What tests would be beneficial?

[Brittany]

I am so excited to FINALLY meet my Arlington chin later this week. While I will be quarantining her I am also thinking about taking her to the vet for a check up. I figure if she does have some illness I'd rather catch it early and treat her rather then waiting for the downhill symptoms to start appearing. Any thoughts on this? If so what tests would catch communicable diseases? I'm thinking about having a fecal and blood test done. Again these are just my thoughts to giving her the best start possible, I'd be interested in hearing your opinions though.

Thanks!

 

[mishellyshel]

i think these little guys have been thru so much that personally i would hold off on any more stress, like taking them to a vet. many of them have already been tested and have not displayed symptoms.
i am going to follow a basic quarantine and watch closely for any type of unusual symptoms.
if you really are nervous you could get a fecal done without bringing the chins to the vet.............just get a fresh sample and have them test for giardia.

 

[starleomach]

I would also hold off on going to the vets. They have been through a lot, then a long transport. time for them to just settle in. Going to the vets on top of all that would do more harm than good, and if they are not displaying any symptoms there is nothing to diagnose

 

[Parkerspetchins]

I agree. According to vets I have dealt with, it is very difficult to get a blood sample from a chinchilla, I think it is way too stressful. The fecal could be done with no vet trip necessary so that would be fine if you wanted to get that done. I think once you have the chin you will be able to assess it's general health by it's outward appearance (bright eyes, activity level, eating habits, waste observance, etc). Then if you feel there is a problem you can take action. I understand the motivation behind your thought though and it is admirable ).

 

[oxchincerelyxo]

When I have a new chinnie I do my own kind of check-up, without any stress to the fuzz butt. I keep paper towel (or new paper etc) down for the first night and a mark on the water bottle so I can monitor their droppings and make sure they're drinking enough. With paper towels (because they're white) I can see the color of the urine too. This isn't really necessary though and I mainly do it because all my chins are rescues-most from bad pasts.

You can do small things like check their teeth for calcium issues...things like that. But in the beginning, a vet trip isn't beneficial for anyone really. Good luck!