Brittney
Well-known member
Alright, so for Christmas, I got a book on Exotic Animal Medicine, since that's what I'm going to school for. It has sections on each animal classified as an "exotic" and has 4-5 pages listing their bone structure, common ailments, medical dosaging, veinapuncture procedures and sites and restraint. Overall pretty awesome book.
Anywho, I flipped through to the chinchilla section of the book and started reading. All of the information listed was accurate from what I have learned here so that's good, (Listing that they were more closely related to guinea pigs threw me off a little, though) but there is one section, and I will quote it in a second, talking about hairballs. See, I didn't even know chinchillas were capable of getting hairballs, but this is what the book says about it:
"Hairballs are as common a problem in chinchillas as they are in rabbits. They are usually caused by excessive fur chewing in combination with low dietary fiber. The animal usually presents with lethargy, reluctance to move, and anorexia. The hairball may be palpated on physical exam or diagnosed with contrast radiographs. Treatment protocols are similar to that for rabbits, fluid therapy, feline laxatives, increased dietary fiber, and proteolytic enzymes (pineapple juice). If the animal is anorexic, force-feeding may also be necessary."
This was all new to me. I have a pretty bad fur chewer and I can't get him to stop, so this worries me. Has anyone heard of hairballs in chinchillas or had one happen?
Just thought I would share and ask.
Anywho, I flipped through to the chinchilla section of the book and started reading. All of the information listed was accurate from what I have learned here so that's good, (Listing that they were more closely related to guinea pigs threw me off a little, though) but there is one section, and I will quote it in a second, talking about hairballs. See, I didn't even know chinchillas were capable of getting hairballs, but this is what the book says about it:
"Hairballs are as common a problem in chinchillas as they are in rabbits. They are usually caused by excessive fur chewing in combination with low dietary fiber. The animal usually presents with lethargy, reluctance to move, and anorexia. The hairball may be palpated on physical exam or diagnosed with contrast radiographs. Treatment protocols are similar to that for rabbits, fluid therapy, feline laxatives, increased dietary fiber, and proteolytic enzymes (pineapple juice). If the animal is anorexic, force-feeding may also be necessary."
This was all new to me. I have a pretty bad fur chewer and I can't get him to stop, so this worries me. Has anyone heard of hairballs in chinchillas or had one happen?
Just thought I would share and ask.
