I am new here and a new chin owner, and wanted to share my odd experience. I had been researching chins, had been unable to find a breeder anywhere near here. My sweet hubby bought two chinchillas to surprise me at a local pet store. He knew nothing of chins, and had them set up in a cage when I got home. They were reported to be "about" a year old. I noticed that the female chin had large droppings that resembled a kibble of dog chow. She appeared to feel fine, was eating well, but was producing these large (and rather smelling) droppings. I called the store owner where my husband purchased, he claimed he had not noticed this. When examining the area (I am a nurse, so somewhat familiar with anatomy, lol), it appeared that her rectal opening was BELOW her vaginal opening and extremely large. We found a vet in the area who would examine a chin. She stated it appeared to be a birth defect with a fistula which had formed below the normal area, and that she had TWO rectal openings. She appeared to be otherwise healthy. We ended up taking the poor thing back - as a new owner, I felt unprepared to deal with such an unusual issue.
I know this was long, but has anyone else ever seen or even heard of such a thing? I felt bad for taking her back
I know this was long, but has anyone else ever seen or even heard of such a thing? I felt bad for taking her back
