Sore feet

[JennaGordon]

I got a bonded male/female pair of chins a few months ago and they're bonding with me nicely, I'm really happy with their progress.
This morning when I fed them I noticed a tiny speck of blood on one of the wooden shelves in their cage. I looked over both of them but couldn't see any obvious injuries. Just now I checked again and saw another tiny spot of blood on the sawdust in their cage. I picked up the female and noticed that the blood seemed to be coming from her back right foot.
When I got them they'd been living in a wire bottom cage for many years with little stimulation or out of cage time, so their feet were very red and swollen and sore. I've been keeping an eye on them over time and they've healed up nicely, so I'm not sure why she's bleeding from the one foot.
Does anyone have any suggestions? Is there anything I can do to make her more comfortable?
Thanks!

 

[Cinder and Me]

What type of cage bottom and shelves do you have? Do you have a wire wheel?

If you do have any wire bottoms and you can't replace them, my only suggestion would be to buy planks of untreated wood (like pine) and cut them into 12" pieces and lay them around the cage bottom (I don't mean cover the cage bottom - just lightly scattered around). It'll at least give their feet a rest from being on wire all the time.

As for healing her wound - I'm not sure. I'd wait to talk to someone who has dealt with injuries before.

Also, and I'm sure others will chime in and give their advice too.... unless you are going to breed, you need to separate your male and female. Breeding is no walk in the park and it only takes seconds for her to get impregnated.

Good luck, and hope her foot heals quickly!

 

[Narcissus]

as for her feet, do they look dry? I have a couple chins who have dry feet that will crack and bleed a little. I use "bag balm" on their feet. you can get it at most farm stores, it is made to soften udders on cows.

Just gonna throw it out there, if you have a male and female together they need to be in a baby safe cage. no shelves, small wire spacing, and no taller than 24" (even shorter is better) Do you have a second cage to separate them before the female litters so she wont get bred back? Also, females in breeding shouldn't get out of cage play time or be handle very much, it is dangerous for unborn kits and momma

 

[JennaGordon]

Thanks guys
The cage they're in at the moment is has a steel bottom so they're right on the sawdust. They don't have a wire wheel either, and all their shelves are wooden.
I've ordered them a new cage which is arriving on Wednesday from John Hopewell which can be split in two when the time comes, and I will be baby proofing one half of it.
I've decided to let them have one litter and then no more. I'll either neuter my male or keep them separated.
Narcissus- I've never heard that the females shouldn't get out of cage play time before. When I let my two out the male tears around but the female spends most of her time sat on my lap. Should I really not let her out? She's always at the cage door as soon as I open it raring to jump out.

 

[Narcissus]

It can be very dangerous for any unborn kits for a female to have out of cage play time or be handled. even the slightest fall, or handling can injure unborn kits. This in turn can cause huge problems for the mother chin if the babies die inside of her. Every reputable breeder ive ever talked to has said that they only handle females in breeding if they absolutely have to. And they consider ANY female in breeding (housed with a male) to be pregnant. Because it can be very difficult to tell when a chin is pregnant, especially the first couple months, they treat every female as if she is pregnant. I know for me, it is not worth the risk. I still give scritches and give attention to my girls, but I dont pick them up unless I absolutely have to. I breed in runs so my girls each have their own little cage, where I know it is baby safe and momma and kits will be safe.

 

[JennaGordon]

Wow, okay, thank you very much for the information!

 

[Claire D]

If the female has sore feet with dry skin she may have overgroomed them & taken more skin off than she should - this can lead to nicks & cuts on the feet which bleed. The other possibility is bumblefoot. http://www.davidson-chinchillas.co.uk/pages/bumblefoot_in_chinchillas.php

Can you take a photo of the sore feet & post it on here? That will help us know what you're dealing with & we can give more specific advice.

John's cages are very good - do you have any cage furniture that's soft? Fuzzbutt do excellent stuff & they are superb quality. http://www.fuzzbutt.co.uk/

There's also a product by Galen's Garden called Green Cream that's fantastic on bumblefoot but it contains myrrh so should not be used during pregnancy - this may be an issue with your female.

 

[JennaGordon]

I can't really get a good picture of her feet without picking her up, which I'm trying to avoid at the moment. They don't seem dry, just a little red.
I do have a hammock in the cage that they both use, although not very often.
After looking at those bumblefoot pictures I don't think that's what it is - her feet don't seem very swollen or scabbed as in those pictures.
Thanks for your info

 

[Claire D]

Bear in mind, the photos on my website are of advanced, chronic bumblefoot - it doesn't start off looking that bad.

Hopefully your chins just have a little dry skin & with time they will recover.

 

[JennaGordon]

I had another look at her foot quickly - it seemed to be a little red and shiny, and had a very small amount of dried blood. It seems that they're in the healing process.
I'll keep an eye on her over the next few weeks and see how it goes.
Thank you everybody for your input!