missing fur! & sweat

worriedsick90 · Jun 20, 2011

hello,

i have a male chinchilla, he is 8 1/2 years old. the last couple of days i have noticed that his chest seemed "wet"? and just assumed he was a little hot. however, today i noticed that he began to lose some fur on his paw. the vets in my area have all said that their is only 1 animal hospital in my area that will see chinchillas and they can't see him until friday. i'm really worried, and just want to know if anyone has had similar situations and if it seems fatal? i am currently bleaching/washing down his cage and toys.

EMSChins · Jun 20, 2011

Does he appear to be drooling? Is he eating, drinking , sleeping, pooping normally? Chins do not sweat - he may have maloclusion and is drooling but malo chins usually will go off of their feed.

worriedsick90 · Jun 20, 2011

he doesn't seem to be drooling. everything else is normal.

ticklechin · Jun 20, 2011

He needs a oral exam under gas and x-rays, the symptoms are pointing to a mouth problem-it will not resolve on its own so he needs a vet visit. dental chins may or may not 100% stop eating while drooling, depends on what kind of drama queen the chin is, the degree of problem in the mouth and is it limited to one side.

ChinnyMom · Jun 20, 2011

i agree with Dawn. the wet chest immediately made me think of a dental/mouth problem. i thankfully have not had to deal with any mouth/teeth issues myself, but have done a lot of reading on the subject. this is definitely something you need to take him to a chin experienced/qualified vet for. i'd be calling your vet first thing in the mornings, every day until Friday, to see if maybe a spot opened up or maybe the chin vet is in when they are not scheduled to be. you may think this is harassing the vet, but it can't hurt to try! and your chin could possibly be seen sooner by doing so.

not too sure why he might be chewing the fur off his paw though.