hi, im new to the forum

[poopoo]

my name is justin im still learning raising chinchillas. I hope to learn more than i know already and be able to have my chins have a long happy life. Right now i have a 1 year old male standard grey names zeus,i also have a 9month old ebony violet female. they share a 7 ft tall cage with all the goodies to give them the room to jump and move.


I have a few concerns about my 2 chinchillas. they both are lossing hair around tail, they dont fight cause they are always cuddling with eachother. Lately they have been both been very lazy and not wanting to jump around in the cage,a few times ive seen my male drag his back legs. But they will run around during playtime. Also they seem to sleep more than normal, 17hrs of the 24. I honestly have no clue whats going on, they are in a room with nothing to bother them, room temp stays at 65f, they are eating and drinking with no issue. the vet has cleared them yesterday and just said it just might be my luck to have lazy chinchillas. But they both ran around and wouldn't be quiet in the cage last month.

 

[tunes]

A chin dragging it's back legs is not a sign of laziness - it's a sign of injury. How many breaks do you have in this cage, to stop the chins from falling from a 7 foot height and hurting itself? Do you have hammocks, fleece houses, shelves - anything to break their fall down the middle? Did your vet do x-rays to see if there was injury to the spine or the back legs themselves?

Also, are you intending to breed? If you aren't, then you need to separate them. If you are, what is your reason for putting a standard (who I assume is not a carrier) with a ebony violet (wrap?) female?

 

[Jenn]

Hi and welcome! I do share Tunes' concerns here. Is the male jumping at all? I would be highly concerned about injury if he isn't and only x-rays will determine if there is any internal injury. Chins hide their injuries well, so he could be more injured than he is letting on. I love the idea of a 7 foot cage, but as already stated, that would be a devastating fall if a chin fell. There needs to be plenty of shelving located appropriately, as well as a hammock or two to cover any open spaces where a chin could fall.

Again, you never want to house a male and female together unless you plan on breeding them, and they are of proven quality/breeding lines.

Lethargy in a chin is a bad sign. Is your vet well-trained in exotic animals? A dog/cat vet is usually not trained to appropriately assess a chin and its needs. I would have them checked by a chin knowledgeable vet to make sure the first vet didn't miss something important.

 

[Shooper]

Welcome, I'm glad you joined us! Keep us updated on your chins.

 

[poopoo]

the shelves are only 8 inches high of eachother except for the highest point which is at the top of the cage. there are 3 shelves running underneath it to catch them, then holes for them to go down to the next and so on. I put all the treat toys and what not at the top so they get some exercise while im at work. Well i been giving them a supplement called Daily C and they seem to be turning around and being more active, still they spend a ton of time in the igloo cuddling and sleeping......but i came across an issue while checking on my male today. the tip of the penis is bleeding, like he bit it. what could i do to help cure it with out him getting sick?

And how i have a male and female is a long story but they both came from the same breeder with national awards and pedigrees.

 

[lauralynne]

Welcome to the forum.

You have quite a few issues going on here.

Well i been giving them a supplement called Daily C and they seem to be turning around and being more active, still they spend a ton of time in the igloo cuddling and sleeping......but i came across an issue while checking on my male today. the tip of the penis is bleeding, like he bit it. what could i do to help cure it with out him getting sick?

And how i have a male and female is a long story but they both came from the same breeder with national awards and pedigrees.

1) Igloo = plastic which is not recommended in cages. They can chew/ingest the plastic which can cause an impaction. It doesn't take much.

2) Your male needs to see a vet

3) Regardless of how you have a male and female, the question still begs, Are you intending to breed?

 

[Chinmama]

Welcome to the forum!

In addition to the above, I can add that it sounds like either they are shedding (mine look horrible right now, with little tufts of hair sticking out everywhere) or if there are actual patches of hair gone, possibly fungus.

 

[poopoo]

my female passed away yesterday. she ended up having pyometra and clostridium. Sucks

 

[Jenn]

I am incredibly sorry for your loss

 

[MyzarandGemma]

I am sorry to hear of your loss. Did you get the male checked out? Clostridium is a bad bacteria...