Stress or Sick?

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LunaLilah

New member
Joined
Aug 27, 2018
Messages
1
Hi! I am new to this forum and decided to join when it came up as a result when I was researching symptoms with my chinchilla.

I have 2 chinchillas, Lilah and Luna, that I've had for a little over 3 months now. I got them from a shelter, so I'm not sure how old they are.

Anyways, I had to leave for the weekend so I had to transport them about 30mins to ad from a fellow chinchilla owner friend.

Now, 4 days later (the first night I've been home) Lilah started to sneeze a lot. I googled that, and somehow ended up at a lot of malocclusion articles. This lead of course, to hours of observing her every move.

She seems to biting at her fur, and grinding her teeth. She also occasionally grabs at her mouth. Lastly, she lays on her side more than usual, but will hop right up when I open the cage door.

She isn't drooling and is eating/drinking fine, and has the same amount of energy when I go over to the cage. I know its probably been a stressful week for her and I'm paranoid since I left her, but I don't want to pass everything off as such, in case she's in pain. Does it sound like I should go to a vet?

Thank you for you time!!

Em
 
Did your friend have your chins in the same room as their chins? If so are their chins sick at all? Also does this person have any other animals? Rabbits for example can carry bacteria that is deadly to chins, cats and dogs carry it too but most people know to keep those away from chins. Is she just sneezing or does she actually have discharge coming from her nose? If their is any discharge (snot) or the chin starts having trouble breathing or is coughing get her to the vet as soon as possible. If one is sick you will likely have to treat both.

Depending on where the fur biting is occurring it could be stress. The grinding teeth could be a sign of pain or that she has something in her mouth. Same thing with the pawing her mouth, she could be in pain or have something, like a piece of hay or a wood splinter. Is she still chewing on chew toys? Still eating hay ok? Another common issue that chins can get is, if the molars don't wear down fast enough, they can overgrow over and trap the tongue.

Unfortunately you can't rule out malocclusion without x-rays. I think your best bet is to get her checked out at the vet. Chins are very good at hiding pain and illness so when you actually notice a change in behavior it should be taken seriously.

Laying on her side is more a sign that she is comfortable in her surroundings then of something being wrong. You've only had her 3 months, so she may finally just be relaxed enough to let her guard down more, since on her side is a vulnerable position.
 
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