of my room while he was having his free running time with his cage mate Dale. My whole family turned the house upside down looking for Chip, we didn't find him until a cat who is not welcomed inside the house but manages to sneak in every once in a blue moon found him before we could. I was thankfully not inside the house when it happened because I wold have throttled the cat. But Chip had suffered from severe puncture wounds on his left side, I held him in a heated blanket all night and even got him to drink a little and eat a few of his favorite snacks, banana chips. But unfortunately after sitting up with him through out the night he passed around 4 in the morning. His cage mate often would jump onto the bed as I was rubbing him trying to keep him warm, checking on him. Dale took it very hard as well. I'm crying even just remembering it, I did take it to heart though, and I take triple precautions to ensure that the ones I have now are unable to escape.

My second mishap was Timmy a five month old baby, and he was ultimately my favorite, the one thing I hate most is that I wasn't even home when he passed. I had left to go to Bemidji to visit my dad and drop off the other baby and Dale who was not getting along with Rex our breeding male. That morning I was in such a hurry I had let every one out to play before having to be locked up inside the cage for four days. As I was running about getting everything ready Timmy or one of the others must have gotten a hold of silica gel packet that was inside my newly purchased bag. It was on my last night at my dads when my mom called to tell me that she had found Timmy inside the bath house dead, she originally thought it was from Rex because Rex was abusing Dale which was the reason for the transfer. However when I came home I was inspecting the cage to find out what could have possibly killed my poor little Timmy when I found the ripped open packet with a few gels still inside I immediately panicked and removed the rest of the chins in to their carrier and cleaned out the cage and throughly vacuumed my room. It was a valuable lesson, but I sure do miss the little guy and I pray so hard that he did not suffer.

 

[Isabella Whateva]

I'm so sorry to hear about your chins. That's really sad. When I was very young my cat killed my pet rabbit and it was heartbreaking. Hopefully those stories can be yet another example to everyone how important it is to have playtime only in a 100% chin-safe room, with constant supervision.

 

[InkedupTara]

Mishaps happen, but at the cost of the chins life, not once but twice is a bit much.... I am sorry for your loss, but those were steep lessons to learn at the cost of the chinchilla.

I am curious if anyone has an opinion about a heating pad for a chinchilla seeing as they need to be cool? Did you seek medical attention for the chin who was attacked by the cat?

Also, banana chips are bad for chins, they are too high in sugar and cause bloat. There is a ton to learn here, and I hope you stick around and look through the new owner FAQ's sections to learn from there, and then ask questions as needed.

 

[eventgirl]

Sorry for your loss....

But I agree with tara on this one...

It also worries me that you seem to own a breeding male.

 

[Jenn]

Wow, you lost 2 chins so suddenly, that is so sad. Mistakes can happen, but we have to be so careful that we don't make mistakes that will cost our pets their lives. They count on us to provide for them and to protect them. Hopefully lessons have been learned here, and no more lives will be lost. May Chip and Timmy r.i.p.

eta - I personally wouldn't have used a heating pad on a chinchilla. First of all, because heat kills them, second, I don't think it would have provided any benefits from puncture wounds anyway. I think a vet should have been contacted immediately...a visit to the vet may have saved a life...

 

[Christina Noraas]

Wow, you lost 2 chins so suddenly, that is so sad. Mistakes can happen, but we have to be so careful that we don't make mistakes that will cost our pets their lives. They count on us to provide for them and to protect them. Hopefully lessons have been learned here, and no more lives will be lost. May Chip and Timmy r.i.p.

eta - I personally wouldn't have used a heating pad on a chinchilla. First of all, because heat kills them, second, I don't think it would have provided any benefits from puncture wounds anyway. I think a vet should have been contacted immediately...a visit to the vet may have saved a life...

Only reason why I was using a heating blanket was because he was so cold, and I wanted to try to keep the blood flowing, it was on a very low setting and I was constantly with him to make sure he wasn't getting too warm, and our only problem is is that it happened at night and the closest vet to us is over an hour away and wasn't available.

 

[Ash]

He was cold because he went into shock and was probably bleeding internally. You need to find a vet that you can get to at ANY point in time and be willing to go to no matter what. You're going to be hard pressed to find sympathy from members on here, especially when there are people who've driven 3 hours in the middle of the night just to have their chinchilla humanely euthanized instead of letting it suffer.

 

[Christina Noraas]

He was cold because he went into shock and was probably bleeding internally. You need to find a vet that you can get to at ANY point in time and be willing to go to no matter what. You're going to be hard pressed to find sympathy from members on here, especially when there are people who've driven 3 hours in the middle of the night just to have their chinchilla humanely euthanized instead of letting it suffer.

I am not looking for any sympathy, I openly admitted my mistakes, I only wanted to get it off my chest because I was emotionally attached to them where as the rest of the family was not yet, and did not understand the sorrow I experienced after they died.

Although I must ask you, do you go around to all the new members posts and badger them for their mistakes? Making them feel horrible, because in your mind there was so much more they could have done when at that point in time; it was one of my first chins an I was in a state of shock myself and driving hours on end to places that more than likey would not have been open to help me when I could have been there for him while he was dying.

 

[Jenn]

Only reason why I was using a heating blanket was because he was so cold, and I wanted to try to keep the blood flowing, it was on a very low setting and I was constantly with him to make sure he wasn't getting too warm, and our only problem is is that it happened at night and the closest vet to us is over an hour away and wasn't available.

Do you have any emergency vets in your area? Unfortunately, problems seem to arise most when normal vet hours are closed, so it is worth looking around for a good emergency vet in case anything should happen in the future.

Again, I'm so sorry for your loss, but you have to understand that people don't mean to be overly critical...we all have a passion for chins here, and have chin's best interests at heart. It is hard for us as well to hear about a chin's passing away, especially if it could have been prevented.

 

[Ash]

If you're not properly prepared for when an emergency arrives, not just chins, but any animal, then you really shouldn't have an animal. We have members on this forum who live in the middle of nowhere and have had to drive hours in the middle of the night to provide emergency care for a chin. If you're not ready for that sort of a responsibility, then you shouldn't have chinchillas. Same for a dog, cat, horse, chicken, etc. They all require responsible care.

I'm sorry that you lost your chins, but I'm sorry for the chins that they suffered because you were ill-prepared. And it bothers me that you say you don't even have the money for a safe cage for your possibly pregnant female. What are you going to do if she has a kit stuck in her at 2AM on Thanksgiving?

I don't ask to be mean it's to be honest and make you actually think of what you're getting into.

 

[ErinsChins]

driving hours on end to places that more than likey would not have been open to help me when I could have been there for him while he was dying.

You realize that your chin was suffering, correct? It's hard to put down animals, we all know, most of us have been there, but when it happens you have to put your feelings aside. Without vet help there was no way, NO WAY, he could have made it, and although unlikely at all you could've at least ended his suffering.

My very first baby had a rectal prolapse because I did nearly everything wrong. I killed him with love. We rushed to the emergency vet at 3am and he had stitches put in. I stayed up with him all night only for the vet to tell me that his intestines were dead and he had a 25% chance to live. I didn't want to put him down, but I didn't want him to suffer either, so I did what I had to, and I learned from my mistake. Needless to say the only chins I have lost since then (about 4 years ago) have been premature babies.

It is irresponsible as a pet owner, and especially a "breeder" to not do what is best for your animal. Would you like to lay in a warm heating pad possibly bleeding internally for hours? In regards to the female cage. Would you let your child fall of off a second story balcony? Because that's what will happen. Kits are very delicate and will get out. Trust me. You need to do what is best for the chins. If you can't afford a cage, then you shouldn't be breeding and you can't afford vet care. NO ONE ON THESE FORUMS WILL TELL YOU OTHERWISE. Go to Y!Answers if you want to hear that.

 

[RDZCRanch]

It seems extremely common for the younger breeders on here to forget that everyone starts somewhere. Owning up to your mistakes and changing things for the better is the first step to learning. The fact that this owner has even joined this forum, admitted her inexperience and shows even a little bit of willingness to learn should be encouraged, not attacked in every thread they start.

To the OP, I'm sorry for your loss. Those are hard lessons learned and hopefully since their deaths things have been changed with their play areas and you now know chinchillas absolutely cannot have playtime unless they are 100% supervised. Take a look through the FAQ's sections on this forum, all of the information found on here is correct and up to date. The admins and mods along with the active members work very hard to keep everything accurate and up to date. If you can't find an answer to any question(s) you have from the FAQ's, feel free to post a question or send certain members a private message and you will get your question answered.

 

[starleomach]

accidents happen and we learn. As long as you learn it is not a complete loss. We have all made mistakes and sometimes people forget that. How many of us have never had an escaped chinchilla? I know I have lost two to tragic accidents after an escape. It happens. And now you know go to a vet the chinchilla with the puncture would may have survived with proper medical care.

 

[Christina Noraas]

Do you have any emergency vets in your area? Unfortunately, problems seem to arise most when normal vet hours are closed, so it is worth looking around for a good emergency vet in case anything should happen in the future.

Again, I'm so sorry for your loss, but you have to understand that people don't mean to be overly critical...we all have a passion for chins here, and have chin's best interests at heart. It is hard for us as well to hear about a chin's passing away, especially if it could have been prevented.

Yes, I have managed find one I had been searching ever since Chip had died, and I managed to contact them and I've been fully informed on their contact information and it sits on the wall next to their cage.

I understand about the part of being critical, but by basically saying that I don't care for my animals I take personally because I have a passion for all of my animals. But I was reading through other posts on the forum and it really gets my goat when I'm the one being most harshly criticized, it seems to be due to the fact that I am a first time chinchilla owner. I've made mistakes and I've paid dearly for them, I would think that, that would certainly enough punishment.

 

[ErinsChins]

It's not a matter of punishment, I don't think anyone wants you to be punished. For me personally, I just hate to see this happen to chins. If I came across as rude, well, i'm sorry. I'm sorry you lost your chins, I hope you'll take it as a learning experience. If you really can't afford a cage for the female, PM me and I can help.

Again, i'm sorry if my post came across as rude, i'm in it for the chins. We all make mistakes, but it's good you're here.

 

[Christina Noraas]

You realize that your chin was suffering, correct? It's hard to put down animals, we all know, most of us have been there, but when it happens you have to put your feelings aside. Without vet help there was no way, NO WAY, he could have made it, and although unlikely at all you could've at least ended his suffering.

My very first baby had a rectal prolapse because I did nearly everything wrong. I killed him with love. We rushed to the emergency vet at 3am and he had stitches put in. I stayed up with him all night only for the vet to tell me that his intestines were dead and he had a 25% chance to live. I didn't want to put him down, but I didn't want him to suffer either, so I did what I had to, and I learned from my mistake. Needless to say the only chins I have lost since then (about 4 years ago) have been premature babies.

It is irresponsible as a pet owner, and especially a "breeder" to not do what is best for your animal. Would you like to lay in a warm heating pad possibly bleeding internally for hours? In regards to the female cage. Would you let your child fall of off a second story balcony? Because that's what will happen. Kits are very delicate and will get out. Trust me. You need to do what is best for the chins. If you can't afford a cage, then you shouldn't be breeding and you can't afford vet care. NO ONE ON THESE FORUMS WILL TELL YOU OTHERWISE. Go to Y!Answers if you want to hear that.

I didn't breed her myself I got her already pregnant, I personally cannot afford vet care but my parents have made it clear to me that they will pay for it, I do believe I mentioned that somewhere along the line, if not I meant to do so, when I first received the chins I had two jobs and working on a third one, but I got laid off because older people in the community got the job I already had, and then later the other business closed because it couldn't afford to stay open, I've been looking for more jobs, but I do have the support of my family financially for any bills and what not, and I posted a thread desperately asking questions about chinchilla pregnancy and since then I have been working on getting a cage for her, even if I have to have it built. And I am very anal about making sure that it is safe if it is hand built, I've read stories about store boughten cages where there were mishaps that have happened and I take precautions to provide that for them, even if I have to take out the ledges from my cage and keep the male in an old ferret cage a friend of the family has I will do it.

 

[Christina Noraas]

It's not a matter of punishment, I don't think anyone wants you to be punished. For me personally, I just hate to see this happen to chins. If I came across as rude, well, i'm sorry. I'm sorry you lost your chins, I hope you'll take it as a learning experience. If you really can't afford a cage for the female, PM me and I can help.

Again, i'm sorry if my post came across as rude, i'm in it for the chins. We all make mistakes, but it's good you're here.

I actually just got a text from a friend who use to own rabbits, after she heard me talking about getting or building another cage for the momma during school today she agreed to let me borrow one of her cages. I'm going over to her house later to see if they're big enough and the bar spacing is small enough.

I didn't mean to snap back, but all of my animals are dear to me all most all of our cats are rescues and my dog was taken from a home where he was beaten and was being eaten from the inside out from worms, and was on the verge of death when he was found, I love my pets dearly, I try to save mice that the cats catch, that's how much of a sucker I am for all animals.

My dog broke his leg a couple years ago, and we did drive for hours to get to a vet but only because we knew he was home and available, because we didn't want him to suffer the car ride only to have to be brought home again, which was what I was worried about with Chip. The reason why I didn't go to the vet was not because I couldn't afford it, but because I didn't want to have to suffer the car ride with no relief at all, if he would had made it through the night I was taking him to the vet the second he answered his phone, which I had been calling all night, because he is our personal vet that comes to our house for the farm, if there are complications with cows birthing.

So I take it to the offensive when my love and care for my pets is challenged.

 

[caiti]

I understand about the part of being critical, but by basically saying that I don't care for my animals I take personally because I have a passion for all of my animals. But I was reading through other posts on the forum and it really gets my goat when I'm the one being most harshly criticized, it seems to be due to the fact that I am a first time chinchilla owner. I've made mistakes and I've paid dearly for them, I would think that, that would certainly enough punishment.

I see this happening a lot when new people come on the forum, and I'm honestly split between the two arguments. I think the thing to remember is the forum members have heard so many new chin owners recall, basically, the same experiences and knowing what they know now, have a hard time imagining being in that position that the new owner is in. And you tell us that you feel horrible about what happened but the truth is, people don't know you've learned from your mistakes. They don't know you if you have all the correct information now and they get offensive, which makes you defensive and the cycle continues. People just want to make sure you know how to prevent this from happening again, for the chin's sake, but no one has figured out a way to say that and not come off as mean, or not feel angry about it.

The information on this forum is in general, the most reliable I have found thus far on the internet and I'm a research-before-I-move-a-single-muscle type person. You may have to sift through some harsh words, but I don't think anyone here will give you bad information just because they are feeling angry. As long as you know that and can deal with the difficulty in communicating via the internet, then you can learn a lot.

I am sorry for the loss of your chins. I think their deaths might have been prevented, but I also think you are fully aware of that and have taken their experiences to heart. It is incredibly hard losing a pet and unfortunately, you can't go back in time as much as you would like to be able to, and I believe you do.

Like others said, learning from your past is the best and most commendable thing you can do and while you mainly got criticism on this thread, some other new member may have read your stories, or people may read them in the future and change their ways because of it. Wouldn't that make you feel good? All warm and fuzzy inside :wink3:

 

[Jenn]

It's hard being a newbie, I remember feeling overly criticized when I first got my chin and seemingly asked the wrong things. But if you can take the criticism, you find out that the people here are genuinely nice and really care about you and your chins and other animals. Everyone has made mistakes, unfortunately yours cost you two chins, and I can tell how horrific this has been for you. All you can do now is move forward, keep learning, and not make the same mistakes twice. Soon, you'll be one offering advice to a newbie here who is just as lost as we all once were.

 

[Christina Noraas]

If you're not properly prepared for when an emergency arrives, not just chins, but any animal, then you really shouldn't have an animal. We have members on this forum who live in the middle of nowhere and have had to drive hours in the middle of the night to provide emergency care for a chin. If you're not ready for that sort of a responsibility, then you shouldn't have chinchillas. Same for a dog, cat, horse, chicken, etc. They all require responsible care.

I'm sorry that you lost your chins, but I'm sorry for the chins that they suffered because you were ill-prepared. And it bothers me that you say you don't even have the money for a safe cage for your possibly pregnant female. What are you going to do if she has a kit stuck in her at 2AM on Thanksgiving?

I don't ask to be mean it's to be honest and make you actually think of what you're getting into.

You are pushing my last nerve, so you tell me since your so knowledgeable about this and know everything, what would you have proposed me to do if I HAD gone to the vet and there was NO ONE THERE!? What was I suppose to do with a chin that was dying and now was miles away from home, away from his cage mate who was obviously very worried about him because he kept coming on the bed to check on him. Tell me that. Did you suggest that I stayed outside the vets office in the cold for hours!? Or did you propose that I run another 3+ hours in the opposite direction just hoping to find a vet that could help me!?

HOW DARE YOU! You are insulting me with out knowing the least bit of what I have done for my animals, over half of the pets that I own would be dead right now if I had not taken the time to help them. How dare you sit there and say that I am not worthy of owning animals. Who are you to be so pompous and righteous? To say what was the right thing and what was not, accidents happen. It's not as if they have an animal ambulance you can call that will surely take your animal to the nearest and best possible place for them to be in at their time of need. If I had gone looking for a vet, I would have spent hours with out any luck and my poor chinchilla would have suffered in a bumpy car ride in a strange place all alone. At least when he died, he died in my arms and his cage mate by his side.

Me here in this forum shows that I will do anything, ANYTHING to better the lives of all of my animals.

You are a low cut, low grade person who preys on others who are trying to make an honest attempt to better their knowledge, so ANY accident at all will not happen.