Chinchilla pulling out own fur/Please help

[ohara916]

I currently have 3 chinchillas. 2 females in the same cage and a male in his own cage. I noticed a few weeks ago my male appeared to be wet on his underside. After watching him some more I noticed he was pulling out his own hair on his underside and his front legs. I did take him to the vet where she did a few tests. She said it doesn't appear to be any kind of parasite. He does have some bald spots now and she said it appears he is doing this to himself. She thinks it is some kind of allergy or stress. I don't know what he could be stressed about. He has been in the same environment for years now. I did notice he isn't too fond of treats anymore. He eats, but he hasn't been eating a lot and did lose a pound. Does anyone know what could be wrong with him? When I hold him his underside area is still wet yet nothing in the cage is wet. His appearance just seems to be getting worse. I'm at a loss for what to do. I've tried to wipe him down and dry him off, but he fights me too much so I try not to bother him and stress him out more :cry3:

 

[ChinnyMom]

you mean he lost about 500 grams? that can't be right. most chins don't get big enough to lose that much weight and not die. what is his current weight in grams?

you should not be getting your chin wet at all. they are very densely furred and are prone to fungus if they get wet or damp. you do give your chins regular dust baths, right?

i would think he is fur pulling, coupled with the possibility of fungus.

what temperature do you keep their room at (with air conditioning)?

and IMO, i'd look into another vet. if yours didn't look for fungus, or be concerned with dramatic weight loss, then they aren't chin competent and experienced.

 

[tunes]

If his fur is wet under his chest and on his front paws, and he is losing weight, I would have him x-rayed immediately to check for malocclusion. Those are just a few of the signs that point to malo.

I would not be remotely worried about fungus at this point. The areas you describe are not typical fungal areas. In the areas where it's wet and bald, is the skin raised, red, dry, scaly? Those are the signs of fungus. What you are describing sounds like possible malocclusion.

 

[ohara916]

I don't believe it is a fungus. My vet had tested for such things and it isn't red or infected in the area where there is no hair. I was told he weighed 2 pounds around last year at this time and now weighs one. As for the malocclusion I was reading up on what you said and it does match some of the symptoms. My vet did check his teeth and seemed to think they looked alright though. He is damp underneath, but I wonder if that is from him tugging his hair out though with his teeth. What do you think of the hair loss? I have noticed at times he rubs his face on the bottom of the cage. He doesn't really bother with chewing on wood or things like that anymore. He seems to take to eating his food, but other than that doesn't have interest in any treats whereas my other two destroy such things right away.

 

[ChinnyMom]

ah good point. when i read 'underside' i envisioned the bum area.

ohara, where exactly on his underside is he wet?

 

[ohara916]

He is wet or damp I guess you could say under his chin and pretty much down his whole underside. His front paws are wet as well. Some of his fur is very matted and some of it he has just pulled out. His front legs are pretty much bare at this point

 

[addictedtochins]

Malo is painful, his teeth could be growing near his eye socket as just one example. I am just saying this so you don't delay getting him to a chin experienced vet. Where do you live? Someone may know of a good vet in your area. There may be treatment for him, they grind the teeth down and get him some meds. You need to read up on handfeeding him, he needs to gain weight. Don't let him starve to death because it hurts him to eat.

 

[tunes]

Unless your vet anesthetized your chin and took x-rays, there is no way he could be positive there is no malocclusion.

I repeat what I said earlier. Get him to the vet, get him put under, and get x-rays done. Everything you say is pointing towards malo.

 

[ohara916]

I live in Lehighton, Pennsylvania. I am fearing it could be this cause so many of the symptoms do match. I didn't see anything about pulling fur out, but a lot of the other stuff matches. I do have an appt for him to go back to the vet next week as a check up and she was talking about putting him on some kind of supplements to help him gain weight back. I'm guessing they are closed today with the holiday, but I'm going to call tomorrow and ask about this and see what she thinks. If she is comfortable with moving forward, doing the xrays, etc or if she can recommend someone else. Thank you everyone for all your help. I really do appreciate it.

 

[tunes]

At this point, I would get him some Critical Care or some Essentials For Life from Tanya on here. With that huge of a weight loss, his teeth must be in bad shape, which means he won't be able to even chew a supplement (unless the vet means Critical Care). With malo chins, sometimes their life can be prolonged by burring the surface of the teeth down, but it s painful for the chin and it is a stop gap, not a cure. There is no cure for malocclusion. If your chins roots are growing down into the jawbone or up into the nasal socket, then there is not even a chance for prolonging life. If you do, it will only cause him horrible pain.

For now though, absolutely start hand feeding him. There are many threads on here about hand feeding, everything from mixing the food to feeding it to a burrito wrap. Do some reading on that so you're familiar with it. Menagerie sells Critical Care and can overnight it. Tanya makes and sells Essentials for Life and also can overnight it. They are both members here on forum.

I'm sorry if it turns out to be malo. It's just a horrid thing to deal with, no matter which type it is. I do also want to point out quickly, you mention you have 2 females. Hopefully your male has not been in with them, because malo is genetic and can be passed on to any offspring. If they have had litters, you would want to let the owners know so they can know what to watch for and be prepared for it.

 

[AshleyElizabeth]

SAME!

I just noticed today that my male chinchilla's fur is wet on his front, but did not see anything else. Then a few minutes ago I was watching him and saw he is pulling the fur out of the inside of his front legs! I'm so worried because we have only had him and his female a month. I've researched them so much and done everything possible to keep them happy...but I guess it's not working. I don't know what to do from here. He is only pulling out fur. There is no fungus and his teeth are fine. I'm just not sure what to do from here and obviously feeling desperate. Thank you.