Chin hands/feet feel cold, less active

[tapioca]

Hey, I figure I should come here before I overreact and run to the vet for no good reason again. Yes, I've done this many times.

I noticed that Tapioca is less active than normal. During out time, he usually runs around with little one, and has a blast. But yesterday, when out, he just came and sat behind me, and that was it. Nougat did the usual and tried to get him to play or chase him around, but Tapi just grumped at him and didn;t move. The only thing that got him up was the promise of treats. When I gave him his cherio, I noticed that his hands were quite cold. Nougat was much warmer in comparison. He still seems alert, just not active. I also want to add that I noticed a few sneezes from him a few days ago. But I don;t notice any wheezing.

I put him back in his cage early since Nougat's attempts to play and being a spaz in general seems to annoy him (note: they do not share a cage). In the cage, he went behind the wheel and just sat there. He didn't do his marathon run that night either. Nougat is acting normal, like the crazy, spazzy, ADHD prone baby that he is.

Should I be worried at all? Am I reading too much into things? The cold hands and feet worry me a bit.

 

[Stackie]

Usually a chin's hands and feet will feel cold normally. The lethargy does concern me, however. Lethargy is a big sign of an illness/injury. How is his appetite? Is he eating and pooping normally?

 

[tapioca]

So I don't need to worry about his hands being cold even though Nougat is warm? That's good to know. I'm not 100% sure about his eating and pooping. I vacumed (spell?) his cage this morning so I should know when I get home from work. He didn't touch his hay last night, but then he never really liked hay all the much. I'm not sure about his pellets though.

On a different note, is there anyway to get him to eat his hay? Nougat eats twice the hay he does and Nougat's a baby.

 

[chinnychinchinchilla]

im not sure how to answer the rest but the best i can say for the hay question is just play around with brands. some chins are pickier than others. nougat might not be as picky as him, or thats the brand he likes. they might even like different brands. just experiment with it. thats all i can say. an more experienced member can help you with the rest or add detail to what i said. good luck.

 

[tapioca]

I'm home. Tapi has pooped but they are a smaller than usual and the fresh stuff is a little shinier than usual. He hasn't touched his hay and has maybe eaten a few pellets. He seems to have more energy today, made a mad dash for his 1/4 cherio and wolfed it down like he hasn;t eaten in days and tried to steal Nougat's 1/4. I'm still worried because of the unusual poops. But then he's had odd poops before that seem to fix itself upon picking up the phone to call teh vet. I'm going to monitor him closely for another day and see what happens. What do you guys think?

 

[InkedupTara]

Some chins can have issues with wheat, AKA your cheerio. I would keep an eye on him, small poop means something can be brewing in his belly. Get him out and give him a good run around to get his insides moving a bit.

 

[tapioca]

Hmm. Actaully a few days ago I dropped the cherio jar and he managed to shove a few in his mouth before I can catch him and clean up the mess. Since they are the sugar free salt free ones for babies, I let it go. Maybe it upset his stomach.

He has the unrivaled ability to shove large amounts of stuff (food or otherwise) into his mouth when he knows he's not suppose to, then run off under the bed before I can stop him. I've pried large pieces of my yoga mat from his mouth before( don't worry, I put it up high now that I know he has a taste for it), as well as a long piece of dental floss and pieces of duct tape (that holds the carboard of his run together). So yeah, I tend to worry everytime he acts funny.

I'm goign to write an email to my vet and give him the heads up about the situation so far and if it's still liek this tomorrow, I'll bring him in if they have room.

 

[Stackie]

How long ago was it that he got something he wasn't supposed to have? If he's eating the yoga mat, dental floss & duct tape, he could have possibly swallowed it and gotten an impaction. A partial impaction could account for small poops and lethargic behavior. I have dealt with an impacted chin and it requires veterinary care.

I would remove all that stuff ASAP, if he can't play in a chin proofed area just don't let him out at all. I would also move him to a different cage if he can still get to duct tape on his run...

If he isn't acting normally still, he needs to go to a vet. X-rays can help detect an impaction.

 

[tapioca]

He play area is already chin proof. The yoga mat was a one time thing, I bought it to sit on while they have outtime, it is now put up high as I said already and pretty much useless. The duct tape is from the carboard run I built TO chinproof the area. I have blocked off all the cords and chewable with a 4" high cardboard wall. don't see another way to connect the cardboard securely, so I just watch him when he is out, they are never unattended. The problem is that when I see him go for th tape, I IMMEDIATELY stop him, but he sometimes still gets a small piece. Dental floss? No idea how that got into his room. Luckily, my other chin doesn't eat everything he sees.

I think I've done a pretty good job of chinproofing all thigns considering, and also I wtch them quite closely which is why I have managed to pry things out of his mouth before he has swallowed. If you have another idea on how to put the pieces of carboard together, let me know. I have already tried "sewing" the boards togtehr with an awl and butcher cord, but that gets chewed up right away and does not hold. I believe I found the instructions for the cardboard run here on chins and hedgies. The only thing I worry about is the tape. Also note that he is a climber, I've watched him get to the top of an FN with no problem, so I can not use wired fences. He also likes to eat my walls, so I need to have carboard there so he doesn't swallow dry wall instead. Oddly enough, he doesn't chew fabric at all.

Recently, the only thing I can think of is the spilled cherios and maybe perhaps a nibble of tape he managed to swallow before I got it out of his mouth. I already made a vet appointment for tomorrow.

 

[Brittany_Lynn]

Have you tried using sticky tack or whatever that blue stuff for posters and pictures and things is called? It's blue and...sticky (hence the name) and it looks a lot like gum when you put it on the back of the cardboard or whatnot, but it comes off clean and they can't get to it because it's between the cardboard and the wall, or the cardboard and the cardboard.

 

[tapioca]

I'll be afraid to use sticky tack or blue tack considering how good my chins are with tearing things apart and prying things open! Maybe your chins are not bad a trouble maker.

I went to the vet today and he did an oral endoscopy to make sure it wasn't his teeth bothering him and making him stop eating. His teeth seems okay, so he went on to take some xrays. And as expected, he is full of gas but NO obstruction. SO with dental problem and blockage ruled out, he was given some subcutaneous fluid as he hasn;t been drinking and sent home with critical care, metacam and cisapride.

I'm going to continue to give him belly massages and see how things go. Vet will check up with me on Monday.

Any advice on how to prevent him from biting off and trying to eating the tip of the syringe? He seem more interested in eating the syringe than the med/food inside.