adopting a wounded rescued chinchilla

[Mishka]

Hey guys! I am new here.
I’ve never had a chinchilla before but been wanting to get one. I was reading about them a lot and I looking for a place to buy a baby chin. But then I decided to check local SPCA (Las Vegas, Nevada). That’s where I found Brewster. When I saw him I felt so bad for him. So I am fostering him right now (I brought him home three days ago) but going to adopt him pretty soon.
I’ve been told Brewster is around one-year-old. 23 other chinchillas and he were recently rescued from a house where they were used for breeding. Brewster was in a cage with three other chins who beat him up. As a result, he has no tail, he has only 2 toes on his left foot and 3 toes on his right foot. He also has a huge wound on his head. His ears were beaten and have scabs now. You can see it on the attached pictures. Is he still in pain? I’ve read on this forum that chins can hide their pain easily. He eats well, drinks his water, pees and poops a lot too. He also sheds a lot. I’ve been brushing him but it doesn’t really help. Is it normal for chins to shed like crazy?
I’ve been taking him out of the cage for a play time every day. He was just hiding at first but on day 3 he started coming up to me to smell my hands, feet, etc. The thing is he does not jump. He just hops around my kitchen (that’s where he has his play time, it’s chin proved). He takes his dust bath and he seems to enjoy it. But I’ve never seen him jump. Well, I let him jump off of my hands once but I think it was awkward for him. I worry that it might be because he’s missing his tail and some toes on his feet. What do you guys think?
He doesn’t seem to be very scared of me. He comes over to smell my fingers when he’s in a cage but he runs away when I try to pick him up. I guess it’s normal plus it’s only his 4th day here. I feel bad for everything he had to go through so I am going to adopt him. Should I get a double unit or a single unit cage for him?
Sorry for the long message. Also excuse my grammar mistakes, English is my second language.
I am open to any advises you guys can give me. I’ll really appreciate it! All I just want is for Brewster to feel safe and loved.
Thank you for your time!

 

[Amethyst]

The pic isn't showing up, the forum seems to regularly have an issue with attachments for some reason, so it's best to use a photo upload site and link the pic. From the description though I would get him checked out by a vet to make sure all his wounds are healing ok and don't need any extra meds to heal and aren't infected.
As for the shedding, chins shed when they are scared, their fur is weakly attached so it comes out easily as a defense (predator gets a mouth full of fur instead of a mouth full of chinchilla). It takes most chins at least a week to settle in, so I would just give him time, chins don't normally need to be brushed unless they are being shown or have mats. Brushing a already stressed out chin can cause bald spots, so I would hold off on brushing (chins should be combed not brushed anyway) unless he has something in his fur. Chins do shed twice a year, but it's not very noticeable and all they normally need is dust baths to get the loose fur worked out.

I would guess the lack of tail and missing toes could be throwing his balance off. Once again though I would make sure there isn't an issue with his spine. Was the tail amputated by a vet? or chewed off by another chin. Especially if it was done by another chin there could be nerve damage.

A single unit FN or CN (if that is what you are talking about) is big enough for a single chin, but more space is normally better. Just keep his abilities in mind, make sure ledges are low enough he can use them, and that he can't fall very far.

 

[Mishka]

Thank you for your response!
Here's a link to the pictures. http://postimg.org/gallery/23roqqea0/
I'll find out tomorrow how he lost his tail. I think it was beaten off by other chinchilla. BTW, the SCPA people told me that Brewster is around 4 years old. They also told me that their exotic vet checked him out and Brewster was ok to be fostered. They just wanted to wait for him to look prettier for an adoption. They also told me to brush him but since you are saying it's not good for chins I'll stop and won't torture him with this process.
He has some meds stacked to his fur under his chin. Do I need to do anything to help him get rid of it?

 

[tunes]

Much like with any rodent, a tail is a point of balance for them. It would not surprise me at all if he was to have some type of balance problem for the rest of his life. That doesn't mean it will be a huge issue. Animals adjust, just like when they lose a limb. He certainly got the stuffing beat out of him. However, I would find it hard to believe that the other chin "beat" the tail off of him. When chins attack, they typically jump on the back of the other chin and just hammer away at the back of the neck and the head, which you can obviously see happened here. It's their way of pinning down the chin they are attacking. Turning around and gnawing on a tail just isn't their way. Is the tail open and bleeding at this point? If not, then I would guess it's an old injury, maybe even gnawed off at birth for whatever weird reason.

Keep a close eye on those head wounds. Gently flush them out regularly if you can. You want them to heal from the inside out so you don't end up with an abscess that needs lanced and drained. I personally would also put him on a course of trimethoprim sulfa (mine prefer cherry flavored) just in case there is an infection brewing. It's pretty much the easiest antibiotic you can put a chin on and it's cheap. I can get a huge bottle (enough to do an entire herd) for around $17.00 from my vet.

 

[Mishka]

Tunes, thank you for your insight.
I think my English was confusing. I meant to type that Brewster’s tail was bitten off. At least, that’s what people from SPCA think what happened. They do not know for sure because they got him from another shelter. In a meanwhile, Brewster’s wounds are healed meaning there’s no need for medication, there’s no new blood, no infection, no pus. He got stitches on his head so I guess he just needs to heal and grow some hair in there.
But anyway, I am going to take Brewster to an exotic vet next week. What questions should I ask him? And what my primary concerns should be?
One more thing. Why does he sleep on his side sometimes? It started yesterday and it freaked me out. I had to wake him up to make sure he was alive. He was fine. Now every time I see him laying this way I get chills down my spine. Is he getting sick? Or is he already sick and dying? I hope he’s not dying because I love this baby chin and want to keep him and take care of him.

 

[Justin5609]

My chins sleep / lay on their sides all the time, nothing to worry about there

 

[IkiKolohe]

Thank you for your response!
Here's a link to the pictures. http://postimg.org/gallery/23roqqea0/

Oh Mishka, my heart is just breaking for Brewster! I brought up your pictures and immediately caught my breath in horror. What an angel you are for giving him a loving home - he deserves one! Poor little guy! What the heck goes through some people's heads? To allow that to happen... There's just no **** excuse!!

*deep breath* I can't speak towards abused chins specifically, my girls don't come home until mid-September. I do, however, have experience with other species. Probably the biggest thing you can do for Brewster is to just be there for him but do give him some time. I'm glad to hear the SPCA took him to a vet so sounds like medically, he's on the road to recovery. Mentally and emotionally though... Only God knows. From what you've mentioned, that he's showing an interest in exploring you, sounds very promising. I would take it slow and let him guide you. Not wanting to be picked up actually sounds normal for chins in general. In my research, it seems that chins that sleep on their sides are feeling safe and secure. As a prey animal, showing his belly and not being ready to bolt in an instant, should tell you something.

Not only does he need food, water, and clean bedding, he'll need safe stuff to chew on. I would find out if the vet has looked at his teeth. It's my understanding that without chewing regularly, his teeth could very quickly become a problem. I wonder if his head wound limits his ability to chew. You said he eats his hay and pellets fine? If they didn't weigh him, I would try to get an accurate weight in grams - weight can tell you a lot! Then I'd re-weigh him at least weekly... For my own piece of mind, I would probably weigh him every 2 days until I could see that he wasn't losing, and was, at least, holding steady if not gaining.

Anyway, please keep us posted on Brewster!!! I can't wait to see pictures of him after he's had some regular dust baths and some decent care and love!

Mahalo again, I love hearing and seeing people making such a difference in a little animals life!! I'll keep you and Brewster in my prayers for sure!

~ Tina

 

[Mishka]

Hey guys! I hope you and your chins are doing great.

Here is a little update on Brewster. He saw an exotic vet yesterday and got cleared. So today I adopted him! I am so proud to be his mommy. I know it sounds silly but I am really happy.

Brewster is doing good. I got him Critter Nation double unit cage and set it up for him today. For right now, he’s hanging out on the first floor. In the beginning, he did not know how to use the ramp so I had to slightly push him towards it. Brewster got it right away. So he’s using this ramp on the first floor but doesn’t want to go to the second floor yet.
You guys were right that since he does not have a tail he cannot jump. I see him sitting on an edge of my bed/cage ledge, trying to jump down and never doing it. I hope he’ll figure it out.

Brewster had a diarrhea a few days ago. I think he got it because he was taking his bath in a new chinchilla dust and he was eating it. I thought it was weird but then I googled it and it seemed ok because some chinchillas eat their dust. Is it true? The next day after this incident his stool became normal which made me relieved.

For his bedding I use fleece but I do not understand why Brewster gets yellow stains on his bottom and stomach. What would you suggest? I am going to try to litter train him. What kind of litter is safe for chinchillas?

Thank you for all your responses guys. I am trying to be good to my chinchilla and it takes a lot of reading/investigation to know how not to screw up.

 

[Mishka]

Hello guys! I hope you and your chinchillas are doing great!
I don’t know why but my post from over a week ago didn’t get uploaded. It’s weird. Anyway I just want to give you a little update on Brewster.
I adopted him two weeks ago. I took him to an exotic vet last Tuesday. The vet told me that Brewster was good. It made me happy because I had some concerns about him peeing on himself and about his penis sticking out and being a little enlarge. The vet told me it was ok but I still have my concerns. Please see the pictures attached. BTW, I use fleece for his bedding and I wash it with vinegar just like you guys advised it on this forum.
I got him a Critter Nation double unit cage. Brewster uses ramps to get to other levels. Should I build him ledges to jumps from/on them? Please remember he doesn’t have a tail. When he has his play time he just hopes around and NEVER jumps. But he does jump on his little houses I got for him.
My another concern is that before our vet visit, Brewster was ok with me holding him and he never run away when I opened his cage doors. But after the vet visit, he became afraid of me: he’d run away when I opened his cage and he’d want to escape my hands even if I offered him some oats. What have I done wrong and how can I fix it? I know this little guy had to go through a lot. I want him to feel safe and loved. But I also want him not to be afraid of me when I need to pick him up.
I’d really appreciate any feedback. Please feel free to criticize or to give an advice! Thank you for your time and I hope you and your chins stay healthy and happy

 

[Mishka]

Hey again guys! I forgot to mention a few things.
I forgot to say that the vet said that Brewster was 444 grams. She told me that he needed to gain 50 more grams. How do I make it happen? He eats his Oxbow pellets and timothy hay. I just got a scale for him 2 days ago so I am going to weigh him every week.
One more thing. When I got him a better quality chinchilla dust, he ate it and had a diarrhea next day. Is it normal? It freaked me out, I couldn't sleep, so I was watching him all night. But next day his stool became normal.
Oh, one more thing. I am not sure but I think Brewster might be a little bit blind. His eyes are even black color though. But he bumps into things with his head. I am not sure how close he gets to things but it seems that he gets into them. He's too quick to tell for sure but I do worry about it.
Thank you one more time for any input!

 

[Mishka]

Tina, thank you for your kind words! It means a lot to me.

Brewster is doing good. I weighted him yesterday and he gained 9 grams since the vet visit.

He has a few chew toys and a lava in his cage but he doesn’t seem to be interested in them. I was actually going to ask you guys why he doesn’t chew on them much. Maybe he doesn’t like the toys he has? I am going to get him luffa and other wood to chew on maybe he’ll change his mind. The vet said that his teeth were fine. They are orange/yellow color.

Brewster gets a little bit of oats during his play time. I use them as a reward when he comes to sniff on me. I think he’s warming up little by little. He started jumping on me and uses my legs as a cat walk. I love it!
His hair on his head wound are starting to grow a bit. That spot is not as bold as it was when I first got him.

I am working right now on some shelves and ledges for him. Also I am building him a house. I’ll post the pics when I set it all up. BTW, I use poplar wood and non-toxic wood glue. This forum is an amazing resource for chinchillas’ stuff! Thank you everybody for making it this awesome!

I am planning on getting Brewster an exercise wheel. I know there are many of them out there. I need your advice guys. Since Brewster doesn’t have a tail which wheel will be better for him? A wheel from the quality cages website, a saucer, or something else? Can Brewster even use a wheel? He still just hops around during his play time but he can jump on his little houses in the cage. But I’ve never seen him jump high.

Please post your advice guys. I’m looking forward to them. I hope you and your chinchillas will have a wonderful weekend!

 

[IkiKolohe]

Aloha!!

So glad to hear Brewster is doing better!!! He's gaining weight and I can't believe he's bouncing off you and even coming up already!! I would have guessed he would take longer to start trusting you, so you are doing right!

Ok, wheels... Needs to be a minimum of 14" and solid metal. Anything smaller and it curves their back the wrong way and can damage their spin. Solid because chins have been known to catch a toenail in the mesh and break a leg. Metal, well, because chins chew on everything, heh!!

This is the one I went with... She stands behind her work, is very easy to work with and I find her wheel to be solidly made, pretty dang quiet and reasonable in price!!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/244698998/pet-revolution-16-ultra-silent-deluxe

Alternatively, a metal flying saucer works well, too. I'm not sure if there is an advantage of 1 over the other or not.

http://www.flyingsaucerwheels.com/

OR, if you are super crafty, this YouTube video shows you how to make your own like the first one I linked:

https://youtu.be/lmbAApN0o6M

Hope that helps!!

A huh you,
Tina