2 rescues and need some advice!

chinchillalover0927 · Dec 26, 2010

yesterday morning i looked on craigslist when i woke up and found an add for 2 free chinchillas that happened to be in my city.. so i called and went to get them as soon as possible, i knew that with them being free they would end up in HORRIBLE hands possibly..

i gave them food, water, hay and left them in the quarantine cages as soon as i got home...with christmas and all i just returned home a few hours ago... i decided to try and check them out after giving them a little time to settle in.

the girl told me that they are 12 years old!!!! possibly older... also i was informed that they were male and female and in fact did happen to have babies even at the age they were...the girl which i happened to graduate with went off to a college and no longer could care for them..

well i pulled out the ebony male and noticed that he had something wrong with his tail...does this look like fur chew?? i do know that the cage was nothing but plastic, the bottom had a shaving trough thing but had a plastic rack over it will holes for the poop and urine to go in..could this have rubbed his tail like this??? also, his feet omg they are so horrible, is this bumble foot?? what do i need to treat that with or should it be vet treated??????
i got a weight on him and he is 700 grams, they were taken care of food and dust bath wise but i guess the owners werent properly aware of the care they needed...

chinchillalover0927 · Dec 26, 2010

now the female, i noticed that her ear was sliced when i had her at there house, i asked and they said the cat probablly did it....i was pretty annoyed that they acted like it was no big deal but w/e thats just cosmetic...i got a weight on her and she was 830 grams...while i was holding her i noticed what i THOUGHT was a baby roll, i looked at her back end and her pelvic area feels very dialated and is swollen like she is about to birth.... so i immediately put her back inside of her cage.... i also noticed that she has fur chewing on her back end...

i cant believe this poor female was bred back to back for 12 years!!! they begged me to not seperate them but i found this absolutely disgusting that this has happened to her

they are in quarantine cages on side of eachother to not stress them out to much hopefully...
im pretty sure i can handle the female but i need help on the male

if someone can please give me some advice!!! i would appreciate it so much

Millie'sMum · Dec 26, 2010

OMG that is terrible! I have nothing to tell you bc I am new, but wanted to tell you that you are AWESOME for saving them and trying to do the best you can for them! You are very sweet and wish you luck and hope everything turns out for the best for these two!

aznmexaggie · Dec 26, 2010

I'm just looking at these pics on my phone but those feet look pretty bad. Bumblefoot can be a chronic infection, requiring antibiotics and regular antiseptic foot soaks. Although I can't see in detail, the tail also looks as if it has a fungal infection (it looks reddened and scaly). I hope you get him to a vet.

AZChins · Dec 26, 2010

I agree, get them to a vet for a second opinion. It may not necessarily be an infection but just a malformation of the callous on the paw pads, but make sure you get someone to look at it just to make sure that it isn't something infected.

Besides that, definitely separate them. 12 years of breed backs? That's just not good for the mama at all. I'm a little surprised that they made it THAT LONG and lived.

It may not necessarily be that she is chewing. It could definitely be malnutrition. Separate them so that the mama can recover a bit. Poor thing. I hope that she is just in heat and not ready to give birth again.

Good luck with these two. I hope that they are alright and that you don't have to worry too much about them in the future. Older chins can often have serious issues that the younger chins will not have. If you can get them into the vet this week, that would be great.

chinchillalover0927 · Dec 26, 2010

ok thank you so much i will make an apt for them as soon as i can get one available.... and yea susan im just so heartbroke and disgusted that this poor girl has had 12 years of breedbacks.....im almost certain i felt a baby move

!!!! thank you all for the advice i will keep you guys updated

Claire D · Dec 26, 2010

The ebony has chronic bumblefoot - I would suspect that under those scabbed areas are wounds or holes, possibly full of pus. I would also suspect that the bald tail area is rubbed due to him sitting back on his tail or balancing on his tail because his feet are painful. It is something I have seen before in chins with painful back feet - they sit back on their bottom to relieve the pressure & their tail gets a baldy patch or they throw their weight forward onto their front paws.
If you watch him, does he sit hunkered down? What are his front paws like? You may find he throws his weight forward onto his front paws as well - he is taking the pressure off his poorly back feet.

I totally agree with Susan & Sumiko - a vet trip for the male is definitely required. Those feet will lots of TLC & he will probably need pain relief & antibiotics until they settle down. You also need to be prepared to treat them for life as they look to have been causing a problem for some considerable time. That's not a recent issue for him, poor lad.
In an oldy like him I would ask the vet for Septrin rather than hitting him with anything stronger - I have treated chronic bumblefoot very successfully with Septrin in the past & it is kinder on the tummy of an oldy as well.

I would put down some liners for him to sit/lie on - thick fleece or soft towels.

chinchillalover0927 · Dec 26, 2010

ok ill add a fleece blanket to his cage instead of the shavings..i feel so bad for him...

Claire D · Dec 26, 2010

I forgot to mention, you will need to change the fleece/towel at least once a day so that he is not sitting or standing on wet fleece/towelling.

BTW, have you noticed him sitting either hunkered down or putting his weight on his tail or front feet?

chinchillalover0927 · Dec 26, 2010

Claire D said:
I forgot to mention, you will need to change the fleece/towel at least once a day so that he is not sitting or standing on wet fleece/towelling.

BTW, have you noticed him sitting either hunkered down or putting his weight on his tail or front feet?

i forgot to answer that, i havent noticed him sitting weird yet because they honestly dont move around that much, she sits on top her house all day and he sits on the hammock all day in his cage...
maybe he isnt to active because of his condition, id imagine the female isnt because from her looks of her pelvic and vagina she seems as if she might be due any day maybe so she is prob just miserable...

i have some critical care and lifeline, the one that is for nutrition when they are still eating, should i give them a little bit??

menagerie · Dec 26, 2010

chinchillalover0927 said:
id imagine the female isnt because from her looks of her pelvic and vagina she seems as if she might be due any day maybe so she is prob just miserable...

You'll want to remove that hammock. No hammocks or ledges if she is close to delivery. Also, is she in a baby safe cage? Ideally, the spacing should be no larger than 1/2" x 1".

chinchillalover0927 · Dec 26, 2010

i forgot about the hammocks... ill take them out, and the cages are baby safe

im calling first thing in the morning to set up an apt for the male.

AZChins · Dec 27, 2010

Take them both in if you can.

I hope that they are alright. I was thinking about those gnarly paw pads when I was feeding chins tonight and about how those people could have so easily prevented that. Poor little guy.

I really hope that that girl isn't pregnant. Do you know how many babies she has had?

chinchillalover0927 · Dec 27, 2010

susan im almost certain that she is pregnant

.. i held her today to give her some lovins and gently held my hand around her stomach for a few minutes while i was holding her and i felt baby flutters and movement. like i said just the way her pelvis area and vagina looked seemed like she was in heat or pregnant, its swollen

...

im not sure how many babies she has had but id imagine it this way, they told me that she had a baby about 5 months ago, the girl i got them from only had them for about 9 months so id average ATLEAST 2 litters per year for 12 years. YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT IM THINKING!!

ill bring them both into the vet, but i dont know what im bringing the girl for, like what do i tell the vet?? just to give her a regular examination, but honestly if she is pregnant is it safe for me to bring her in????

ive also decided to keep these poor guys,with the age they are and all they have been through i think they need a permanent home to settle down in... im just in love with them and they have stole my heart... ive named them holly and grinch because i got them on christmas eve..

AZChins · Dec 27, 2010

He can listen to her heart, I suppose, do a general wellness check, at least, and just get to know her in case there are other complications later in pregnancy or birth. If you are going in already, you might was well take in both. Pregnancy doesn't necessarily mean that a mother chin is going to be super delicate or that it will cause problems. This is a chin without a known medical or genetic history so taking her in may be less detrimental than leaving her at home.

I do take in pregnant rescues to my vet if I am having to go in anyway. Honestly, I don't really know that they are pregnant when they come in so babies often after actually surprises. Most of the time I get charged maybe an extra $5 to $10 for another exam, if I am charged anything at all. Many vets will help out a bit when rescues are taken in for exams because they know that it was someone else's fault that they need medical care. You just have to tell the vet that you think she may be pregnant under less than optimal conditions (diet, cleanliness level, environment, etc) and the vet should be able to just check her out for you.

Do you think she's really had maybe 30 to 50 babies? That just seems like so much...unless she slowed down in the last few years. Poor thing...

chinchillalover0927 · Dec 27, 2010

ok ill bring them both in. no problem.

also yea i do believe that she has had to have been through that many babies.... if she is 12 now and is already pregnant again with babies that are already moving after just having one 5 months ago, id imagine maybe in her younger years she was popping babies out faster than this!!!

i feel so bad for her..

Stackie · Dec 27, 2010

When is your vet appointment? Those feet look horrible. I have had to deal with a bumblefoot infection and it took a lot of work. I hope you are able to keep up with the treatment. It required a lot of washing, medicating, and keeping the cage as clean as possible.

chinchillalover0927 · Dec 27, 2010

i just called and made his apt the earlierst thing i could get was for friday at 12:15... i got an apt with dr pence instead of dr rich in new orleans.. i will let you all know what the outcome is of the apt...i have him on a fleece liner and im hoping that its helping his poor little feet feel a tiny bit better.

Anna · Dec 28, 2010

Thank you so much for taking them in, I don't know much about bumblefoot or babies but I can't imagine how much discomfort the poor chins are in. I'm glad you're taking them in t the vet and keep us updated please! Sending some healing vibes your way...

chinchillalover0927 · Dec 28, 2010

thank you and i hope his vet apt helps i feel so bad for him!!! holly is like a little lap puppy she is soooo sweet lol grinch is a little kacker

2 rescues and need some advice!

Help Support Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum:

to many chin chips??

to many chin chips??

Nutz over Chins

Chinchilla Chateau

Pro Cage Cleaner Champion

to many chin chips??

Responsible & wise

to many chin chips??

Responsible & wise

to many chin chips??

Creative Genius

to many chin chips??

Pro Cage Cleaner Champion

to many chin chips??

Pro Cage Cleaner Champion

to many chin chips??

I bite.

to many chin chips??

I love my FurBlobs.

to many chin chips??

Join the conversation!

Join today and get all the highlights of this community direct to your inbox. It's FREE!