Chins at the vet

[dragsil]

Just a general question,

I was wondering how often people would recommend taking their chins to the vet? I am lucky enough to live close to a clinic recommended by my country´s chin society so I am confident they would know what they are talking about, I´ve read that chins do not require vaccinations but what things should I be maintaining, health wise?

My biggest concern at this point is hair rings, I´ve got two boys so know that I need to perform these checks but since I´ve never done it before I´m a bit hesitant in giving it a shot and was considering a vet trip for the first check as well as an overall once over. Is hair ring something that´s very common and does the risk increase with age?

Thanks for listening!

 

[ticklechin]

Here is my video of a hair ring check

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUfmBoighpA


Some single males will get the constantly, some rarely so its good to be able to check them. As far as yearly exams, its not needed. Its not a bad idea to get a wellness check once with a new vet just to get a idea if they know chins but in your case sounds like you already have a good vet lined up.

 

[dragsil]

Cheers, thanks for the video! It seems simple enough but I´m pretty sure my boys will squirm around like mad once I try so i might work up to it gradually since one of them is still getting used to being held and tends to dart around like mad if I try. Are there any tricks to getting them to stay still for the duration of the check or a good way of holding them? My boyfriend will help too, so it can be a four hand operation if need be.

 

[ticklechin]

Alot of people will burrito them in a towel and use two people at first, eventually it will get easy and you can do it yourself. Have some KY jelly on hand in case you can't get it to retract or if you have a big hairing to work it off.

 

[Shahna]

As ticklechin pointed out annual vet visits are not required nor recommended, since it can be a bit of a stressful experience for your little guys.

However, it would probably be a good idea for an initial visit to get yourself (and your chinchillas) established as clients.