Scared of malo :o(

[jessla]

Reading one of the threads on here made me do some research on malocclusion. And it made me really scared. Both my chins are still young... so now I'm afraid for their future . I don't know much about their past. One is from a breeder originally (can't remember which one though) and the other one I got from a shelter, so I know almost nothing about her (beside the fact that she was abandoned when the owner left for college ugh).

*Sigh*

Owning chins can be so heartbreaking. They're such lovable, innocent creatures, and it makes me so sad that they suffer so often.

I even mentioned to my husband that it's a mystery to me how they survive in the wild!

 

[starleomach]

Don't worry. Worrying won't change it and honestly out of 100 chinchillas here right now..no issues.... it is not every chinchilla. and you hear more about sick chinchillas than healthy ones as people post more for help than anything.

 

[alli713]

I say don't worry about it, there's not much you can do yourself right now anyways other than just providing a good diet.

One of my girls got it, but she was from a good, reputable breeder. So there's not guarantee either way. My girl bred from pet store chins (I didn't breed them) is still doing fine.

Worrying won't do anything for you

 

[AZChins]

I agree...just enjoy them and don't worry. No one knows what tomorrow will bring, it's best to not stress over it. Chins are living creatures and anything can happen...all you can do is your best. Feed them good food, give them good hay, spoil them with toys, keep the cage clean, sterilize your waterbottle and make the little guys feel special! Everything will be fine no matter what happens. I wish we could control everything in life so there were no surprises, but no one can do that!

 

[mishellyshel]

Its good to be informed of what signs to look for and to educate yourself on as much as possible about these little guys. But I agree, enjoy your babies now and always be open to learn.

 

[ticklechin]

I right now have only pet store chins and rescues from unknown orgins, none have malo and they are all older. The malo chins I had came from a ranch, breeder and petco so you just can never know what chin is going to have it, chances are you will be fine.

 

[eroomlorac]

I had the same worries, too, when I got my first chin and I pretty much posted a post very similar to yours. Yes, you read about Malo here on occasion but Tunes pointed out to me that when everyone's chinchillas are fine and healthy, of course they DON'T post that every day. The vast majority of chins live out pretty healthy lives and we only hear about the bad situations when someone needs help. The best you can do for you chin to prevent malo is to give him/her a variety of things to chew on. Sticks, oat hay, timothy hay, pumice stones, pine wood, loofah, bamboo shredders, etc. I think the more variety you can give your chin to chew on, the healthier their teeth will be. But don't worry about it. It takes away the fun of owning and playing with your chin if you're going to worry. Just enjoy him/her.