My chinni is possibly hurt?

[Laurelelise]

I was just now laying in bed when I noticed my chin (Tinker) sitting kind of weird in her cage. She was sitting with her nose out of the cage between the spokes and had her legs all weird. I'm a new chin owner (had her one week) and am so insanely paranoid about hurting her or her hurting herself. She just got done playing in her ball (I let her roll through the house) and she seems to be eating and drinking just fine now. The way she was sitting just really concerned me and my first thought was that her leg was broken. She (for the first time) walked out into my hands today and was very hyper and tried to jump out...I kept her from doing so, and I'm pretty sure I didn't hurt her. I didn't grab her with force at all..am I just an overly paranoid new mommy?

 

[jess32247]

My chin likes to sit with her nose through the bars and her paws/feet just about sticking out to get my attention. Have you noticed her limping when she walks?

On another note, how old is she? Playtime and/or wheels aren't recommended until they are a little older, mostly to around 6 months of age. They can easily ware themselves out and overheat pushing themselves to far.

As for the ball, please return it and never use it again. I highly suggest you read through this thread. She may have gotten her foot/toe caught in one of the ventilation holes of the ball. Do you have anything sticking out that she could of accidentally caught her foot on in the cage?

 

[ticklechin]

Balls kill and frankly are gross.

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16152

 

[Basket_of_Chinchillas]

My boys like to lay on their sides with their legs stretched out...can you take a picture if you see your chin doing it again?

Also pleasepleasepleaseplease get rid of the death ball. I know there is a chin on the side of the box that the ball comes in, but those balls are not safe for chins!

 

[Laurelelise]

She's 5 years old.
She isn't limping at all...and she seems just fine this morning. It's funny that both of y'all say to take the ball back and to not get her a wheel...I've read more places than I haven't that a big ball and a solid plastic wheel are completely fine and great forms of exercise for them. I'm not arguing on it...simply read on about 90% of sites that it was fine

 

[ticklechin]

If I was a chin, I would not want to roll around in a plastic ball with my own poo and pee and do it in a warm moist environment, heck the chin can't even see out of it, there is a reason they dust, they want to be CLEAN, and there is a reason they get hot, its because they have thick FUR. Those balls are nasty and owners that use them are lazy, I mean REALLY, is to too hard to chin proof a area, get a play pen or supervise play, chins don't even need outside play time, its the owners who like it. There are internet sites that say its OK to spray your chin down with Lysol to get rid of fungus, guess with your reasoning that is OK too, since its on the net.

 

[Tagna]

She's 5 years old.
She isn't limping at all...and she seems just fine this morning. It's funny that both of y'all say to take the ball back and to not get her a wheel...I've read more places than I haven't that a big ball and a solid plastic wheel are completely fine and great forms of exercise for them. I'm not arguing on it...simply read on about 90% of sites that it was fine

They are called Death Balls for a reason. Wheels are fine as long as the chin is old enough and healthy enough AND the wheel is a Chin Safe wheel. Like the metal saucer, Chin Spin, Silver Surfer or Leo Braun.

 

[Basket_of_Chinchillas]

She's 5 years old.
She isn't limping at all...and she seems just fine this morning. It's funny that both of y'all say to take the ball back and to not get her a wheel...I've read more places than I haven't that a big ball and a solid plastic wheel are completely fine and great forms of exercise for them. I'm not arguing on it...simply read on about 90% of sites that it was fine

A lot of people are incredibly misinformed about appropriate chinchilla care because they assume a chinchilla can be treated like a hamster or a guinea pig or a rat. That is why you can find chinchilla food in petstores that are loaded with dried fruit and plastic toys that say they are for chinchillas when in fact plastic is very dangerous for chins (<--they are chewers and if they ingest any of the bits that they are chewing they can have serious gut issues and die). Even finding a vet who is able to properly treat a sick chin can be hard to come by.

The reason people on here speak out against death balls and plastic in cages is because they have learned from experience that harms that they can cause and because they care about the well being of your chin.

 

[MyzarandGemma]

the deathball is not a topic you want to argue. Look at the stats on that poll.

Anyway, I bet your lady was just cooling down on the metal bars in the cage. Do you have a slab of marble or granite or something (not plastic) you can stick in the fridge while she is playing and then place in her cage afterwards so she can lay on it and cool off? Chins don't sweat or pant like a dog, blowing air at them won't help, but bringing down the core temperature would.

I hope you post pics of your sweetheart soon

 

[jess32247]

I highly suggest you read through THIS thread, if you didn't notice it the first time I linked it. Take the advice we are giving you, as a lot of people here have many more years of experience then you can imagine.

I've never used a death ball, and guess what? My chin has never had any sort of injury. You've had her for one week and she's already hurt.

It should be apparent what's wrong here. I hope you can change your mind about death balls, as your chinchilla is already suffering within a week of your care.

 

[ChinnieShop]

Many people on here including myself do not recommend the balls or plastic wheels. The reason is that in a ball the chinchilla can be injured from running into different things around the house, they will be rolling around in there own feces and urine, and have a higher risk of becoming overheated. Many wheels whether plastic or not have a piece in the center that has them arch unnaturally and can cause damage, as well as them chewing on the plastic. By chewing on the plastic it can potentially become lodged in there intestines which can cause severe health issues including death. It seems that you have been reading a lot to see what is the best for them, which is good. You need to ensure that you are reading quality information, because the internet is filled with so called "experts" which is why it is the internet. Now could you keep using such items like the ball and a plastic wheel for your chinchilla, yes, can they go through their life without actually becoming injured, yes, but just because there is a chance they may not get hurt, it is always better to air on the safe side and avoid any unnecessary risks for them. Think about it this way, can i drive my car my whole life without wearing my seat belt, yes, and does that mean i can get into a serious or fatal accident no, and I could survive my whole life living this way, but I am putting myself at a higher risk for injury, and all it takes is one time for an accident to happen and I could be severely injured or die. Which is why most of us choose to choose to be safe rather than sorry.

 

[Buddy]

Just let her run around without the ball! My chin is 10 and I've never had her in a ball (or sadly, a saucer wheel) I bought one last year but she's not interested in the slightest! She's also never been injured through running around. Chins love to explore and touch and feel! What do they get in life if they're constantly stuck in a ball when they are finally let out? They're not small enough for you to loose them, and if you have too much clutter just put cardboard round areas that could cause harm to her. If you're really worried about your chins health then please listen to the people above me and myself and please do get rid of the ball. Also, your chins playing out time is her time to get to know you and you to get to know her. How is she able to jump on top of you and sniff you ect if she's stuck in a ball? You will never beable to get a close relationship with her if there's hardly ever any connection between the two of you. So please no more ball! Whatever you were reading it is more than likely wrong. How many people on here have said no to a ball on this thread alone already?... :/ Just think about it.