new owner, ear problem... HELP!!

AshLilyNeko · Feb 17, 2014

ok so I just started taking care of my sister's chinchilla (she is at college and i just had to move home recently)

I have several health concerns about him, and have made an appointment with the vet to address those concerns, but while on the phone with them, I brought up a problem he has with dry ears. they said since he has had this issue for years (my sister sucks at care giving) and he isn't missing any other fur, it probably isn't fungal, and to just put unscented lotion on his ears gently until his vet appointment or until they aren't dry anymore. (i think they were like this because my sister left his dust bath in his cage 24/7 - i have removed it and only allow access every few days, although i have to help him out with it since he is blind and doesn't trust me enough to bathe in front of me)

i know their ears are VERY delicate, and his were damaged/scarred before i got him, so i was as gentle as physically possible with him while applying the lotion and tried not to get any on his fur. i did this once with no problems, but a couple hours after the second application (which i am only doing once a day) i noticed two bright red splotches on one of his ears. one splotch wasn’t so bad and is on the thicker part of his ear near his head. the other is on the edge of his ear and is hard to the touch. I am freaking out and really afraid that i have accidentally killed his ear tissue. i am going to call the vet as soon as they are open but it doesn't help me in the meantime. i am seriously freaking out. i have attached pictures below so you can see what i mean:

http://i.imgur.com/gA8Bfra.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/YaVxnki.jpg

is this something that will heal up like a bruise or did i inadvertently kill his ear?! i really tried to be gentle with him, treating his ears like tissue paper, but it feels more like a scab than a bruise - help please!!!

obcsed · Feb 17, 2014

Their ears are tougher than you think. I doubt you did the damage just by applying lotion unless he is reacting to it. It is possible the skin is a bit cracked and the lotion is irritating it. Switch to something like Bag Balm or Vitamin E oil to be safe. Watch the area for spreading and then see what the vet says about it.

e.murphy518 · Feb 17, 2014

I am not sure about that mark on the ear, its very strange. Hopefully someone who has seen something like that will chime in soon. I am wondering about your chins eye? In those two pictures he seems to have a discolored area...is that just a reflection?

Also, make sure that you go to a vet who has chinchilla specific experience! they are very different from other rodents.

Cuddlebug · Feb 19, 2014

The closest thing I have seen to that was on one of the rescues (his name is Kahn) that I have now. He came in with his brother. Both chinchillas are 4 years old and looked fine although they are both really small. The old owner said they were healthy. I gave them a day to settle in before taking them out and taking a second look. Kahn's ears looked like they were caked in dust do I took a wet cotton ball and tried to gently clean his ears using very little pressure. To my horror, his ears seemed to just dissolve leaving raw areas and holes in his ears. The vet said that his ears were probably cleaned or moisturized with something that the chinchilla reacted to. It took a few weeks before the ears healed and they will always have holes and weird folds in them.

akane · Feb 20, 2014

I think it looks like one layer of skin has flaked off. Either from being so dry or irritation to the lotion. Human products really have too much junk in them even when unscented. Vit E or oil like flax would be a better option. You can get capsules and just poke a hole in them if local pharmacies or grocery stores do not sell bottles of it. Vit e can sometimes be a bit sticky to apply so I prefer keeping oil on hand and you probably shouldn't apply anything before a dust bath.

tunes · Feb 20, 2014

Bag balm can be used safely for chins. If they eat it, it won't hurt them. You can find it at Wal-Mart. With the ridges over the top of the ear, it looks almost the ear was bit and is possibly healing. I'm not real sure what good it's going to do to put anything on it though, unless it's some type of antibiotic cream. I would not use lotion because chins will groom and then ingest whatever you put on their ears.