Really worried!! please give me some advice

[toma]

Hi all, i hope i put this in the right area....

My black chin has been a bit odd the last couple of days, when its olay tiime and i bring the pen out( same time every day) hes not been coming out of his cage. He sits at the top just staring into space whilst the other one runs in and out of his cage,
I put the dust bath out and he didnt even come down for that, he doesnt really like being picked up as ive only had them for over a week but tonight i just picked him straight up and he just sat in my arm. The thing that really worries me is he hides down at the bottom of the cage and makes these strange sounds he makes about 10 to 14 hi pitch sounds with a second between them. When he did this i shut the cage door and left them alone, even with them left alone ive heard him make this call about another 8 times through the closed bedroom door.

Im not sure if some thing has frightend him but the other day he escaped the play pen and ran along the radiator and fell down the back, i was able to get him out very quick and out him back in the pen and he carried on jumping and playing like nothing happened.

they have moved cage about 5 days ago but they seemed fine with this it was a much bigger cage and they love it, im just thinking what has caused this but i cant think of any thing.

please help or give some advice as im so worried about him. the other chin has ear fungus i think so hes off to the vets this thursday the other one was going to come to just for a check up, i dont now weather to leave him at home, would this stress him out even more if i took him??


please help im really concerned about them.

 

[Olallie]

Well the calling noise is pretty normal, they make it when they have moved from familiar surroundings to unknown. Or something frightens them that they cannot see.

I would worry about your guy if he is lethargic, kind of limp when you pick him up. I dont know if he is with the limited information you gave. If he did fall from the radiator it may have hurt him. I would bring him in to the vets office if he becomes more lethargic.

 

[toma]

That's the 1st time he's been limp, forgot to say he's fine in the morning he came out his cage had a dust bath, ran up my arm on my shoulders and he didn't make that noise. It only seems to be at night? I go to see them at 9pm for an hour as I have to go bed early due to work, they are on the perch together cuddling up, could they still be sleepy and I've disturbed them??

 

[Claire D]

The high pitched calls are an alarm - he is calling a warning to his herd of possible danger. Chinchillas have excellent hearing & will often alarm call when they hear something (a strange noise) outside that we don't pick up - one classic UK example is when a fox is trotting quietly down the road or is in the garden.
Some chins will even alarm call when seemingly asleep. :thumbsup:

As for the limpness - may I ask, is he eating & behaving normally otherwise?
He may simply be unsettled & a little scared & so allowed you to pick him up. Another coping mechanism for chins is to become statue still or frozen - some chins, when they are frightened can be picked up & they stay still until they feel comfortable enough to move. Other chins who hate being picked up have difficulty relaxing & will even tremble a little.

If you've changed something in the room, the cage position, there's unfamiliar noises outside etc your chin may just need some time to settle down again. Some chins are better at coping with change than others.
If you're at all worried I would take him along to your vet for a check-up.

Please do keep us posted on his progress.

 

[toma]

I think he's eating properly, it's hard to tell as Bo Bo is in with him, and when I go in in the evening to see them that's when he's acting odd and even if I put food out in the evening he just sits on his top perch.
Like I said he's fine in the morning. He seemed a little nervous this morn but came out his cage and had a bath. I have had the Hoover in the room, etc. Don't know if all this is due to a big change from the pet store.

About his limpness. His body was slightly limp when I picked him up and he just rested in my arm. He was running around this morn and come to the cage door to see me, just find it odd how it's at the evening when I go in that he goes strange, should I changed the time I go in to see them could he be relating this time with a loud noise or something that scared him.

Thankyou again for your advice :8)

 

[toma]

Vet update!!

Hi all thought I'd let u know how the vets went, Bo Bo has got ear fungus! She put a ultra violet light over him and it glowed green, so got some spray to put on his ears for 10 days. Fingers crossed it goes else it's a scraping and lab tests.. Expensive!! Nico hasn't got it even though they share a cage and sleep together, vet said he could have a very good immune system.
Apart from that they are both in good health. So can relax now.