Traumatic experiences with pet store chinchillas--try again with a breeder?

[FL415]

Hi there!

I've actually been on this forum before, in awful circumstances, long re-cap below:

A few months ago, we got our first chinchilla from Petco. She was young--a few months old, and extremely tame, bordering subdued. She was never super energetic, but she did bounce around a bit, eat normally, and exhibited curiosity about her surroundings. Her droppings were a bit on the softer side, which concerned me. Within a few days of getting her, we came home to her huddled in the corner, barely moving and feeling cold. We rushed her to the vet, and she become progressively weaker (couldn't support herself to sit up), and her nose started running profusely and she started to drool. We made the very difficult decision to put her down, as it became clear she wouldn't recover. The vet said it was probably a respiratory infection (potentially pneumonia) given her symptoms, but that they couldn't be sure.

Recently, we tried again. I couldn't find a breeder anywhere near me (in NYC), so I got another chinchilla from Petco, assuming that we'd just gotten unlucky with the sick chin last time. We got another girl, a little older and definitely more energetic. She was also extremely tame, and seemed very sturdy. Her droppings were completely normal to begin with. Over the course of a week, we spent a lot of time together and I watched like a hawk for any signs of illness, as I know that chinchillas deteriorate extremely fast once they show symptoms. Her droppings got smaller and less frequent, and sometimes a bit mucousy, which worried me. A few nights later, she started to act extremely lethargic, which I knew was a red flag. I also heard clicking sounds when she breathed, which suggested she was congested. Unfortunately it was during the night so we had to wait until morning to get her to the vet. At that point it was too late; they tried to treat her but she showed no signs of recovering. Again, we had to put her down. The vet (an exotics specialist) said that it was likely an upper respiratory infection (potentially along with a digestive problem like giardia), which pet store chinchillas can contract from transportation or being around other animals like rabbits. But she couldn't be 100% sure.

At this point, I'm terrified to get another chinchilla despite how much I loved the little time I got with the two we had. I'm not sure if it's just this particular Petco store that has an infection going around their chinchilla population, but we got the second one about a month after the first one, so they definitely never had direct contact. We also thoroughly sanitized the cage and threw away anything that could contain bacteria/viruses.

From your experience, does it sound like these two had the same health issues? And if so, is it very likely something going on in that particular pet store? I'm seriously considering getting a kit from a small hobby breeder upstate who I found recently. They seem great and knowledgeable, but I absolutely cannot go through the heartache of parting with another one. :-( I hear they are hardy animals, but from my experience they seem extremely delicate.

Please let me know what your two cents are; I'd really, really appreciate it!

Thank you SO much! (And apologies for this novel!)

 

[Mandy]

I'm sorry to hear about your experiences with your previous chinchillas.
I'd go with a breeder.
Pet store animals come from mills. They will sell anything to make a buck..unlike good breeders who care about the health and quality of the animal they are about to sell.

I would also see who you can contact for that Petco and make a complaint.

 

[Lirana]

How far are you willing to drive? I know there are at least 2 breeders in PA. I think I may have seen someone in upstate NY, and maybe NJ.

 

[tunes]

I'd go with a breeder.
Pet store animals come from mills. They will sell anything to make a buck..unlike good breeders who care about the health and quality of the animal they are about to sell.

Really? You know this how? Because ALL the big breeders sell to the pet store market. ALL of them. Any big name you've heard of, they have sold to pet stores. So have a lot of the smaller breeders that you might know. This blanket statement irritates me. What happens to the chins once they are in the hands of the pet store is not the fault of the person selling the chin and it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how the chin was bred. It's simply another outlet for the chins they don't have room for. They didn't sell the chin with a respiratory infection - that happened once the chin was in the pet stores hands. If it had come from the breeder that way, the chin would have been dead before it ever got there.

To the OP - It's nice to buy from breeders because you get the opportunity to see all their animals and how they care for them. It's also, in most cases, easier to go back to them if you have a problem with the chin you bought rather than trying to get a refund from a pet store with no help at all from them because they generally are clueless as to the care of the animals they sell.

 

[FL415]

Thanks all for your feedback!

The breeder I'm in discussion with (site link below) is a little farther upstate, and seems to be a responsible small hobby breeder. The fact that they give you Mazuri pellets as part of a starter kit seems to indicate they've done their research and care about the quality of care. They wean at 8 weeks which from what I understand is a responsible age to do so (obviously depending on the kit and mom), and don't seem in a rush to sell their chinnies. What do you think?

https://sites.google.com/site/chipperchinchillas/

My concern is less about the breeder and more about whether chinchillas are generally delicate, or if I'm doing something wrong as the owner. I definitely did my due diligence researching the best food, bedding, way to treat the chin, etc.--but maybe there's something in my apartment that's causing the sickness? We did once see a mouse in my apartment (egh, NYC), so I'm paranoid it may leave tiny droppings in corners we can't sweep that maybe infected the chins? Is that very unlikely?

 

[FL415]

AND I'm also worried that our past two chinchillas may have left some trace of infection somewhere--the carpet, in the air--I sound completely crazy, but I want to make sure that diseases (like URIs, pneumonia, giardia) don't spread that easily?

I was going to replace ALL my supplies, including my unused bedding, unused dust, etc., just in case. Is that overboard?

Sincerely,
The most neurotic to-be chin mommy ever

 

[CTChin]

I'm so sorry to read about your experience

I'm in Eastern Conn and will have a few babies available soon. All are being lovingly raised and are very healthy.

 

[Laluvschins]

Where are you from? I know the best chinchilla breeder ever in Ohio.

 

[addictedtochins]

I'm so sorry to hear this. Have you read new owner info on here? What is the average temp in the chin room? Do you have A/c for warmer temps? Are there other animals in the house? Rabbits and other critters can cause chins to be sick. Is there smoking in the house, that would not be good for them. Are they in a draft, sunlight? I would love to see you get a chin from a breeder. I think perhaps to be safer you might get one older then 8 weeks.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

Don't know where in PA you live. I am in Central NJ and have babies that will be ready mid-Feb. I am VERY careful where my chins go - I even require an interview before deciding if there is 'a match' for my chins. My banner is one of the ones on top

 

[ticklechin]

I would contact Mt Zion chins who is a known good breeder, the website you listed has some inaccurate/wrong information in the health section.

 

[FL415]

Hi all,

If things don't work out with this breeder, I will most definitely be contacting Mt Zion or CTChin, as I'm located in NYC. They just sent me photos of the kit I'm interested in, and my heart has been stolen!

Does anyone have any ideas re: my questions about the chances that the problem is in my apartment? Whether it could be a mouse in my house, or whether there's a possibility that the virus/bacteria from my past two chins are still somehow sequestered somewhere and active? I'm pretty sure that's not how disease works, but I want to make sure...

 

[Dreamlite]

I wouldn't be so quick to blame the breeders who supply petco. When petco buys chins they go to their 'warehouse' in texas for quarentine and to be stored until there is a need at a local store. They stay there a minimum of 4 weeks. Its very likely the local store is where they got the respatory problem. If they didn't clean the cage enough between when you bought the 1st chin and the 2nd. I would go to a breeder. They can help with questions and show you their healthy herd.

 

[FL415]

I'm so sorry to hear this. Have you read new owner info on here? What is the average temp in the chin room? Do you have A/c for warmer temps? Are there other animals in the house? Rabbits and other critters can cause chins to be sick. Is there smoking in the house, that would not be good for them. Are they in a draft, sunlight? I would love to see you get a chin from a breeder. I think perhaps to be safer you might get one older then 8 weeks.

The average temperature is always in the 60s in my apartment, and I do have a powerful A/C for warmer temperatures. There are no other animals in my house, but I'm thinking that exposure to rabbits and other animals could have caused Eevee's and Minnie's illness when they were transported/handled by Petco. (That's what our vet thought.) No smokers, and no direct sunlight. I so wish I knew exactly what had happened to my chins so I didn't have to worry about some mystery killer.

 

[CTChin]

I recently went to a petco that had chinchillas on one side of those glass enclosures and ferrets on the other side with a glass partition...talk about stress. They are also frequently housed near rabbits and guinea pigs. I can't remember what it is called, but they can pass something on to chinchillas

P.S I've been raising chinchillas for well over 15 years and I've never had anyone lose one of my babies. This should not happen.

 

[VolunteerChin22]

Hi all,

If things don't work out with this breeder, I will most definitely be contacting Mt Zion or CTChin, as I'm located in NYC. They just sent me photos of the kit I'm interested in, and my heart has been stolen!

Does anyone have any ideas re: my questions about the chances that the problem is in my apartment? Whether it could be a mouse in my house, or whether there's a possibility that the virus/bacteria from my past two chins are still somehow sequestered somewhere and active? I'm pretty sure that's not how disease works, but I want to make sure...

Do you have a fan pointed at the cage? Drafts can bring on respiratory problems. It's not likely that the mouse would have anything to do with it but I guess it is possible if the timing of the mouse and the chins was the same. I would use very diluted bleach every hard cage surface in the cage, then rinse it very well, and replace any wood surfaces like shelves. Washing fleece items should be enough to kill the germs, but you could always get new ones.

It sounds like the first one was ill when you brought it home. How long of a time period lapsed between first one dying and second one being purchased and brought home? I'd bet they were both sick before they came to you.

Also if you haven't already alerted the pet store I would. Depending on how much time has passed they should have a live animal guarantee but regardless, they need to be aware of the situation.

Sorry to hear about this - as said in my experience chins are generally very healthy animals to keep. I think this is a problem with the source of your chins.

 

[FuuHouhouji]

I would go to the breeder

If you are worried that the cage or other Chinchilla supplies still have bacteria I would clean them and then put them in direct sun light for at least an hour. (Most bacteria and virus would deteriorated fast if exposed to sun light) The chinchilla (like most rodents) can get the seam URI’s than humans so maybe someone in the chain of care is sick (even something mild like a cold) and giving it to the chins (that is how my first hamster died, from a URI’s he got from me). I would go to the breeder, at least there would be fewer hands between the chinchilla and I.

 

[indeuken]

Not sure if this is still relevant, but if you are in NYC, I know of a couple of options!

-I got one of mine from Barb at Mt. Zion chinchillas. My girl is very healthy and happy, so I would definitely recommend.
-There is a hobby breeder in Flushing who had some babies, and was also looking to sell some of her adults, because she's trying to downsize a little bit. I got my other chin from her, and that one's happy and healthy too.
-Strangely, there is a liquor store in Flushing that has a number of adult chinchillas. Apparently, people beg the owner to take their chins, since he had one - he's got four of them now, and mentioned he'd be happy for someone to adopt them.

Hope this helps!

 

[beckylynn]

I would for sure go with a breeder. That being said, check them out first! Talk to them on the phone, or better yet, visit. With a breeder you'll get a pedigree, knowledge and possibly a health guarantee.

Research research research!

 

[Pikaia]

Really? You know this how? Because ALL the big breeders sell to the pet store market. ALL of them. Any big name you've heard of, they have sold to pet stores. So have a lot of the smaller breeders that you might know. This blanket statement irritates me. What happens to the chins once they are in the hands of the pet store is not the fault of the person selling the chin and it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how the chin was bred. It's simply another outlet for the chins they don't have room for. They didn't sell the chin with a respiratory infection - that happened once the chin was in the pet stores hands. If it had come from the breeder that way, the chin would have been dead before it ever got there.

This does make sense. I honestly didn't know that. I just commented on another thread about Petsmart and the horrors of what I've seen in PETA videos. I never thought that a lot of these Petstore chins could have come from reputable breeders, like you say. You make a good point, Tunes. I would rather purchase a chinchilla from a breeder, because you have a better chance of that chin being taken care of properly, instead of mishandled by the petstore in some cases that we've heard. These chins could have come from a good breeder, but came into contact with another animal/chin that had a URI. This is what it sounds like. I think when you're ready you should try again with a good breeder in your area.