Chin boredom/getting them to hold still to check sutures

[tcraighenry]

This is kind of related to the post op care. We have our little guy in the worst cage right now and he's so bored. To top it off he'll be stuck in it for another 5 weeks without a house and 2 weeks without play time.

I've also been practicing to get him used to being flipped over so we can look at his little furry balls. But he's still pretty squirmy, which worries me. He holds still when I have him pressed up against me, which obviously isn't conducive to looking at the underside or giving him hand dust baths.

And the only time he really jumps out of his cage is into the carrier (carrier means play time!)

What would you recommend? Toys? Anything on the Internet he could watch throughout the evening that would stay on for 8 hours? I plan on hooking up a spare laptop so he can watch TV and listen to the radio while he's in seclusion for the first two weeks.

Crash course in sick chin care!

 

[Godofgods]

tpys, chew toys, wheel, hut, anything to keep him occupied some.

As for chekcing him.. be glad u can do that much. Some chins hate being picked up or handled at all. My guy is the most lovable chin ever, but you even make a slight move the make him think u might pick up, and he will panic.
But they can get used to it as well. If hes letting you, jsut keep trying to get him used to it. Dont panic him when u try. Let him no its ok and nothing to worry about.

 

[cindyv3737]

tpys, chew toys, wheel, hut, anything to keep him occupied some.

As for chekcing him.. be glad u can do that much. Some chins hate being picked up or handled at all. My guy is the most lovable chin ever, but you even make a slight move the make him think u might pick up, and he will panic.
But they can get used to it as well. If hes letting you, jsut keep trying to get him used to it. Dont panic him when u try. Let him no its ok and nothing to worry about.

Do NOT give him a wheel. Godofgods, your advice on this thread can be very harmful to a chin. He will be post-op. The last thing he needs is a wheel.

To the OP. You can try chews or just spending time next to the cage. I can't give you much more advice than that. I've never had a post-op chin. I'm sure some more experienced members will be around to offer more/better advice.

 

[AZChins]

I don't know about the wheel. Toys and maybe things that the chin can demolish or make noise with as he plays with them. Brown paper bags can provide a chin with a lot of crunchy stimulation while staying relatively stationary, well, stationary for a chin.

A wheel could cause too much rapid movement so the chin could end up pulling on the sutures and it could cause a tear. I'd stick with things that don't require the chin to be so physical.

The tv or laptop is a great idea. My chins love Ocean's 13...that's their most favorite movie ever. I warn you though, if you find it and play it for them, they may force you to play it again and again. Country music seems to be the favorite of my chins because they get mad if I change the station.

 

[obcsed]

I recently dealt with 2 neuters. Per my vet, I kept them in single layer cages with no shelves or anything they could jump around on. No wheel, playtime or dust baths for 10 days. That includes dusting by hand. You do not want dust getting into the wounds. I did give them wood houses and that is where they spent most of their time.

You will find that he will be more docile than usual after the surgery. First, it is going to hurt to squirm around much. Second, he will be on pain meds that will make him drowsy. You will learn to scoop him up with one hand around his shoulders from behind and the other under his butt. That way you can pick him up and get a good look at the sutures at the same time. Mine had invisible sutures that dissolved after a couple of weeks. You need to make sure the wounds are staying closed and not oozing. There will be some initial swelling and you need to make sure it is going away after a few days. If the area isn't shrinking or is getting worse and turning red by then, you will need to get him back to the vet. One of the most common complications is a reaction to the sutures. I nearly lost one of mine to it.

 

[Claire D]

No wheel. No shelves for the chin to stretch to so definitely, categorically no wheel.

I'd give some chew toys, some interesting hay toys (e.g. take long hay, put a rosehip in the middle, & then tie the middle as a knot - the chin then has to work on getting the tasty treat), scatter healthy (no sugar) treats around the cage so he can forage for them, apple twigs etc .........
A small piece of fleece loose in the cage makes a good toy too (chins will hide under it, drag it round, fold it up) as long as he doesn't chew it. Or a cuddle buddy will also suffice.

There is no reason he can't have a small wooden box on the floor of his cage as a bed - as long as he doesn't pee in it.

Initial post-op care advice available here: http://www.davidson-chinchillas.co.uk/pages/initial_post_operative_care.php

 

[tcraighenry]

I recently dealt with 2 neuters. Per my vet, I kept them in single layer cages with no shelves or anything they could jump around on. No wheel, playtime or dust baths for 10 days. That includes dusting by hand. You do not want dust getting into the wounds. I did give them wood houses and that is where they spent most of their time.

You will find that he will be more docile than usual after the surgery. First, it is going to hurt to squirm around much. Second, he will be on pain meds that will make him drowsy. You will learn to scoop him up with one hand around his shoulders from behind and the other under his butt. That way you can pick him up and get a good look at the sutures at the same time. Mine had invisible sutures that dissolved after a couple of weeks. You need to make sure the wounds are staying closed and not oozing. There will be some initial swelling and you need to make sure it is going away after a few days. If the area isn't shrinking or is getting worse and turning red by then, you will need to get him back to the vet. One of the most common complications is a reaction to the sutures. I nearly lost one of mine to it.

Oh god. I'm so scared for my little boy. What kind of sutures did he react to? I'll have to ask the vet. He's been great about getting back to me about my questions.

How did he drink after? Did you need to syringe fluids?

 

[tcraighenry]

No wheel. No shelves for the chin to stretch to so definitely, categorically no wheel.

I'd give some chew toys, some interesting hay toys (e.g. take long hay, put a rosehip in the middle, & then tie the middle as a knot - the chin then has to work on getting the tasty treat), scatter healthy (no sugar) treats around the cage so he can forage for them, apple twigs etc .........
A small piece of fleece loose in the cage makes a good toy too (chins will hide under it, drag it round, fold it up) as long as he doesn't chew it. Or a cuddle buddy will also suffice.

There is no reason he can't have a small wooden box on the floor of his cage as a bed - as long as he doesn't pee in it.

Initial post-op care advice available here: http://www.davidson-chinchillas.co.uk/pages/initial_post_operative_care.php

Thanks for that! The site I was reading wasn't that detailed!

 

[Claire D]

Thanks for that! The site I was reading wasn't that detailed!

You're most welcome - I tried to make the pages as in-depth as possible without going overboard.

There's also a page on wound management which might be of help to you so you can monitor his wounds.
http://www.davidson-chinchillas.co.uk/pages/basic_wound_management.php

 

[tcraighenry]

You're most welcome - I tried to make the pages as in-depth as possible without going overboard.

There's also a page on wound management which might be of help to you so you can monitor his wounds.
http://www.davidson-chinchillas.co.uk/pages/basic_wound_management.php

Would you mind if I PM you some questions?

 

[Claire D]

You certainly can PM me but if the questions are not sensitive then it's worth posting them on here so others can give their input or learn from your experiences.

 

[tcraighenry]

I'm also starting to think I need a calendar to track all this stuff!

 

[tcraighenry]

You certainly can PM me but if the questions are not sensitive then it's worth posting them on here so others can give their input or learn from your experiences.

Sounds good!

1. Is it a given they'll need to be hand fed/given fluids?

2. What's a good replacement liner if he starts chewing the fleece?

3. Should we start him on a special diet if he is eating on his own?

4. Should we start giving him pedialyte immediately?

I'm thinking in terms of having my wisdom teeth out, when all I wanted was pudding, ice cream and Percoset

 

[Riven]

I say no to all of the above except fleece, which if he chews it you could go with newspaper I suppose. I think it really depends on the chin, but you need to monitor closely and daily weighing would not be a bad idea post op to watch for weight loss so you can start handing feeding if needed sooner than later.

I would do the paper bag idea, a place to hide, can't really jump on it, can tear it up... lots of chews, lots of hay, but I suggest finding some place to hide especially if the cage is more open, they need to feel safe.

 

[Claire D]

Sounds good!

1. Is it a given they'll need to be hand fed/given fluids?
Not necessarily - some chins bounce back with no problems & some need some form of help - careful monitoring is the key & stepping in early when you notice the chin is not eating or drinking rather than waiting until there is no poop & the chin is lethargic through dehydration.
Good pain relief is a massive factor in how fast a chin gets back to eating & drinking post-op - make sure the vet gives your chin pain relief before he comes home & a supply to give for a few days post-op.

2. What's a good replacement liner if he starts chewing the fleece?
Newspaper is an ok choice because if he chews that it doesn't matter, it is easy to replace & it's cheap

3. Should we start him on a special diet if he is eating on his own?
No, there would be no need. The syringe/spoon feeding is only really necessary if the chins is not eating on his own

4. Should we start giving him pedialyte immediately?
Nope - again, this is an option if he is not drinking on his own. Most chins don't need it & if you do have to start syringe feeding then it is common for chins not to drink - they get their fluid from the syringe feed - addition fluids may sometimes be required but, again, not always.

I'm thinking in terms of having my wisdom teeth out, when all I wanted was pudding, ice cream and Percoset

Does that help? :hmm:

 

[tcraighenry]

We're looking into some fleece burrow liners or little tubes. I don't want him to feel exposed. What do you use for scales? We did find he's fattened up since we got him. I felt his little tummy last night and it was definitely bigger!

I think we're spoiling him too much .

I'll have to buy a bottle of whiskey from the liquor store! They always come with brown bags.

Would kitchen scales do?

I'm pretty freaked out by this whole thing. We were thinking about whether this would have changed our minds about adopting the pair but we don't think it would. We love them too much already. I kind of wish we hadn't taken the girl at her word. So a warning. Make sure you get a picture of their privates before adopting from CL! It's a really hard decision to make when it gets to this point.

 

[tcraighenry]

Does that help? :hmm:

It really does, thank you! I think I'm going to have to start taking photos of normal food/water intake this week to compare after next Thursday.

Might give me a better idea of what's happening and catch it early!

Also where do you buy syringes? I found I have no idea!

 

[Claire D]

You can get them via your vet, online or at some feed stores - so I am reliably informed by Meanie (since I am UK based).

 

[ChinnyMom]

a digital kitchen scale that weighs in grams is perfect for weighing chins. to keep them from jumping off the scale, weigh the carrier and then tare the scale back to zero, then put the chin in the carrier on the scale. or subtract the weight of the carrier once the chin is in it, if you are unable to tare your scale.

 

[ticklechin]

It really does, thank you! I think I'm going to have to start taking photos of normal food/water intake this week to compare after next Thursday.

Might give me a better idea of what's happening and catch it early!

Also where do you buy syringes? I found I have no idea!

Petco/petsmart sells feeding syringes of the right size-10ml in the bird health department. Make sure you get a bag of critical care to have on hand for the syringe feeding. Ask the vet if they have it, if not you can get it from Menagerie here.