Chinchilla acting strange

[kasiechanel]

Hi! I am new to this forum and decided to join when it popped up as a result when I was researching issues with my chinchilla.

I have had my chinchilla for a little over a year and a few (3) days ago, I noticed he was chewing and pulling the fur out of his paws to the point where they were bleeding and he wouldn't put pressure on them. It scared me and it was a Sunday morning so no actual clinics were open so my only option was to take him to the pet emergency clinic. When I got there, the vet admitted to not knowing much about chinchillas and said she wasn't sure what was wrong but could tell that his paws looked infected and gave him antibiotics, pain meds and put a ecollar (cone) (made out of duct tape no less) on him. Well I refused to give him the pain meds because he was so lethargic as it was but I gave him the antibiotics thinking what could it hurt and HATED the ecollar on him but left it since he would chew on his hands as soon as it came off. The next day I called the vet who specialized in exotics and they asked me to bring him in asap and I found out that it was from the metal grate on the bottom of his cage (broke my heart since I researched them extensively-even their vocal sounds) and told me I was smart to not give the pain meds since it could kill them and said to continue the antibiotics and also gave a topical cream and took off the ecollar stating that gives them unneeded stress. It has been 3 days and he is still not acting quite himself even though his paws are better. He tends to hang out in the back of his cage (not sure if he just likes the new bedding and no grate or if its more serious) and he has not been pooping as much- the little he does is hard and looks like the constipated examples from my chinchilla book. He also is not eating nearly as much but will still accept treats (such as hay chunks and raisens). He also has been chewing on his mineral wheel, chewing rock and log bed which he usually does not do and grinding his teeth. He has been off the Antibiotics beginning today but I still put the topical cream on. I just don't know what to do to help him get back to normal and I love him so much I want to do whatever I can to help him. Any ideas whats going on?

 

[tunes]

Chins can have pain medicine, it just depends on the kind of pain medicine. Not all pain medicines will kill a chin. What kind of antibiotics did they put him on? Some antibiotics will cause a chin to go off their feed and you need to re-balance the gut with acidophilus and possibly hand feeding until he will eat well on his own again. My chins like Essentials for Life from fuzzieskingdom.com, other people use Critical Care for herbivores. You can also order Lifeline from Dawnna at Chocolate Chinchillas, which a lot of people put ailing chins on. It is not a food replacement, it is a supplement that you would give in addition to the hand feeding or regular food and most people who use it swear by it.

What kind of cream did the vet give you for his paws? If he is licking it, then that could also be making him go off his feed. If a chin is not eating, you run the risk of gut stasis. It sounds like you are on your way there if his poops are starting to be smaller and hard. You need to get on that right away so you don't face a harder road here shortly. Another thing that can affect it is water intake. Is he drinking normally?

 

[kasiechanel]

The type of antibiotic he was put on is the one I keep reading about killing the flora in chins and that is baytril. He does lick off the topical cream too even (its like you cannot win here- the cure is making him worse). The cream they put him on is Muricin. He has never been one to drink a lot of water I can tell he has drank a bit of water and when he had his cone on and couldn't get to food for that day- I hand fed him water through a syringe. Should I continue to have him take water through the dropper if I can to insure he is getting enough? If so- how much should I give him? Also- he still is not putting a ton of pressure on the worst paw- the front left- even though the wounds are pretty much healed. He keeps the paw up against his chest most of the time but he will use it if he needs to. Do you think the strange behavior of grinding his teeth and chewing on things frequently is a problem as well or related?

 

[kasiechanel]

also, do I have time to order something such as lifeline or essentials for life? I am just afraid of him passing away before it gets here or before I can help.

 

[tunes]

Tanya will overnight Essentials for Life and Dawnna will do the same with Lifeline. You will need to pay more to have it shipped, but just let them know it's an emergency. Baytril seems to be a vets first go to drug for chinchillas, but for skin infections, trimethoprim sulfa is a broad spectrum antibiotic that works just as well and is not harsh on their bodies.

Be really careful administering fluids orally. Take your time. You don't want to deal with pneumonia on top of everything else.

Tooth grinding can be a sign of pain, nervousness, anger, etc. It just depends on when he is doing it to figure out why he is doing it.

What vet did you take him to? I am familiar with several here in SD. Some I will use, others I won't go near.

 

[kasiechanel]

I went to dr Williams at all animal hospital in Sioux Falls. There are not many people who know exotics from what I hear but if you have any suggestions I would love them! I ordered the lifeline last night and saw shipping confirmation today so I am trying to get him to move around in his play pen. I'm just hoping we can get past this. I wish vets would TELL us this stuff so we can be proactive instead of reactive on treatments.