My chinchilla Ben is about 11 yrs old and he's albino and he's problem which has me really worried right now is he goes to the top self of his cage and he lays there for a while, and he becomes Fairly lethargic and he's ears darkin somewhat and they are not bei g held close to he head and are not hot he also grinds his teeth every now and then he seems better when I get him to move around and his ears return to normal please help
My chins ears get red and he becomes lethargic
- Thread starter Joe
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How often does this happen? I know when Tribble gets warm (either from playing or whatever) he will go and sit on his cooling tile. He just sits there and doesn't really move until he cools down. Is this what you mean? It's normal, he is just trying to cool himself down. Do you have a cooling tile for him?
As far as the grinding of the teeth, I'm not sure. My chins will sometimes "chew" when they are sitting there. It doesn't happen very often, but I wouldn't say it's a grinding noise- it just sounds like they are chewing.
Watch his habits and if you see something out of the ordinary, take him to a vet. If he changes in eating, drinking, activity habits. You know what is the norm for your chin. Also, watch out for symptoms of drooling, if he actually is grinding his teeth, pawing of the mouth- these are all symptoms of dental problems. Also, it might be a good idea to invest in a gram scale and weigh him weekly. Weight loss can be the first signs to look out for. You can buy these scales at Walmart, mine is a "Biggest Loser" food scale.
I hope everything is okay with your little one! Just keep an eye out! Maybe someone else will have something more to add!
As far as the grinding of the teeth, I'm not sure. My chins will sometimes "chew" when they are sitting there. It doesn't happen very often, but I wouldn't say it's a grinding noise- it just sounds like they are chewing.
Watch his habits and if you see something out of the ordinary, take him to a vet. If he changes in eating, drinking, activity habits. You know what is the norm for your chin. Also, watch out for symptoms of drooling, if he actually is grinding his teeth, pawing of the mouth- these are all symptoms of dental problems. Also, it might be a good idea to invest in a gram scale and weigh him weekly. Weight loss can be the first signs to look out for. You can buy these scales at Walmart, mine is a "Biggest Loser" food scale.
I hope everything is okay with your little one! Just keep an eye out! Maybe someone else will have something more to add!
Ya thanks and this only started happening recently and the thingis sometimes his ears have the red coloration and they don't feel hot but now it seems its hot with the red but the problem is he is laying there and he just heats up also we just came front the vet a little while ago because I was A little scared he was bloated but the vet told me he's fine but his stools are still fairly tiny so he gave me some critical care oxbow I believe and that he should start feeling better in a week so one full syringe 3 times daily besides that I found he got fungus from he's beding which is wood scraps type thing so we got a spray from the vet as well but the thing that bothers me is that it says for cat and dogs its pharmaseb spray should I be worried oh I also wanted to know if I should be carful if he stops eating solids and just eats the critical care I give him thanks and any help is appreciated
Hi Joe. Your post is a little confusing but I'll try (you have no punctuation to break up sentences) and figure out what you mean.
First, fungus doesn't necessarily happen because of wet bedding. Fungus often comes from an immune deficiency. If your chin has been ill or is dealing with other issues, that can cause fungus. Second, how do you know he has fungus? Did the vet check him under a blue light? Third, I would not use anything for your chin that is for cats and dogs. If your chin does indeed have fungus, go to Tractor Supply or some other farm store and get Blu-Kote. It's purple, it makes a mess (so be careful), and you have to apply it to the affected area twice a day for five days, but it will take care of it the issue. It has the same ingredient that they use to treat thrush inside of baby's mouths when they are born.
As far as the Critical Care, if your vet says he's fine, then why give him CC? If he is concerned that he has a gut issue, CC alone will do nothing. You need other meds and to administer hand massages, etc. What kind of feed do you use? Do you provide hay and what kind if you do? What kind of water do you use? Do you feed treats? If so, what kind? If you can answer a few of those questions, we might be able to help you a little bit better. If he has no dental issues, tooth grinding is oftentimes a sign of them being in pain. If he is bloating or has a blockage, that will cause tremendous pain and could explain the lethargy and the grinding. Is he stretching out at all?
First, fungus doesn't necessarily happen because of wet bedding. Fungus often comes from an immune deficiency. If your chin has been ill or is dealing with other issues, that can cause fungus. Second, how do you know he has fungus? Did the vet check him under a blue light? Third, I would not use anything for your chin that is for cats and dogs. If your chin does indeed have fungus, go to Tractor Supply or some other farm store and get Blu-Kote. It's purple, it makes a mess (so be careful), and you have to apply it to the affected area twice a day for five days, but it will take care of it the issue. It has the same ingredient that they use to treat thrush inside of baby's mouths when they are born.
As far as the Critical Care, if your vet says he's fine, then why give him CC? If he is concerned that he has a gut issue, CC alone will do nothing. You need other meds and to administer hand massages, etc. What kind of feed do you use? Do you provide hay and what kind if you do? What kind of water do you use? Do you feed treats? If so, what kind? If you can answer a few of those questions, we might be able to help you a little bit better. If he has no dental issues, tooth grinding is oftentimes a sign of them being in pain. If he is bloating or has a blockage, that will cause tremendous pain and could explain the lethargy and the grinding. Is he stretching out at all?
Yes I took him to the vet and he placed him under the light and the vet gave me the spray and I was told that the wood shavings bedding has the eggs for the worms ring worm I think it was
As for the cc the vet said he was well so there shouldnt be a reason for his small poop save for some blockage I believe he said. But I was more or less asking if I should be worried about him eating the cc instead of solid food. As for what he eats it's Charlie chinchilla and timothy hay, as for treats its raisins from the pets store usually, his water is purified not from the sink, and he doesn't have Any dental problems but he is due tomorrow for a hair ring check and or removal if he has one. And as for the stretching Out , I only see him do that if hes waking up from a nap or something along those lines, also thanks for the reply I'll see about that blu-kote
As for the cc the vet said he was well so there shouldnt be a reason for his small poop save for some blockage I believe he said. But I was more or less asking if I should be worried about him eating the cc instead of solid food. As for what he eats it's Charlie chinchilla and timothy hay, as for treats its raisins from the pets store usually, his water is purified not from the sink, and he doesn't have Any dental problems but he is due tomorrow for a hair ring check and or removal if he has one. And as for the stretching Out , I only see him do that if hes waking up from a nap or something along those lines, also thanks for the reply I'll see about that blu-kote
Charlie chinchilla is one of the worst foods a chin can eat and is most likely the reason he has small poops. There are much better feeds available for chins, even some high quality rabbit pellets, but not the kind you can find in pet stores. Timothy hay is good, cut the raisins. If he already has gut issues, then raisins are just going to make it worse. There are much better "treats" for him like rosehips, a pinch of old fashioned oats, and wood chews. My rule of thumb, and what I tell all my customers, is that if it comes from a pet store, it's bad. That keeps them out of pet stores and buying things that are better for their chins.
He said he might have some blockage? That is not a small issue with a chin. Intestinal blockage = death.
I'm sorry to say but your vet does not sound like he knows what he is talking about. Ringworm does not come from eggs. It is fungus, a skin infection. There would be no eggs in any shavings to cause it. My guess, again, is that it is an immunity issue. Get his health better, treat the fungus with Blu-Kote, keep his cage clean until it's gone, and it will go away.
He said he might have some blockage? That is not a small issue with a chin. Intestinal blockage = death.
I'm sorry to say but your vet does not sound like he knows what he is talking about. Ringworm does not come from eggs. It is fungus, a skin infection. There would be no eggs in any shavings to cause it. My guess, again, is that it is an immunity issue. Get his health better, treat the fungus with Blu-Kote, keep his cage clean until it's gone, and it will go away.
ticklechin
Well-known member
To answer this, its yes. Handfeeding without a diagnosis can lead to elongation of the teeth if done over weeks. Was this chin x-rayed to see if there was a blockage? To treat gut issues with just CC and no diagnosis is dangerous-packing food into a blocked gut will make matters worse, but not feeding a empty gut because of a guess there may be a blockage is also dangerous, chin could also have bloat, a bacterial infection in the gut etc, I would get a second opinion, this vet does not seem to knpw chins.
Okay got it but he is still pooping it's just they seem quite small should I just give him probiotics then? Also Can you recommend any feeds
And on the vet be stated that it could have been slight blockage even though he couldnt find anything so I probably should have pushed for xrays but at the moment that's not important any advice meanwhile? He does seem distressed and can anyone recommend one inthe southern California area? I ask because I used to go to a breeder for help but she left a while ago out of country and I know some vets around here arent very good my dad actualy lost his chinchilla because of one.
Thanks for the help so far though
Almost forgot on the probiotics all I have right now is bene-bac gel and probios in powder the latter I havent switched over to yet
You know It occured to me that i have only seen him drink today i am not sure if he ate i wasnt around in the morning and part of the afternoon i am probably s
take him to someone first thing in the morning I only did two days of the cc and it was a quarter syringe because I was pretty worried about the vets advice
I want to metion I live in chatsworth california just wanted to clarify for the vet recomendenation
I'd like to add I have seen him eat before giving him The small amount of cc over the past 2 days but I am still worried and not sure if had eatin anything today you know work and all please a reply quickly
Just wanted to update for Ben he's still eating and drinking, but his poos are small, dark and somewhat hard and he does stretch out on his stomach when he lays down . As for the vet I am still looking if its possible for anyone to recommend one in SoCal, chatsworth or a decent drive from there would be appreciated
And on the vet be stated that it could have been slight blockage even though he couldnt find anything so I probably should have pushed for xrays but at the moment that's not important any advice meanwhile? He does seem distressed and can anyone recommend one inthe southern California area? I ask because I used to go to a breeder for help but she left a while ago out of country and I know some vets around here arent very good my dad actualy lost his chinchilla because of one.
Thanks for the help so far though
Almost forgot on the probiotics all I have right now is bene-bac gel and probios in powder the latter I havent switched over to yet
You know It occured to me that i have only seen him drink today i am not sure if he ate i wasnt around in the morning and part of the afternoon i am probably s
take him to someone first thing in the morning I only did two days of the cc and it was a quarter syringe because I was pretty worried about the vets advice
I want to metion I live in chatsworth california just wanted to clarify for the vet recomendenation
I'd like to add I have seen him eat before giving him The small amount of cc over the past 2 days but I am still worried and not sure if had eatin anything today you know work and all please a reply quickly
Just wanted to update for Ben he's still eating and drinking, but his poos are small, dark and somewhat hard and he does stretch out on his stomach when he lays down . As for the vet I am still looking if its possible for anyone to recommend one in SoCal, chatsworth or a decent drive from there would be appreciated
If he is stretching and has small poops, you've got a problem. I cannot help you on the vet as I am geographically challenged out your way, but hopefully Dawn will pop on. She has a pretty good handle on the vets in Cali.
It's me again update on Ben it looks like he has infected teeth and they have gotten to the root of one or more and they suggest antibiotics for now to see if we can get rid of the infection. He also needs his teeth filed. Any one have any advice for this situtuation or anything?
ticklechin
Well-known member
If the chin was properly diagnosed during a oral exam and x-rays, you would know how many teeth are infected. If it is indeed a root that is infected-meaning a periapical abscess then antibiotics wont cure it, the source of the infection needs to be removed.
So what the tooth needs to be removed? Because the vet said there was a chance if we could get the infection under control with antibiotics then he could fight it off. I may post the x rays and pics when I get them. Also the vet I had used was Dr. Yoko Tamura, in Capri Pet Plaza. 19582 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana I am hoping that Ben will be alright since he is old and his exams where oral with a camera inserted, blood work and x-rays
I am going back on the 9 of December to check again to see if he's doing better but if he's not I don't like the options then so please any more advice and such is still greatly appreciated also if that's the case he needs a tooth or two removed ? But I don't know about that since he is 11 years old and he still needs a file done his teeth so please reply soon thanks
AZChins
Pro Cage Cleaner Champion
He definitely needs to be on the antibiotics. Chances are that some teeth will have to be removed since it is nearly impossible to catch an infected tooth or abscess before it spreads so deep that the antibiotics will only keep the infection from spreading.
I'd definitely keep the chin on the antibiotics until the 9th, but monitor his weight closely. If you see him stop eating or dropping weight, you may want to take him in a little sooner.
I had a chin with a jaw infection for over a year. The only thing that saved him was removing molars. We're going on about two years with no further tooth issues with him and a full recovery. It isn't a death sentence for a chin to end up with infected teeth, but it has to be treated promptly. Much of the time an infected tooth will become loose and very easy to remove.
I'd definitely keep the chin on the antibiotics until the 9th, but monitor his weight closely. If you see him stop eating or dropping weight, you may want to take him in a little sooner.
I had a chin with a jaw infection for over a year. The only thing that saved him was removing molars. We're going on about two years with no further tooth issues with him and a full recovery. It isn't a death sentence for a chin to end up with infected teeth, but it has to be treated promptly. Much of the time an infected tooth will become loose and very easy to remove.
Okay thanks but will being that old affect his chances ? Also how much did you pay for the tooth removal? And the vet stated that the teeth may need to be filed first an such and that alone is like $1100 for him still thanks for information it's keeping me better at ease. I'll try and post the x-rays and such later
Here is a link to his x-rays ill see about putting them in here without the link
http://www.antechimagingservices.co...l.html?token=1c73488dced930fb5aaa905f7e3c054b
http://www.antechimagingservices.co...l.html?token=1c73488dced930fb5aaa905f7e3c054b
ticklechin
Well-known member
I paid 160.00 or so for filings at my regular vet and around 200.00 at the vet dentist. The teeth I have had removed basically fell out when the dentist did cleanings but when elective tooth removal of several teeth was looked into it was extremely expensive, I don't remember exactly how much but a few thousand. The last abscess tooth, that I chose not to have removed but had flap surgery instead was over a 1000.
I can't see the x-rays, it comes up as errors.
I can't see the x-rays, it comes up as errors.
Crud lemme try this one instead http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/...45181943700677940789613538dcm_zpsa7e8bd15.jpg
