Very confused about my chin.. need help!

[jessonehundred]

I seem to be having one problem after another. The minute I think I am starting to understand my chins, something else happens to throw me off.

My chin is freaked out by a dog in a different room of the apartment--, but before this incident she had about an inch of fur missing on the end of her tail which is growing back. Next I noticed a sudden patch of fur missing, completely bald 1/4 inch on her nose, with no scaly skin or redness. The next day I noticed a small scratch in the bald spot.
She has not been responding to treats, poking, or talking, or any of the usual ways I get her attention. She doesnt eat during the day anymore when I am able to watch her, or drink. (she used to wake up and eat/drink/play quite a bit during the day). I have seen her eating at night, so i'm not worried she is SO bad, but I notice I definite change. She just sits in the corner pressed up as close as she can, staring off. Also, she sometimes makes a loud barking/coughing noise, about 20 barks in a row, but only very rarely. Yesterday she did this all day and night, I watched her, it starts with a coughing noise followed by the loud barks.

I am confused as to whether she is a) scared of the dog and can sense it from the other room, b)being bullied at by the mom, (maybe that is why she had a few weird injuries) or c) she is sick with illness and I just don't know it, or maybe it is a combination of all of these!!

I live in SE Massachussetts, and have had much trouble finding the proper vet. The closest one with experience in "exotics" (not even specifically chins) is in Dartmouth, MA, 30 mins away, and when I brought her last July it was a brutally hot drive and the vet did not have AC. She was quite traumatized and I was quite worried, so if anyone in MA has ANY vet info, please let me know. I would even just like to talk to someone in the area that has serious chin experience, I just feel so bad not knowing or having access to their needs as much as I would with a dog, cat, hamster, bird, ect ect ect. although this forum really is a lifesaver.

 

[Anna]

chins release a bunch of fur when they scared, this is called a fur slip. it's alarming when you see a chunk of fur missing but that's what it sounds like to me, as long as the skin isn't pink or scaly. it's possible the dog is causing this.

what concerns me is her lack of interest in treats and responses to other stimuli. i don't know if this would count as lethargy (i'm sure other members will chime in) but the overall disruption of usual behavior sounds like it could be illness-related. if she does become lethargic, a vet is vital at any point in the night or the weekend. that being said, you had best get cracking on finding an emergency vet that takes exotics, i bet people here can help you with that, but i live in california so i can't be of much help there. keep us updated!

 

[jessonehundred]

I have been talking to another member of CNH that I have boughten wood from, she is very knowledgeable with chins. She mentioned that separating the chins might be the best option, she suggested as did others in another post I made that the mother could be dominant suddenly over the baby. I do not want them fighting so I have separated them, (went out and bought another water bottle ect, and set the extra cage up next to the other one, about a foot apart.) They are VERY anxious now that they are separated though. Is this normal?? I am assuming they have never been in separate cages before.

 

[Laurie]

It's possible the dog is scaring both of the chins and therefore they are fighting. If you notice fur missing and scratches then yes it is best to separate them. Chins are prey animals they live their life fearing being eaten so it's possible they sense a predator in the home aka the dog. I don't know how to get them not to fear the dog.

 

[jessonehundred]

I was assuming they were somewhat affected by the dog, yes, but I noticed most of the odd behavior and scratches a few days before the dog arrived, which is the cause of my confusion. I think the dog is just awful timing, but it will be gone tomorrow. Thank you for your responses so much, I know that reading all of these questions and answering repeats is a pain and i really always appreciate it!

My main question right now is what the typical reaction of separation is between chins, and how long the reaction usually lasts. i know it is different for every chin/owner, just needed some input so I dont feel so terrible when they seem to be "longing" for eachother company by sticking their faces out of the bars in the cage over and over.

 

[Laurie]

It isn't necessarily "longing" it's a I want to know what that is or what that smell is. Chins survive just fine alone, it's incredibly rare a chinchilla dies from being separated from other chin--most often you'll see the two of them thrive while being alone.

 

[caiti]

I don't have any advice about your chin's current state but the only real emergency vets I have found are Angell and maybe Tufts, though they don't have anyone who sees chins. But when I lived in western MA (live in east/central MA now) I took Chloe to a e-vet who wasn't used to seeing chins but she could treat her from what she saw and Chloe turned out fine.

As for regular vets, I'm having trouble finding them too. I posted a thread in the vet listings section asking if anyone knows any around here. I don't think I got any replies, so we may just have to search for ourselves!

I hope your chins settle down soon and turn out to be fine.