I have a four-year-old, male chinchilla that began making some odd grunting sounds yesterday (along with some kecking) for no apparent reason. I couldn't tell if he was injured, sick, or just in a mood. He has occasionally made a similar noise, but typically only in response to agitation and sometimes while sleeping, but never for a sustained period.
I decided to pay close attention to his droppings and general behavior. His droppings are a bit smaller than usual, but he also has a history of randomly having small droppings for a few days and then returning to normal. He still jumps around his cage, eats, chews, etc. He still enthusiastically takes chewing treats when I offer them. The only thing that's stood out to me other than the sounds he's making is that I haven't noticed him on his wheel lately.
When I turned off the lights and went to bed tonight, he didn't do his usual jump-into-the-wheel routine. I also became more aware of his occasional grunting sounds. I got up and checked his cage, and I noticed that he hadn't produced many droppings during the day. I picked him up and brought him into the bathroom to give him a closer examination. I palpated his abdomen a bit, and it didn't feel odd at all, so I'm not too concerned about stasis. He also started producing quite a few droppings as I held him, so it's possible he just hadn't done much during the day to warrant any.
While I was holding him, I noticed that, even when he wasn't making the grunting noises, I could hear his breathing quite clearly. At this point, I'm not sure if it was loud, labored breathing or if I was just able to hear it because I was listening for it specifically and had a nice and quiet space to do so.
When I returned him to his cage, he resumed his routine of chewing, eating hay, and jumping around, but he's still occasionally making that odd noise.
What do the chin experts think? Are there any potential issues or symptoms I should check/watch for? The only illnesses that come to mind are URI and penumonia, but he doesn't seem to have any other symptoms. Does this warrant a vet visit in the morning?
I decided to pay close attention to his droppings and general behavior. His droppings are a bit smaller than usual, but he also has a history of randomly having small droppings for a few days and then returning to normal. He still jumps around his cage, eats, chews, etc. He still enthusiastically takes chewing treats when I offer them. The only thing that's stood out to me other than the sounds he's making is that I haven't noticed him on his wheel lately.
When I turned off the lights and went to bed tonight, he didn't do his usual jump-into-the-wheel routine. I also became more aware of his occasional grunting sounds. I got up and checked his cage, and I noticed that he hadn't produced many droppings during the day. I picked him up and brought him into the bathroom to give him a closer examination. I palpated his abdomen a bit, and it didn't feel odd at all, so I'm not too concerned about stasis. He also started producing quite a few droppings as I held him, so it's possible he just hadn't done much during the day to warrant any.
While I was holding him, I noticed that, even when he wasn't making the grunting noises, I could hear his breathing quite clearly. At this point, I'm not sure if it was loud, labored breathing or if I was just able to hear it because I was listening for it specifically and had a nice and quiet space to do so.
When I returned him to his cage, he resumed his routine of chewing, eating hay, and jumping around, but he's still occasionally making that odd noise.
What do the chin experts think? Are there any potential issues or symptoms I should check/watch for? The only illnesses that come to mind are URI and penumonia, but he doesn't seem to have any other symptoms. Does this warrant a vet visit in the morning?
