kara.michelle85
New member
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2011
- Messages
- 4
Hi all! My name is Kara and I live in MO. I have loved my chins from the day I got them, unfortunately I just lost one of my twin girls. I had no idea this forum even existed, so I wish I could have had access to all the knowledge before my little girl got sick!
Ruby and Pearl are their names, sisters, together since birth, about 3 1/2 years old. Friends of mine owned the parents and these were the first babies born. Pearl just passed on Wednesday of this week, but Ruby seems as healthy as ever. If I had known how well they hide their illness and that when they show severe lethargy, etc. that it's time to take them to the vet ASAP, I think I might have been able to save my poor Pearl. I found her very late Tuesday night, very lethargic, wouldn't eat, with labored breathing. Took her out of the cage to see if she would move around and she didn't budge. Only vet I had ever taken her to wasn't open that late, and the only one open that late at night didn't have their exotic doc on staff that night. So I made an appointment for the next day after I got off work (doc wasn't coming in until later in the day), but by the time I raced home after work she was gone.
Took Ruby in to the vet after finding Pearl, just to get her checked out, and she was healthy as ever. The vet offered to check Pearl's body for me, which I allowed as I had brought her with me in case I wanted to get her cremated.... Thought maybe it could have been a teeth issue, but when he felt her belly there was a huge mass inside! I felt it as well, it certainly wasn't anything she could have swallowed. Not sure if cancer or tumors in the stomach/intestines/etc. is common in chin's, but I certainly hadn't seen any signs of Pearl not feeling well (or anything that startling as when I found her on Tuesday). And I certainly wasn't expecting to lose one of them so young!!
Anyway, has anyone experienced a loss of a young chinchilla such as mine? I was also wondering if it could have been what they call a "beazor"--a mass formed after chewing hair that solidifies in the body. She had started chewing a spot of fur on her side a few weeks prior and I was tempted to bring her to the vet but didn't think it was anything to worry about because she had lost a large clump of hair in that exact spot the last time I took her to the vet (and was around dogs, lots of noise, and lots of strange people). Just assumed it could have been from stress when one of our friend's dogs had come by for a visit and gotten close to the cage. (No dogs or other animals at my house so my chins never got used to any other animals).
Sorry that this is such a long post....I'm now trying to figure out if I should try to get another female to keep my Ruby company, or if it's too soon and I should let her get used to being by herself for a while. I just get so sad when I see her sleeping in the spot where she and her sis used to sleep on top of each other. Any tips on how soon I should get her a friend? Or on how to go about that process.....I've heard you really need to take it slow when introducing two new ones together...
Thanks for any helpful info you all can give.
~Kara
Ruby and Pearl are their names, sisters, together since birth, about 3 1/2 years old. Friends of mine owned the parents and these were the first babies born. Pearl just passed on Wednesday of this week, but Ruby seems as healthy as ever. If I had known how well they hide their illness and that when they show severe lethargy, etc. that it's time to take them to the vet ASAP, I think I might have been able to save my poor Pearl. I found her very late Tuesday night, very lethargic, wouldn't eat, with labored breathing. Took her out of the cage to see if she would move around and she didn't budge. Only vet I had ever taken her to wasn't open that late, and the only one open that late at night didn't have their exotic doc on staff that night. So I made an appointment for the next day after I got off work (doc wasn't coming in until later in the day), but by the time I raced home after work she was gone.
Took Ruby in to the vet after finding Pearl, just to get her checked out, and she was healthy as ever. The vet offered to check Pearl's body for me, which I allowed as I had brought her with me in case I wanted to get her cremated.... Thought maybe it could have been a teeth issue, but when he felt her belly there was a huge mass inside! I felt it as well, it certainly wasn't anything she could have swallowed. Not sure if cancer or tumors in the stomach/intestines/etc. is common in chin's, but I certainly hadn't seen any signs of Pearl not feeling well (or anything that startling as when I found her on Tuesday). And I certainly wasn't expecting to lose one of them so young!!
Anyway, has anyone experienced a loss of a young chinchilla such as mine? I was also wondering if it could have been what they call a "beazor"--a mass formed after chewing hair that solidifies in the body. She had started chewing a spot of fur on her side a few weeks prior and I was tempted to bring her to the vet but didn't think it was anything to worry about because she had lost a large clump of hair in that exact spot the last time I took her to the vet (and was around dogs, lots of noise, and lots of strange people). Just assumed it could have been from stress when one of our friend's dogs had come by for a visit and gotten close to the cage. (No dogs or other animals at my house so my chins never got used to any other animals).
Sorry that this is such a long post....I'm now trying to figure out if I should try to get another female to keep my Ruby company, or if it's too soon and I should let her get used to being by herself for a while. I just get so sad when I see her sleeping in the spot where she and her sis used to sleep on top of each other.
Any tips on how soon I should get her a friend? Or on how to go about that process.....I've heard you really need to take it slow when introducing two new ones together...Thanks for any helpful info you all can give.
~Kara
