Ear flicking

[SpaceChinnie]

I was reading the FAQ on chinchilla pain and noticed the section about ear flicking. While I have never seen my chin Kiwi flick her ears while eating hay or pellets, she seems to do this almost every time I give her a treat. (rosehip, shreddie, or oats) I thought originally that it meant that she was enjoying her treat, not that she was in pain.
She's active, eating/drinking/pooping normally, and other than the fact that she has chewed her fur a bit I honestly dont see anything wrong with her. (I think the fur chewing bit is from the fact that I paired her with another female chin back in August)

So I guess my question is does the ear flicking ALWAYS indicate pain? Oats and shreddie dont seem like hard food, and she chomps down wood like its going out of style without doing the ear flick. I guess I'm just a little confused.

Any opinions would be most appreciated.
Thanks,
SpaceChinnie

 

[SpaceChinnie]

:bump1:

bumpity-bump

anybody? Any thoughts on my predicament? Or am I just being paranoid about possible pain issues?

Also, would tooth problems cause a chin to chew their fur if they were in pain?

 

[alli713]

Sorry, I probably won't be much help, but when I had a malo girl, I noticed no ear flicking.

If your chin is eating fine then my assumption would be that there isn't an issue. If there was an issue you would notice the chin stop taking treats, pawing at it's mouth and even drooling.

My girl with malo also did not fur chew. My one chewer chews out of stress.

If you're worried you could also buy a scale and continue to monitor the chin's weight. If it starts loosing weight then there is an issue.

 

[SpaceChinnie]

Ah, thanks. It's probably just me being paranoid then. I might try the scale just incase.

 

[itsangelaaa]

I'm definately not an expert, but I had almost the exact situation as you. After reading the thread on chin pain, I noticed Poopy flicking her ears periodically when she eats. This behavior continued throughout the week I was monitoring her. I bought a scale during that week and noticed her weight dropping over the 4 days that I weighed her, but she only lost about 10 grams total. Even though she showed no signs of drooling, pawing at her mouth, or loss of interest in chewing I was still super paranoid and took her to the vet. He did an oral exam and checked out her teeth, and she was fine. No sores or spurs or anything. He said if I wished I could take x-rays to check out the roots but he didn't think it was necessary since she wasn't displaying any other symptoms of root problems. She was in good health, and I took her home and monitored her closely the next few days. She gained back the couple grams and acts perfectly fine. So I've come to the conclusion that she flicks her ears just to scare me :hair: hahaha but yeah. In my case, her ear flicking did not indicate pain, and I was just being a huge worrywart.

 

[Claire D]

Ok, let me try to clarify the ear flicking thing.

Ear flicking can be a sign of pain but it's not always. If you see consistent ear flicking when a chin eats then it is worth monitoring them for other signs of problems - weight loss, crumbling pellets, not eating so much hay etc.

Ear flicking when a chin is in pain is fairly easy to spot - a chin may flick their ears back or down as they eat, bite or chew. All chins will occasionally flick their ears - when it becomes regular or happens in time with the chin eating then it may be because the chin has a sore mouth or beginnings of tooth problems - ear flicking can be a very early sign.

It's not terribly easy to describe clearly but once you've seen it you will always be able to spot it.

None of my rescues are showing signs of ear flicking & I don't have any video of a chin showing the problem - if/when I do I will try to get some video footage & post it on the forum.


Does that help at all?

 

[Claire D]

Well, didn't I speak too soon?

I spotted one of the chins flicking his ears whilst eating some pellets this evening so I got out the camera. The first portion is poorly lit but I think you can make out the ear flicking while he eats - it's a distinctive movement even though it can be quite subtle - I then gave him a treat & edited a few flicks in for you to see.






Now I have spotted him ear flicking in this manner I will keep a close eye on him & take further action if I see any more signs or the flicking becomes more frequent &/or more pronounced. I will also be weighing him weekly.

Hope that helps.

 

[SpaceChinnie]

Yes, that is exactly what my chin does! Thanks for capturing the video.
So, as a precautionary measure (since she seems to be acting fine) should I weigh her weekly? It's difficult to monitor her food intake, because my 2 chins share the same bowls.

 

[Claire D]

Yup, I would just monitor for now. Weekly weigh-ins are sensible - any more than that & I think the results are variable - chins can change a little from day to day, depending on when you weigh them etc. If she begins to lose weight & the ear flicking continues or becomes more frequent then a trip to the vets is advisable.

Best wishes to you & your chinny.