chin with swollen, red-coloured pennis and hurt on its top

[VanessaGreece]

Hi..excuse me for my english but i'm from greece.. My 8 week old chinchilla which i own for only 6 days, has a problem with his penis. 3 days ago, i noticed that it was swollen and red-colored so I decided to visit a vet. Unfortunately I live in an island and there was only one vet to go who didn't know much about chinchillas..He told me to try to give to my chin a medicine called Baytril for 5 days. Despite the fact that the chin refuses to drink his water with the medicine in it (at least i haven't seen it drinking), the swelling becomes more and more worse every day!! The poor chin is hypotonic all the time and touches the penis with his mouth. Hardly does it move! Now the penis except for being swollen and red has a brown mark on its top like it;s hurt.. Please can you help me?

(10 days have passed since then and although i gave him the medicine, the swelling has not retreated..Thank God he now seems more energetic)

 

[Vcchinchilla]

Maybe he has a hair ring?

 

[VanessaGreece]

the vet (who didn't know much about chins) told me that he didn't see a hair ring.. and adviced me to give him in its water Baytril for 5 days..But 10 have passed and nothing changed.. He's just more energetic

 

[tunes]

Giving water in his Baytril is not going to do anything except possibly make your chin stop drinking. It's not a concentrated enough dose. Also, Baytril is not a good choice for a baby. It inhibits bone growth and can cause appetite issues. There are other, safer antibiotics that could be used if there was an infection.

I highly doubt at 8 weeks there would be a hair ring, though I suppose it "could" be possible. Can you post a picture of his penis so we can get an idea of what's going on?

 

[ChinnyMom]

here is a very good video on how to check for a hair ring yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BafuUFuO-oA

being as your vet isn't chin experienced, i would think they may not have known how to fully extend the penis to check.

male chins do clean their penises, and they do self pleasure themselves too.

putting medication in a chin's water bottle is generally not advised. using a syringe and orally administering the meds is much better, and guarantees that the chin is taking the meds. with baytril in the water bottle, a chin may not drink due to the taste, and get dehydrated.

 

[VanessaGreece]

 

[tunes]

Are you talking about the spot?

 

[VanessaGreece]

yes..and for the size of the penis..now it's better but one week ago he couldn't even move.. also when he walked he avoided to touch the ground with the bottom back of his body, as he was protecting it and he seemed to be in pain. Now the color came back to normal but the penis is still swollen with the spot you can see on it.

 

[VanessaGreece]

also both the feet and the penis look much worse than you can see in these photos
(bad resolution and its blur :/ )

 

[Tillygizmo]

hmmmm. Is it possible to find another chin knowledgeable vet in the area??

 

[VanessaGreece]

unfortunately no.. :/ I live in an island and there's only one vet here.. I'll visit him again on Tuesday but I can't say i trust him a lot.. Do you have an idea about the problems based to the photos?

 

[JodiO]

I am certainly no vet, but because you said BOTH his feet & penis were irritated, what is the bottom of this guy's cage like?? Is it all wire grated or does he have smooth shelves to rest on? Just wondering if he may have scratched himself up being an energetic kit in a wire mesh cage??

 

[Tillygizmo]

Or he may be allergice to bedding? Are you useing wood chips..if so what type?

 

[VanessaGreece]

the bottom of the cage is plastic and i have wood chips on it

 

[VanessaGreece]

one more problem appeared now, and this time to his brother.. :/ I've separated them for about a week, the sick was left in the cage and his brother free at the same room. The room was clear from 'dangerous stuff' and he seemed to have a good time. There was only one radiator in the room, where he enjoyed a lot to climb. Unfortunately, yesterday i found out that one of his ears looked as if it was burnt in the outer edge so i put him back to the cage with his brother and arranged an appointment with the vet for tomorrow. The thing is that now that they are in the same cage, i cought Fluffy (the chin with the swollen penis) eating his brothers ear!!!!!so i separated them again. Now the ear lacks a part on its outer edge.. do you know if it's going to heal? is it something serious and dangerous for his life??

 

[Claire D]

Is he missing fur under his chin? It looks like it in one of the photos.

What do you clean your cage with & what type (if any) of bedding do you use?

 

[VanessaGreece]

oh my god yes you are right!! he is missing some fur under his chin...

 

[VanessaGreece]

the bottom of the cage is plastic and i have wood chips on it
here is the exact brand:
http://www.chinsby.ru/shopping/opil...aft/101-opilki-vitakraft-kleintier-streu.html

I clean the plastic bottom with antibacterial wet wipes without chlorine

also one more problem appeared now, and this time to his brother.. :/ I've separated them for about a week, the sick was left in the cage and his brother free at the same room. The room was clear from 'dangerous stuff' and he seemed to have a good time. There was only one radiator in the room, where he enjoyed a lot to climb. Unfortunately, yesterday i found out that one of his ears looked as if it was burnt in the outer edge so i put him back to the cage with his brother and arranged an appointment with the vet for tomorrow. The thing is that now that they are in the same cage, i cought Fluffy (the chin with the swollen penis) eating his brothers ear!!!!!so i separated them again. Now the ear lacks a part on its outer edge.. do you know if it's going to heal? is it something serious and dangerous for his life??

 

[Claire D]

It is possible your chins have ringworm - it can 'attack' the tips of the ears, causing scabs & looks like a normal wound - chins will often 'clean' a wound by nibbling it & it's not always a sign of aggression. The missing hair & flaky skin on your chin's paws & under the chin can also be signs of ringworm - ask the vet to check for that.

I would swap the sawdust for newspaper at the moment & clean the base of the cage with white vinegar & water (50/50 dilution) just in case they are reacting to either the sawdust (unlikely but possible) or the detergent wipes you are using.

Please let us know how you get on at the vets.

 

[Brittany_Lynn]

I've separated them for about a week, the sick was left in the cage and his brother free at the same room. The room was clear from 'dangerous stuff' and he seemed to have a good time.

So the brother is just living in the room, NOT in a cage? How is he getting water? Is there a water bottle hung up somewhere for him to drink from? How big is this room? What sort of furniture is in there? Is there a carpet?