Eyes, Cages, and Friends, OH MY!

Hello everyone!

I'm new to this forum, but not to chinchilla ownership — I've had my little guy for 4 years, but finally decided to join in here.

I have a few questions; any help would be appreciated. Everything is happening at once!

1.
I recently got him a new, bigger cage, and would like to get a friend for him. (I realize this is a lengthy process that doesn't always work; have done much research.)

Has anyone heard of "Holmes Chinchilla Ranch" in Barto, PA? This is potentially where the new one would come from, but I'm trying to research them at the moment and make sure it would be safe and healthy.

I don't live in PA; please don't offer other options there. I also don't have the means to drive far to pick one up in my area (NY).

2.
The whole "friend" business might need to be postponed anyway. I recently found that my boy has an eye problem. One of his eyes is more glossy looking than the other, and a few days ago I noticed a little bit of white / milky discharge in the corner of it.

Of course I will take him to the vet as soon as I'm able.

For now, I've been bathing the eye with tea, hoping it would get better. (Again after much research, that was oft suggested.)

I'm so worried it could be malocclusion! But I have no other reason to believe this; he's eating and chewing and playing normally — he looks great in all other aspects!

Questions about this are:
if it *IS* the case that his teeth are growing up into his eye, how much would putting him down typically cost? Worst case scenario, really hope it doesn't come to that

If it's not anything more serious than irritation from dust (I suspect it may be), how long does that usually take to go away? If it does go away, does it mean we're probably in the clear from malocclusion, at least for now?

I'll try to post a photo later.

3.
Also, I never could figure out what color my Chin is exactly. Again, will try to post a photo, but he is an even medium grey throughout, with a darker tail. Is that "violet"? He looks a lot like this:
http://www.gopetsamerica.com/small-animals/chinchilla/afro-violet-chin.jpg

(I got him from someone who was no longer able to care for him, and I believe he's originally from Petco, that's why I don't know.)

That's all for now.

Thank you!

Here is the furry one with his favorite toy*:

*I only play with it with him, supervised, and he doesn't chew it. But he loves to bat it around like a little cat... and occasionally mount it -_-;

Here's the gunky eye: (the fur beneath is a bit gross looking, not from the discharge but because of the tea washes)


It seems to be responding well to the tea treatments.

P.S. I have also been withholding dust bath for ~ a week since I noticed the eye.

Your little guy is a black velvet. As far as the tea treatments go, I have never heard that one before. Hopefully, someone who knows more than me will chime in on that but for now, I would say stop using the tea and switch to saline. He needs to see a vet soon. It could be an eye infection and the longer you take to get treatment, the harder it will be to clear up.

Green tea actually works pretty well, I've used it to clean up blocked eye drainage canals. I use terramycin for infections. Yours does not look like an eye infection rather just irritation.

With the glassiness I'd be more inclined to think he has scratched his eye and it is irritating him. If you take him to the vet they'll give you some steroid eye medication to help it heal.

Your little guy is an ebony. He does have a very interesting pattern of a pure black tail and head with an nice evenly light body.

If his back inside toes are not white I would say he is an ebony white. The only time you will have an ebony without white toes is if they have the white mosaic gene. I'm not sure why this happens.

He sure is cute! Can we get some more pictures of him?

I have a girl who has an issue with eye irritation when she gets a dustbath. What I did that surprisingly helped her was to take a regular pair of professional hair cutting scissors (cause you have to be precise being near the eye and the fur can be dense and hard to trim) and I trimmed the fur around her eyes. Don't ask me why it worked but it did. I also wash her eyes with artificial tears after dustbathing. It cleared right up!

Hi everyone, thank you for answering!

We went to the vet today; man he did not like that. No x-ray this time; vet said let's see if it's a respiratory- or eye-infection related issue first, since "he's clearly eating!" (I feel like an idiot; apparently I've made him chubby!! He's on a 2-tablespoon /day diet from now on).

We came home with a bunch of antibiotics and stuff because apparently he has a bit of respiratory issues (she only heard it with the stethoscope), stuff for his the dryness on his feet (not major), and eye drops.

I don't know how I'll get the antibiotics into his mouth he absolutely hates opening it.

Also, she recommended I use Blue Sparkle or Blue Mountain dust. I've been using Blue Cloud from Petco. I thought Blue Cloud was ok? But upon reading some stuff here, I opened the jar and realized it does smell a little funky.

Still researching dust. Found an eBay seller with a good price for Blue Sparkle.

Also, for future reference & for anybody out there googling Chinchilla symptoms: a vet visit in the NYC area is $95 for just a checkup. Today's visit, antibiotics, foot stuff, and eye drops cost me $220 total. If I were to have had x-rays done on top of that, it would have been about $600.

That said, I really don't think I can afford another chin at this time.

Also, thank you for the color analysis! I'll post more photos soon ^__^

Spoof, thanks for correcting me on the color. I gave it a quick look and totally missed the dark belly. However, I do not see any evidence of the white gene. I am snot sure where you are seeing it.

However, I do not see any evidence of the white gene. I am snot sure where you are seeing it.

Click to expand...

Experience in seeing how white affects a base color. It is what causes the speckledy appearance of the ebony and not just a smooth even blackness. It is also what causes the darker head and tail with no other veiling.

Sure the chinchilla could be Tov, but it would have to be white to cause the complete lack of body and cheek veiling.

Here are some pictures of similar white crosses. None of them are Tov. In some lines they are born dark and fade. Others they are born pure white and become dark. The little white baby in the third photo is pictured in the fourth photo at 8 weeks and 4 months. They do not always have white tails. The last photo is a white violet with no ebony. I have more pictures on my website too.

The OP linked to a violet and the chin in the pictures provided is definitely not a violet nor a white violet. )

Hm I posted a reply earlier with vet details; hope it shows up.

Anyway, was also wondering if this ledge is ok for chins?

It's the Petco "natural" Douglas Fir kind. It was a bit splintery at first so I sanded it for him, but I don't know if the wood was Kiln Dried or anything.

Grey said:

Hm I posted a reply earlier with vet details; hope it shows up.

Anyway, was also wondering if this ledge is ok for chins?

It's the Petco "natural" Douglas Fir kind. It was a bit splintery at first so I sanded it for him, but I don't know if the wood was Kiln Dried or anything.

Click to expand...

I'd recommend just making ledges yourself, it's pretty cheap and you can make different lengths. Here is a post explaining how to make them

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9311

ArmyWife said:

I'd recommend just making ledges yourself, it's pretty cheap and you can make different lengths. Here is a post explaining how to make them

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9311

Click to expand...

Thanks!

Just asking because I actually already have that Douglas Fir ledge in his cage, and I have a few of the Sleep-n-Ledge ones.

Living in NYC, I have no car, not much space for wood work, and not much time (like most people here). It seems more time- and cost-efficient for me to just order the sleep-n-ledges on Amazon for ~$7 each & free shipping.

Haven't really seen a better deal, but I bookmarked that How-To post just in case... maybe I'll swing by Home Depot and see what can be done. They have KD pine, right?

Grey said:

Hi everyone, thank you for answering!

We went to the vet today; man he did not like that. No x-ray this time; vet said let's see if it's a respiratory- or eye-infection related issue first, since "he's clearly eating!" (I feel like an idiot; apparently I've made him chubby!! He's on a 2-tablespoon /day diet from now on).

We came home with a bunch of antibiotics and stuff because apparently he has a bit of respiratory issues (she only heard it with the stethoscope), stuff for his the dryness on his feet (not major), and eye drops.

I don't know how I'll get the antibiotics into his mouth he absolutely hates opening it.

Also, she recommended I use Blue Sparkle or Blue Mountain dust. I've been using Blue Cloud from Petco. I thought Blue Cloud was ok? But upon reading some stuff here, I opened the jar and realized it does smell a little funky.

Still researching dust. Found an eBay seller with a good price for Blue Sparkle.

Click to expand...

RE: VET

Does anyone have tips for getting antibiotics in a chin's mouth? I've just been using the syringe, but it's a bad experience for both of us. Poor kid is so stressed out. With my dogs, we used to trick them into eating it with some food, etc.

Also, the eye stuff the vet gave me is not drops, but rather a sticky, topical gel that I apply around his eye 2x daily.

It seems strange to me to use something topical if he has discharge coming out from the inside of his eye. Is this the usual? Or should I keep using tea [or saline] as well?

And, should I continue to withhold dust baths? It seems like the dust will just stick to the eye gel and his foot moisturizing stuff if I let him bathe.

-----

Sorry, it's a lot of questions. But I really appreciate your help!

Grey said:

Thanks!

Just asking because I actually already have that Douglas Fir ledge in his cage, and I have a few of the Sleep-n-Ledge ones.

Living in NYC, I have no car, not much space for wood work, and not much time (like most people here). It seems more time- and cost-efficient for me to just order the sleep-n-ledges on Amazon for ~$7 each & free shipping.

Haven't really seen a better deal, but I bookmarked that How-To post just in case... maybe I'll swing by Home Depot and see what can be done. They have KD pine, right?



RE: VET

Does anyone have tips for getting antibiotics in a chin's mouth? I've just been using the syringe, but it's a bad experience for both of us. Poor kid is so stressed out. With my dogs, we used to trick them into eating it with some food, etc.

Also, the eye stuff the vet gave me is not drops, but rather a sticky, topical gel that I apply around his eye 2x daily.

It seems strange to me to use something topical if he has discharge coming out from the inside of his eye. Is this the usual? Or should I keep using tea [or saline] as well?

And, should I continue to withhold dust baths? It seems like the dust will just stick to the eye gel and his foot moisturizing stuff if I let him bathe.

-----

Sorry, it's a lot of questions. But I really appreciate your help!

Click to expand...

I think those ledges are fine, I actually have one of them in each of my chin's cages when I first bought their cages. You can even order ledges from breeders here on the board. Here are a few links to those who sell ledges.

http://chinstore.azchins.com/Accessories.htm
http://www.chinnieshop.com/category_s/1825.htm
http://www.nwichinchillas.com/apps/webstore/

As for tips, I have issues giving my one chin meds as well. Of course it helps to have another person to hold them while you administer them but not everyone has that opportunity. You can always burrito wrap them in a towel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJiM_4XR3Hk

As for dust baths, I would stop giving them right now especially since you're applying gel to him. He'll be ok without a dust bath for a week. Getting dust in his eyes could cause in more irritation. I'm not familiar with eye discharge so I can't really give you advice about actually using the gel. Do you go see an exotic vet?

ArmyWife said:

I think those ledges are fine

...

As for dust baths, I would stop giving them right now especially since you're applying gel to him. He'll be ok without a dust bath for a week. Getting dust in his eyes could cause in more irritation. I'm not familiar with eye discharge so I can't really give you advice about actually using the gel. Do you go see an exotic vet?

Click to expand...

Thank you!!

Yes, it's an exotic vet. Someone here actually recommended them as well.

They seem to know what they're doing... but it felt just like a human doctor visit in some ways — the wait is long, time with the doc is rushed, and they seem keen on prescribing lots of antibiotics with little regard as to whether it's truly necessary.

Maybe that was just a feeling, though. I don't like to heavily medicate if it's not the last resort, but I don't know about chins — maybe it's necessary for them.

Also, I read on another post that some people dip their syringes in low-sugar apple juice and the chins actually like it. I'm going to try that.

Just found this photo online. This is the closest I've seen to what my Chin actually looks like, except mine has a dark/black tail — that's the only difference.
Is it possible he's a violet wrap / ebony mix, then?



It's from here.

That there is a dark violet wrap but yours is not a violet. A violet wrap like the one shown in this pic is a cross between a violet and an ebony. Yours is an ebony. Possibly an ebony white but it is a bit hard to tell from the pics.

Pookinaround said:

That there is a dark violet wrap but yours is not a violet. A violet wrap like the one shown in this pic is a cross between a violet and an ebony. Yours is an ebony. Possibly an ebony white but it is a bit hard to tell from the pics.

Click to expand...

Is that just because of the tail? The rest of him looks exactly like that photo; He's entirely even grey all around. But he doesn't look like any of the ebony ones I've seen in image searches.

Anyway it doesn't really matter, I'm just curious about it.

The chin in that pic probably looks grey to you because it is such a dark violet. Up close in person it wouldn't look so grey and it would have a more purpleish look. That is why I think you are thinking that.

Here are two of my violet girls. I put these up to show you the different shades of violet. If you look at Zahara in the 1st pic she looks much darker than Prada in the 2nd pic. Zahara looks more like the chin in the pic you posted than Prada does. They are both violets however. Not wraps though. There is no black or grey anywhere on Zahara. Yours clearly has black or dark grey hairs. Hope this helps...

Why don't you post some more of your little guy? If you take pictures in the sun it will capture his true color.