Ugh here we go again!

[jessica]

The last time I was pregnant my mother in law drove me nuts because of my chinchilla. Telling me I shouldn't have one or handle it because they are like filthy city sewer rats full of diseases and that it could harm the baby. Well now that we are expecting again she's getting all worked up again. :hair: I've explained over and over that a single chinchilla that has been living in my house with no exposure to any other animals and doesn't have any health problems is not going to make me or anyone sick. I have told her over and over that my chinchilla does NOT have anything that is going to make me sick. She even mentioned handling the poops and pee saturated shavings during cage cleanings and how it could give me Salmonella. Marble doesn't have Salmonella to give me and if he did he'd be very sick. Plus I don't even touch the dirty shavings or poop it's all vacuumed with a shopvac and I use gloves and a mask to keep from inhaling the dust because that does irritate my sinuses and throat. Ugh talking to her is a waste. My son was fine and so will my new baby.

 

[AZChins]

I'm sorry that you have to deal with that. Chinchillas do not harbor the bacteria that will make anyone sick. They do not have salmonella. They are more sensitive to that than humans are! By the time they'd be able to be contagious with it they'd probably be dead from the infection themselves.

I clean up over 100 cages twice a week...normally I don't wear a mask...I scrape the pans without gloves on. I've never had any health issues from that, not one. Besides the anxiety worrying over the chins, the worst thing that has ever happened to me is that I caught ringworm on my face at this one woman's filthy house during a rescue operation. She had a bunch of cats and other animals, so I probably just caught it from the house since none of the chins had it. Other than that, nothing...

If anyone would become ill due to chin mess, it would be me...and in nearly 8 years of doing this full time and the previous 4 or so when I 'just' had 30 to 80 chins there have been no instances of me becoming sick due to anything having to do with the chins.

 

[Luci]

wow that really bites that you have to be dealing with your mother-in-laws ranting. i dont think chinchillas are like every other rodent.

maybe one thing you could do is to bring up the topic with your doctor. discuss with them how long you've had the chin, where he/she was bred, what type of cage they live in, etc.
however, domestic rodents have been linked to passing on diseases to pregnant women. not saying your chinchilla has a disease, but it does happen. when any rodent (or any animal for that matter) is in contact with other animals-such as a breeding facility or pet store, they can catch diseases from them. example: rodents are constantly rotated in and out of enclosures at pet stores. lack of sanitation could result in animals sharing the same bedding and contracting the disease. in breeding facilities (not all), it is possible that wild mice which carry the disease can come in contact with breeding chins. these are just a few examples of how these animals can get a disease. please, no one think im saying chinchillas are dirty or that any breeders are producing disease-laden chinchillas. thats not it. im just saying it COULD happen.

now, it seems as though youve had your chin for a while so at this point you pretty much should be safe from any disease. but it still wouldnt hurt talking to both your doctor and vet about this. better to be safe than sorry.

just 2 years ago, my cousin was pregnant. she works at our city's humane society and has rescued numerous animals. however, the animal in question was her ferret. because it had been a rescue and its previous living conditions were unknown, she had to take a few precautions. my other cousin (her brother) works at the NICU at our hospital and mentioned to her that contact with some animals and their litter could cause complications when the baby is born. so she talked with her doctor and had her ferret looked at...and now she has a healthy baby. no need to get rid of the pet, she was just extra careful when it came to cleanliness.

so yea, just get doctors/vet opinion. that way you can put your mother-in-laws ranting to rest! congrats on the new baby, too!

 

[jessica]

I have talked to my OB about it but incidentally he doesn't know much about chinnies. Having been through this before all I can do is use common sense and that is washing before and after petting Marble. I've never ever been sick because of him. His accessories give me allergies because of the dust they produce the hay, shavings, etc. but not him or his fur when he sheds. I talked to his vet and he told me that one chin living alone in a house that is in perfect health is not going to be carrying anything bad. However, now is not the time to go looking for another chin because often animals that come from a place with lots of other animals could be carrying something but it's still not likely to make a human sick. My vet also mentioned that while chins do not get sick often it's very obvious when they do get something because they get very sick. Something like salmonella would kill a chinchilla before it had time to pass on the illness to a human.

 

[Rickman]

I'd be tempted to fill a tic-tac dispenser with a 'new flavor' and give it to her to try!!
Bet that'd shut her up - maybe forever!!

 

[ChinchillaSteve]

I'm sorry to hear
Chins are one of the cleanest, healthies things I know.
It's your pet so your mother in law shouldn't tell you what to do with it.

PS: Congratulations!!!

 

[6Dusters]

I took 6 years of a nasty mother in law. I'm a passive person and have no interest in conflict. Having said that.........I had just miscarried and my mother in law ( the wicked witch of the south ) came by the house we were rentiing from my husbands parents . We were moving due to a transfer of my husbands job and she thought we should prep the entire estate before leaving. I just lost our baby, we were packing the expensive things up and my husband was commuting 4 hours each day.

Well she started in on her "spew vomit spew" theme and I finally looked at her and gave her 6 years of my held back wrath. There are names for women like these. I just can't use them on this forum. But your welcome to add any nasty one you would like. And I still don't like her. And I don't have to. And my husband backed me up on this one. We keep her far away from us and live a happy life.

Your an adult. She's not your ruler. And you have every right to live how you would like. Bullies like this need extra firm rules or they have become tyrants.

Hugs

 

[brekai722]

God Bless!!!!

God has blessed you and if you are meant to have a healthy baby, no matter what you do it will happen. I almost died giving birth to my daughter and it had absolutely nothing to do with animals of any sort. I did every thing right and got Toxemia and asthma from living in the molding cabin we were renting because there was no "room at the inn" anywhere else where we were located. My nine year old daughter is as healthy as a horse.

:crazy:What I guess I'm trying to say is get rid of the MOTHER-IN-LAW not Marble. The MIL is causing more harm than Marble. Tell her that she needs to chill or skeedaddle, because you are keeping Marble and that's the last time you want to hear it. (If she continues, :tease

 

[Riven]

I would tell your MIL that you totally agree with her, and since she's talked so much sense into you... you've decided to get rid of the baby because it's best for everyone.

If you're not comfortable telling her to snap her trap then your husband should do it for you. It's HIS mother, and he's married to you, not her. If it continues avoid her on the phone and ask her not to come by your house, she'll get the picture sooner or later.