About to buy my first chin

[CrazyForChinchillas]

The sounds may be because the chinchilla is scared. I would take him to the vet as soon as you can about the wetness issue because it may be a teeth issue, unless you can actually tell that it was urine...

I would say dust two or three times a week and as soon as you get him settled in, but that is just my opinion.

 

[snowindry]

Okay, it sounds like sneezing sort of, although i haven't ever heard a chinchilla sneeze before. should i upload a video or be concerned? he's all set up here now, but 'sneezes' quite a bit, i want to see if he does it when i'm not moving him in/while he's in a car.

he was in a cage with about 10 chins, is it possible it was another chins urine?... how does that clean up? it's not wet at all, it has that not soft feel though. thank you! so, give him a bath tomorrow then?

 

[momenteller]

I'm hoping some experienced members chime in. If the chin is indeed sneezing it needs to go to the vet ASAP. Respiratory infections in chins can be fatal. If it is not sneezing I would probably offer the chin a dust bath and otherwise leave it be so it can settle in.

Did the store offer any sort of health guarantee? The chins there sound as if they were in poor condition. How big was this cage that would hold 10 chins??? I hope yours turns out to be healthy for you so you don't regret not taking everyone's advice to buy from a breeder.

 

[snowindry]

Okay, I gave it a dust bath, what does a sneeze sound like? One of my friends dad's is a vet, tomorrow i will ask him if he will see my chinchilla, and I'm going to call another vet to see if they have an exotics doctor. should i be scared :C im getting really worried now, he seems healthy though! he's been napping exploring his cage, eating, going potty, playing with his new toys.

But I was already on a waiting list from this store.... Besides the fur looking a little oily on some of them they seemed in good condition, and the lady who sold me the chin knew a lot about them, like everything the people here have told me, and she said they got the chins from people they trust.. it was a pretty big cage, it was probably a little less than 10, after being with so many chins do you think mine will be lonely or happy to have space? I'm calling the store tomorrow (they're closed now) and i'm going to ask about the fur and what i think is sneezing or squeaking. (the lady said to feel free to call about any questions)

Also: the fur, wasn't /wet/ it feels, not matted like it's knotty, like strung together kinda, like dried fur, on his chest and private areas ish.

 

[Laurie]

yes is the chin is sneezing it could be an upper respiratory infection. Chins do sneeze though and sometimes it's nothing. the do sneeze after a dust bath sometimes. If you notice the chin wheezing and any mucous coming from the nose or eyes watering that is not good and requires a trip to the vet.

 

[snowindry]

Is it normal for chins to sneeze this much? Maybe 1-2 times an hour? He hasn't been wheezing (i've been around him literally all day) you could hear wheezing right? and there's no mucus at all anywhere! so is he not sick and just a sneezer?

 

[Laurie]

usually they do not sneeze that much. Sometimes you hear wheezing sometimes you do not

 

[snowindry]

:C he seems fine though, what should i look for, lethargic, mucus, wheezing?

 

[Stackie]

Watch for watery eyes, clicking sound made when he breaths and/or wheezing, mucous coming from the nose, lethargy, lack of appetite. If you notice any of these he needs to go to a vet. If he continues to sneeze that much I would be inclined to take him to the vet. It's a good idea to find one ASAP anyway..you should always have a trusted vet on hand.

I can't imagine 10 chins in a cage at all being sanitary, apart from crowding issues there would be quite a bit of urine build up quickly and the ammonia smell could have caused some respiratory issues.

 

[snowindry]

Thankyou, like i said earlier i'm going to call the vets, the pet store, and talk to my friend tomorrow C: and he hasn't been doing anything but 'sneezing' what does a chin sneeze sound like? is it possible he's just talking? thanks.

 

[Stackie]

I don't know how to explain to you what a sneeze sounds like. There is a website with chinchilla sounds on it. There isn't a sneeze but pretty much every other sound they make is on there. http://www.chinchilla-sounds.de/index_en.htm

 

[Luci]

believe me, a sneeze sounds like a sneeze. i mean, not a loud man-sneeze, but its a soft "choo" sound...kinda.

if you're thinking that the chin is communicating, then im assuming its barking or making another communication sound. the site that stack posted will help you. either way, a new chin needs to have ample time to adjust to its surroundings. leave him alone for a while. if you want to talk with him, just sit near his cage and talk softly. he needs to get used to his environment before trusting people.

 

[snowindry]

hm okay thanks, i've actually seen that site before. C:

Muffin's noise sounds like a 't' sound. (tah)

 

[Sandi]

I'm going to post this video that was taken in early February of last year, here and at the other thread the OP started in the veterinarian's section...

This was my CJ at his worst healthwise, when he was diagnosed with malo and after a long filing and trimming of his incisors he developed a URI. There was no discharge coming out of his nose but his ears turned bright red as you can see. The fur around his eyes are matted from the malo and URI.

The sneezing happens in the first few seconds...

 

[tunes]

I'm closing this thread. It is a waste of forum resources to have two threads talking about the exact same thing, and I have a feeling the other thread is going to start running very long.