Sneezing Baby Boy

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LittleNerdyOTAKU

She Who Tries Her Best
Joined
Nov 14, 2011
Messages
27
Location
North Georgia
Hello there,
I wasn't really sure where to post this but I hope this is right.

I have a baby chinchilla(about 2-3 years) named X and he's been sneezing in spells a lot lately with no discharge and after he does he makes a little whimper squeak. It's really bothering me.

* He has no red/pink ears and his temperature is normal.
* Same bedding been using for years.
*I have been sick a little lately but I didn't really mess with him so I wouldn't get him sick.
* It's not dust bath.
* It started about 2 or 3 days ago. He's just now starting to make little whimpers.
* I don't see any signs of pests.

Could he be allergic to something?, his cage was just cleaned- and it's beginning to be winter here... Or does he have a cold? I'm not sure what to do, there is no chinchilla vet around here. Everything I look up on the internet talks about discharge and dying! D:

Suggestions or help would be appreciated. :) Bless you all and have a wonderful day.
Tiffany
 
You need to get to a vet ASAP. If it is a URI, he can go downhill very fast.

Where are you located? Perhaps we can help you find a vet.
 
Going by your IP address, these may be helpful:
All Creatures Animal Hospital
2482-C Mount Vernon Road
Dunwoody, GA 30338
(770) 393-3400
Dr. Karolyn is great, Dr.Mike is too but Dr.Karolyn is better with exotics

Loving Hands Animal Clinic
13775 Highway 9 N
Alpharetta, GA 30004-3646
(770) 667-9022
Dr.Parker is amazing!! Dr.Martinez is great too, I personally prefer Dr.Parker but they are both great with exotics... they have very different ways of approaching things so it just depends on whose methods you like better

VCA Avalon Heart of Gwinnett
470 Pleasant Hill Road
Lilburn, GA 30047
(770) 923-7474
 
Upper respiratory infections kill chins rapidly, even with quick action so your best chance is find a vet ASAP.
 
Yes, it sounds like an URI. He needs to be seen right away, read up on them here so you will know what to expect and I bet he will require handfeeding. The forum will help you but he needs to be seen
 
I would sure be nice if people would update conditions in the health and emergency sections, especially when the issue is serious.
 
It seems that if a new member asks for advice here and they are reluctant to follow that advice (usually because it entails a vet visit which involves both time and money) then we never hear from them again. Seems like everyone wants a cheap and easy fix!
 
EMSChins said:
It seems that if a new member asks for advice here and they are reluctant to follow that advice (usually because it entails a vet visit which involves both time and money) then we never hear from them again. Seems like everyone wants a cheap and easy fix!
Click to expand...

I've been ill myself so I haven't had time to come check on here.

URI.. Oh dear, that's not good. Until I can get him to a vet what is the best thing for me to do?

I'm going to get him to a vet ASAP, and I know people 'hate' hearing this but the economy has hit my family hard, I'm hoping to talk my parents into taking the vet money out of my Christmas or something.
 
There is nothing else for you to do. A URI is incredibly serious in a chinchilla. The longer you wait to give him proper medical attention and medication, the worse he will get and the closer he will get to death, which will be fairly quickly. To help with the monetary aspect of it, see if your vet will take payments, or carecredit. If paying for his care is absolutely not in your budget, perhaps you need to think of what is best for him and give him to a rescue or a vet hospital in order for him to be taken care of.
 
Ok a update.. He's stopped sneezing and is acting completely fine. Should we still take him to a vet just to be safe? My father says he's pretty sure there was probably something in the room making him sneeze and to keep an eye on him.
 
Another update.
We think we found the problem. He may of just actually of been bored. My mother was looking at a vet's FAQ and X fits a lot of the descriptions. He'll just need more toys and we'll finally move a TV in here and see if he gets better. If he doesn't well take him to the vet, because right now he's not showing any of the signs of URI.
 
Just personal experience here, my chin Furby began sneezing one night and I dismissed it as an allergy, because he would act fine, be happy and healthy right after a bout of sneezing. But as the days went on, the bouts of sneezing got longer, the periods of happy/healthy got shorter and ultimately he was so weak he had to be hand fed for like a semester after I finally got him to the vet. URI symptoms can look mild and don't have to come on all at once. I would definitely definitely take him to the vet so they can listen to lung sounds. They braid down so fast.
 
Our baby girl had a little bit of a cold when she went in for her first check up. It passed but I'm glad we got her in. I had no idea what a chinchilla sneeze sounded like!
 
Anna said:
Just personal experience here, my chin Furby began sneezing one night and I dismissed it as an allergy, because he would act fine, be happy and healthy right after a bout of sneezing. But as the days went on, the bouts of sneezing got longer, the periods of happy/healthy got shorter and ultimately he was so weak he had to be hand fed for like a semester after I finally got him to the vet. URI symptoms can look mild and don't have to come on all at once. I would definitely definitely take him to the vet so they can listen to lung sounds. They braid down so fast.
Click to expand...


Oh dear :I
Okay.
That sounds a little familiar for recent times but he's still eating.

Maybe if he does have a URI it's not too bad yet. He still runs in his wheel and freaks out over seeing things he wants.
 
Also, another little update.

He seems to sleep a bit more often, but he jumps up whenever he hears a noise or I stand up from my desk.
He's drinking two or three times a day like normal and eats food a few times as well- he also takes a treat like he's addicted.
He was trying to take a bath in his wheel so I gave him his bath house(although I was afraid to because I didn't know if that would make it worse) but he acts crazy for it like normal and got all white and fluffy and didn't really seemed bothered by it. So I'll give him his baths like normal.
He still wants to man handle my arm :|
He's had a minor personality change, though I'm not sure if that's puberty or not(he's only three or four);
*Sometimes if you go near the cage he'll jump up and attack the bars or lap around it. He nipped my mother yesterday but I think he was aiming for the bars. He only did this a when he was a baby, and a few times over the past few years.


We did recently get him a wheel though, and we moved a TV into my room where he can see and( I keep it on Animal Planet or Cartoon Network), and maybe his personality has changed because he's not as bored?
 
Any behaviour change at that age would not be puberty. Chin puberty is at around 7 or 8 months old.
 
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