chinchilla got a nibble of metal gear grease

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rocket29

Rocket&Bilbo
Joined
Jan 3, 2019
Messages
48
Hi, my chinchilla managed to get a nibble of a q-tip with some grease on it. I stayed with him for about an hour after I took it away from him to make sure he was ok. He's popcorning and running around as usual so I think he only chewed on it or ate a tiny bit. Is a vet necessary?
thanks
 
It depends on what what the grease is made up of, I would call the vet at least and see what they say. Ideally if you know what kind of grease (silicon, plant, petroleum, etc) that would help the vet know if it's going to be a problem and what symptoms to look for.
 
All products should have a safety data sheet or MSDS. Some of it may be on the container or you can generally find it online provided you know the name of the product. That will tell you acute hazards and first aid concerns. If you need that information quickly in the US you can call your local poison control center but some centers do not advise on pet calls. They should be able to check the human MSDS if you ask and know the name of the product. https://www.aapcc.org/centers/

For pets specifically or when you are less certain what product they ingested and need more detailed help immediately there is the ASPCA's poison control line https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control
or the pet poison helpline https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/

A veterinarian can likely check all that for you as well as being more knowledgeable about a specific species if there is one you trust and they are open. 24hr hour vets in much of the US do not have exotics trained staff after standard hours though.
 
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