Sick Chin, suspecting Malo

Hi all,

I'm going through a difficult time right now and just need to voice my concerns and frustrations with a group who will understand. A bit of background: I very recently rescued a chin from craigslist who is approximately 4 years old according to the previous owners. He started drooling yesterday in addition to acting a bit lethargic, so I took him to the vet this morning. I suspected malo based on his symptoms but unfortunately the "exotic" vet didn't know much about this condition. His back molars were overgrown which he filed down, but when I suggested a head x-ray to determine if it was worth treating or chronic, he seemed put off by the idea. He asked me if I just wanted to euthanize the chinchilla instead of trying to nurse him back to health - which obviously my answer was no unless it was beyond treatable. He didn't seem keen on the idea and being as upset as I was I didn't push it, though I regret not doing so now. He gave me critical care and sulfa/trimeth for antibiotics. My little chin is worse off now than he was before I brought him in - he's hunched in a corner, barely moving and I just don't know what to do. The vet is closed until Monday, his body language tells me he's in pain and I feel like I just made everything worse. Is there anything I can do for him? :(

Chinchilla depressed from bonding?

Hello, I am not sure if my chin, Mama, has been depressed from bonding with my newer chin, Coco. We have done side by side cage, swapping dust baths and toys, and they have playtime together now. They get along quite well aside from the occasional squabble, which we break apart and return them to their cages immediately. I’m worried for mama because for the short period she was living alone, she was active in her cage and very respondent to me. Always coming up when I walked by and would run up and down. Now she sits at the bottom of her cage, nearest to Coco’s cage, and is very quiet. Her eating seems to be fine although she has been picky at her grass since she prefers the grass Coco came with. Her poops are large and moist and her fur has been growing back. She seems overall healthy and not lethargic or anything, but just isn’t as active and responding as she was? Mama is 6 and coco is 1.


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Sad chinchilla

So I am a new chinchilla owner. He is about roughly 6 months old, his name is gerald and I'd say hes a standard gray chinchilla. I've had him for a little over 2 months now. I took him for a vet visit about a week ago and they said hes a completely healthy young chin. Hes been pretty happy since hes gotten used to his surroundings but now he seems sad. He wont eat much and just lays in the corner of his cage. When I go up to him he gives me kisses an loves on me but he just looks sad. He also whimpers alot through the night. Is there anyway hes just lonely? Or maybe the vet didnt pick up on something through the original check-up? I know Chins hide there sickness very well so idk if it's that or he needs a friend?? I could just be overreacting but I'm worried about the little guy and I'll take any advice I can get!!!

Fighting?

My two baby boys have been bonded for like 6 months and are doing great! They cuddle and live well together!!

My only concern is that once they go out for play time, they will chase each other and try to mount the other. They are both boys, I know this because I do fur ring checks. They dont seem to be doing it aggressively. They popcorn and chirp and they dont do it everytime they see each other. There hasn't been any issues with them barking at each other or drawing blood. I know its probably normal behavior I just want to be sure that the mounting and chasing is playing or if it is something I should be concerned with. Better safe then sorry!

Thank you in advance!!

treatment kicking in?

Background: this past Tues pm, I noticed what sounded like my chin had a dry nose and he wasn't making his usual happy cooing noises and whatnot, but nothing else symptom-wise --not behaviorally or physically. So, that didn't get worse, but persisted, bringing me to our first trip (I've had him about 5.5 years, and he grew a little when I got him, so I figure he's about 6) to the vet. We went to the animal hospital Thurs pm since neither vet who sees exotics within an hour away could see me until Tues (thankfully the second told me about this VCA animal hospital I believe it's called and seems national in the US? The first I thought was highly regarded, but told me it was no big deal to wait that long! But I digress).
So, turns out they all fell in love with Sam, and said I seemed to be doing great, wasn't being paranoid like I sort of thought (only child situation for Sam lmao #spoiled), but that everything looked fine (lungs, eyes, etc) and that it was indeed the dry nose description I gave.
Doc wasn't sure since it was so early on, but since nothing on my end changed, they went with possible upper resp. and gave us an anti-inflamatory (I think that's what Meloxicam is, right? It's anti-something lol I want to say inflam.) to give once every night for 2 weeks and gave me the choice of also doing an antibiotic 2x/day, which I did decide to do hoping to catch whatever it is before it gets worse, after they confirmed nothing bad could come of that as long as we finished the 2 weeks (trimeth or something it's called?). So, we did the first dose there Thurs pm.
Until last night (Mon), he hadn't gotten worse, but hadn't seemed to get better. So, I started worrying of course. I noticed his nose area seems to be sort of tender looking, like maybe he's been rubbing it or something, though I haven't seen much of that (I saw him paw the side where it's more prominent twice tonight), and might be a little damp (it had looked fine dry and usual color and the doc did ask about that when we went).
The doc did ask about hay use and explained it was because the fact that I'm at the bottom of the hay bag (normally I toss it by the "shake" in the bottom of the bag, but I've been under the weather and the weather itself has prevented me from getting to the store, but I absolutely will be this afternoon) could have been irritating his nose.
I'm basically wondering if going on day 6 of 14, this is normal as far as not seeing improvement, maintaining, or this nose situation possibly being a sign of getting worse and I should go back sooner than the 2 weeks if at all? They of course said to return if we got worse before the course of meds was up and of course to come back if nothing changed after, but I don't want to overreact. I don't know how long it should honestly take to start kicking in and you can clearly see I'm a nervous nelly haha. Thoughts?

Thank you always!!

Lashing out

I used to have two chinchillas, one Biggie (recently passed away) and Nova. They were a bonded male and female. Well since Biggie has passed, Nova has been lashing out at me, biting and just changed angry behavior, when she used to be very sweet and loving. I am not sure what to do at this point, I’ve tried giving her more attention because that was what was suggested in other posts, but she just bites if I try. Any other suggestions would be amazing, I want her to be her sweet self again.

Hello!!

Hi everyone!
I have been a chin owner for over a year now! My chinchilla’s name is Nova! I’m excited to join this community finally!

Are two chinchillas better than one?

I've heard some chinchillas are more social than others, but is it better to have two? I have one year old male who seems social but I feel bad leaving him alone. I had thought about adopting another chinchilla to keep him company, but I wasn't sure if he would be upset I was caring for another chinchilla too. I want what's best for him. Will another male chinchilla keep him from getting lonely when I'm away? Please tell me the pros and cons. If it's best to leave him without a buddy then I won't adopt another. I don't want him to feel my love is divided between himself and another chin
thanks

fur + meds = clump

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this question, so I apologize if so! Feel free to move/remove. Anyway, my chin is on meds via dropper and during our mild battle to administer them lol, the dropped bopped his fur and I apparently did not wipe it off like I thought. There is the tiniest clump of fur now that's slightly uh, crispy lol. I've tried to take a damp cloth to it several times since, but I clearly cannot get this area on his side. Has anyone had this happen? Will the fur eventually grow out and I shouldn't worry? Nothing crazy will happen I assume other than this one area on him not being soft and lovely for now lol, right? Thank you in advance as always!

New to young/juvenile chins, any help appreciated

I've had a chinchilla before, but I got him somewhere in the 1-2 year old region, as his first owners were in waaaay over their heads, and not very helpful with specifics. So I have some chinchilla experience and I'm pretty confident for the most part (I had him 9 years before he sadly passed away) but I'm getting a 3-month-old from a breeder (in about 2 weeks) and have been doing lots of research into juveniles and have a couple of questions. (The more I learn the madder I get at the start my poor Gizmo got- but here's not the place for that rant) ok so-

1) I've got a smaller cage coming for Torin, but it's solid bottomed and my old one had a pull out tray at the bottom with not exactly mesh, but holes in for waste (I've kept it for when he's bigger), especially until he's somewhat house trained and has picked his corner or what not, how do you stop him becoming dirty? Like I get the wood chips/ fleece whatever you use is absorbent... but surely he's still paddling through it? Do you just keep checking it and swap it out constantly or am I overestimating how wet/ unhygienic it gets?

2) I get the no play time thing until he's bigger, but at what point does handling become playtime? can he come out and wander across my knee if/ when he's that comfortable with me? or is it strictly cage bound contact to start? Does he just go back into his pet carrier while I’m cleaning him out?

3) Playtime seems to be pretty universally ok'd at 6 months, (yes?) but bigger cages and higher perches and things (like wheels) are mentioned anywhere from 6-12 months, is this owner preference, vary chin to chin or there a check? like when they can handle X they're ready for Y? do they basically let you know when they've outgrown their surroundings?

4) Someone on a forum had said about rocks in the bottom of the cage to vary textures underfoot, is there any Do's and Don'ts with this other than the obvious sturdiness (cant fall/tip) and cleanliness?

5) To track his weight is it better to get a set of scales that do to 0.1g but limit out at 500g, or one that’ll weigh heavier but only to 1g. How precise do I need to be to start with?

Sorry for the long list, I'm probably overthinking it, but I know what it’s like when they don’t get a great start. I'll no doubt have more questions at some point, but any wisdom, about any of these questions or anything I might have missed is really appreciated.
Thanks All

Ebony chin

Hello,

I am looking for a dark or preferrably extra dark ebony chin in the Oregon area. I have contacted several breeders in Or and Wa. to no avail. The common sentiment is "good luck finding one!" I have also been on the waiting list for a breeder in Washington for 10 months. I dont care if it is male or female, I just really love the black ones! If anyone has a younger one in this area please let me know! I'd prefer not to have to have one flown in from across the country.

Oxbow Natural Science Treats

I have been looking for healthy yummy treats for my chinchilla for a while since the ones she has now arnt healthy at all (Simple reward) I came across Oxbow (which I trust) Natural Science treats. They act as supplements but are a favorite among chinchillas. The ones I had in cart are Multi vitamin, digestive support, and skin and coat. there are a whole bunch more such as joint support, critical care, and urinary tract support which i dont need. Most if not all of these include rosemary. Some include flaxseed and timothy hay. I was wondering are these really are good for chinchillas?

Chin lost lifelong partner

About 5 years ago, I rescued 2 chins from a hoarding situation. They were a bonded pair (male and female). However my male (Kustard) had a lot of health issues including chewing his tail and we had to get him euthanized last night due to gut stasis. My female(Plum) is generally a very active little chin but she lost her partner and now she’s extremely depressed. I have another male (Bubbi) in a separate cage that I’ve considered getting neutered and introducing the two of them so she still has a cuddle partner. I’m just very heartbroken and grasping at straws at this point.

chinchilla got a nibble of metal gear grease

Hi, my chinchilla managed to get a nibble of a q-tip with some grease on it. I stayed with him for about an hour after I took it away from him to make sure he was ok. He's popcorning and running around as usual so I think he only chewed on it or ate a tiny bit. Is a vet necessary?
thanks

Chin Eating Fur Slip ?

Hi Everyone,

I have had my chin a little over a year and I noticed that he looses hair from time to time, just playing around and bumping into things in the bathroom. I know this is his fur slip, and that it is normal. However, after I pull the little tufts off him he tries to eat them, and will completely consume them if I let him. He has no other signs of Fur Barbing or messing with the fur in the rest of his coat. My questions are...

Is this behavior normal?
Why does he eat the hair?
If he eats the hair will it pass through his system?
Should I stop him from eating this hair?

Dramatic behavior change, fur pulling

This is a rather long post, heads up. I took my chinchillas to two different vets and they both say they’re fine. I’ll try to attach pictures after this but they’re on my phone and I’m on desktop.

TL;DR: I hate to say that I was not taking care of my chinchillas over the first six years I had them due to ignorance. They didn’t live neglected or bad lives by any means, but they ate Kaytee Fiesta Chow and had paper bedding. They have a two tier Ferret Nation cage. A few months ago I tried to switch my girls from Kaytee Fiesta Chow to Owbow Garden Variety when I learned about how bad Kaytee was for them. TWO MONTHS after making the full switch my white mosaic chinchilla, Tina, suddenly had an enormous patch of fur missing between her shoulder blades and a strip of fur on her tail. My grey chinchilla, Aretha, was also missing a strip of fur on her tail. I was very worried and took them immediately to the vet. They said they were bartering for treats and to switch back. I didn’t want to, but decided to do 50/50 of Kaytee and Oxbow. A month and a half ago, I moved out of my parents house and switched from paper bedding to fleece. I also adopted a very docile cat. I thought Aretha was acting weird a few weeks in. She started barking some nights for almost an hour or more. She’d stay sitting on top of her wooden hut and just stay there. I took her to a vet here in the new city I moved to and the vet here said they both looked beautiful. Both vets have said it’s anxiety related. Aretha is 1.1lb and Tina is 1.25lb. Today I found clumps of her fur in the cage Aretha’s missing a nickel sized patch near the base of her tail. There’s been no change in their environment. She’s anxious and I don’t know what to do.

Now for those that want/need the detailed version, here it is. Please use the TL;DR for reference in some areas. I'm sorry for the length.

I purchased Aretha and Tina from Petland for my 16th birthday. I know, boo Petland. I’ve learned quite a lot over the past few years. They were a bonded pair and they had been in the pet store for months… They needed a home. Thankfully they stopped selling chinchillas after these two. Originally they lived in my room but they were too loud at night (Tina does some hardcore crossfit on her wheel) so we moved them to the den. My house was pretty quiet so it wasn’t a problem. They also lived with my dog, a yellow Labrador. Tina actually put Riley in her place when I was introducing him – this full grown Labrador dropped to the ground and showed her his belly after sniffing her. He knew the pecking order when getting treats and always got his last. On the rare occasion he’d sniff the cage and they’d sniff back. They also never cared when my neighbor’s Great Danes gave their cage a curious sniffover. So they’re good with other animals. I used paper bedding, timothy hay, and Kaytee pellets the entire time. They were happy and healthy.

I joined some chinchilla groups on Facebook in late 2018 and found out I was doing some things wrong. I was upset and decided to try to make things right. I got them treatless food and tried to adjust their diets. Tina was the problem child during this time. She’d look at the bowl, then me, then back at the bowl, then back at me, then she’d throw a violent tantrum consisting of kicking up bedding and throwing around toys. After two months she finally stopped her bull**** and I thought I finally beat her (metaphorically) into submission. Shortly after that is when I noticed Tina had an ENORMOUS patch of fur missing on her back. It was so large that I could see her skin without blowing on it and noticed a gap whenever she leaned over for food. I freaked out and with the miniscule chance it might be ring worm (and because wtf was going on) I rushed her to the vet. To make matters worse it was finals week and I was moving in a week. The vet they’ve been seeing since I got them said they’re both healthy and were bartering with me to get their old food. So I started doing 50/50 or 25/75 mixes to try to get them to cut the **** while still getting something healthy in them.

Shortly after that I moved. I moved to a city an hour away to go to university. They came with me before I brought the adopted cat over. When we moved I kept their cage, of course, but changed their bedding from having paper bedding to fleece bedding I bought. So much easier, I wish I was allowed to do it years ago. I noticed Aretha staying in one place for most of the day on top of her wooden hut and she’d start barking a lot at night for no apparent reason. Fresh food, fresh hay, fresh water, fleece was reasonably clean (I vacuum every day but there’s no keeping up with all the poo). I thought maybe she was used to more noise in the house with people going about their business so before I’d leave for the day I’d use Alexa to turn on a quiet gently spoken podcase to play through the day.

I adopted Cry Baby from the shelter I volunteered at for a year. I was going to be living alone and frankly the chinchillas just weren’t enough company to keep my depression at bay. I THOROUGHLY screened the cats at the shelter to find one I felt was lazy and failed to adopt their hunter instincts. She’s a bit chunky and rather lazy and while she liked wand toys she never went after a toy moving fast across the floor. She’s a talkative kitty and I’m so happy with her. She’s already helped me a lot with the mental health struggles that come with moving to a new city. There was no issue when I brought her home and she seemed to be adjusted immediately. The first time she approached the cage (my apartment is 1B1B and only has two real rooms, no isolating the girls) Tina lunged at the bars and kacked at her and she went running. That theme seems to have held because she normally just watches them from a distance, though I have caught her once or twice sitting on the TV stand next to their cage. She’s never tried to stick her paws in the bars (not that they would fit) or antagonized them in any way, just watched ChinTube. Most of the time they don’t even notice her. I don’t think Cry would act any differently when I’m gone. Even so, I’m planning on creating a curtain attached by velco to go around the bottom half of the cage for if the ladies wanted privacy.

And for those curious, I always put Cry in another room before I open the cage. Even if it’s just to give them new food.

Aretha doesn’t really bark anymore but had a barking episode last week at around 2AM. Today when giving them some fresh hay I found a big clump of fur at the bottom of the cage. I checked her over and she seemed fine except for a big bald spot above the base of her tail around the size of a nickel when I blew air on her. I can’t get a picture of it because I’m by myself and can’t get a picture of the awkward area alone. They’re currently having play time in my bedroom and happily running around like nothing’s wrong. I’m very worried about Aretha’s change in behavior. She’s always been smaller and more skittish than Tina but this is brand new behavior that started before I even moved. It hurts to watch her suffer anxiety like this and I wonder if it’s because I changed their lifestyle after so long. I’ve considered changing everything back to the way it was, but I want them to live the healthiest lifestyle that I can possibly provide them.

They’re only six, but these issues have made me start wondering what I’m going to do when one of them passes. They’re bonded. I have a feeling it will be Aretha whenever it happens because she’s always been a tiny and weak thing. Tina is visibly and physically much stronger and is also the dominant one of the two. What would I even do? I don’t want to have these thoughts. Two exotic vets have said she’s perfectly healthy and it’s anxiety related.

Please help. How can I make her less anxious? Thank you for your time.

Side note, I found Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Chinchilla Food at the pet store in my new town. I purchased it and am planning to try it because I’m so desperate to get something healthy other than hay into them and it seems they are DEAD SET on Kaytee.

Moving Across Country

So my boyfriend just accepted a job in Maryland and we currently live in California. We leave for a five day trek across the country on March 2 and I am absolutely terrified about how to get my baby safely there without too much stress. I also don't know what type of carrier/cage to use for the move. We will be stuffed in the cab of a 16 ft Penske with our Australian cattle dog as well. Any advice is very appreciated!

Hello

Hello it is wonderful to be apart of this great community and I hope I can learn more about chinchilla and some day have one of my own.

Looking for a White Male

I am looking for a White Male near Memphis, TN for my 15 year old daughter. She will be the primary care giver and has built an awesome cage with homemade ledges and fleece covers. Age doesn’t matter but I would prefer one around a year old. I can only travel as far as an hour away and I don’t have the budget for shipping (plus she would rather meet him in person). Please respond if you have one available or if you know any breeders near the area.

Hello

Hello. I’m a new member to this great community. I’m not a chinchilla owner (yet) and I hope to learn as much as I can.

Looking for a White Male

I am trying to find a white male near Memphis, TN for my 15 year old daughter. She will be the primary care giver and has been doing tons of reasearch and has set up an awesome cage with homemade ledges and fleece covers. Age doesn’t matter but I would prefer around a year old. I can not travel any farther than an hour away and we don’t have the budget to pay for shipping. Please respond in you have one available or know any breeders around this area.

Redruby7

How long did it take to bond with your chin?

Hello,

After lots of trial and error I now have a succesfully bonded pair of chins, my first chin (also in this pair) bonded really quickly with me. After 4 days he would already come up to the cage bars if I called his name and after 1 week when I first put my hands in he imediately jumped on my arms and hands. My new chin (have him 4 days now) is another story, I had to pick him up to move to my dorm after he was home for 3 days and I think this might have scarred him. He will flee everytime he sees me. I have been talking to him, his cage is right next to my couch so he will get used to me being there and let him smell my hands through the cage. I have a feeling he will be much harder to bond with (he is now 3 years old). How long did it take you to bond with your chins and what did you do to bond with them?

New To the Forumn

Hi everyone, I have been lurking on here for a couple of month, reading a lot of older posts to learn about chinchillas and to make sure we are doing right by our little guy, Jacks. He is about 4 months old at this point, and we have had him a little over a month. Just want to thank everyone on here for all the advice. I have had rabbits in the past and for some odd reason thought they would be similar, and it turns out they are vastly different. I've learned a lot just from browsing these posts and Jacks is a lot better off because of it. So thank you.

Dirty Chinchilla

I give Roo a dust bath 1 a week (somtimes twice if she gets into her bath house) and she always seems fluffier everytime. However I notices that their is pee caked to the bottom of her fur which kinda bothers me and I just want to clean that out. Is their any way to clean her bottom up?

Metal litter pan

Hello,

I am looking for a metal litter pan with removable wire floor (preferable corner pan) that ships to europe. I went trough a lot of other posts but a lot of them aren't being made anymore. I have found the one from quality cages but honestly 60 dollars is really expensive for a litter pan and I can not afford that at the moment. Does anyone can help me out with an option that is a little bit cheaper? Thank you.

Introduction

Hi I am Devyn and I wanted to introduce myself.
I am a new time chinchilla owner but I have been fascinated with them since I saw Chinta the Chinchilla on Go Diego Go when i was 6. Currently I have a 2 year old chinchilla named Roo. I rescued her about a month ago and she seems to be doing fine. She loves our dog who is fascinated by her. I want to get her a friend (female) but I am broke so if any of you know anybody that is giving away or selling for very cheep in the LA area plz let me know. Anyway I would like as much advice I can get to keep her healthy and happy. I have a few questions tho....
1. What toys are best she loves wood and chews everything up so quickly, I find the things that last most are her chews sticks (I currently have apple orchard for her now)
2. How do you keep her cage from smelling. My mom has threatened to get rid of her if the smell doesn't go away. She keeps telling me to open a window its been raining for days now and I don't want it to cold. I have fleece liner and am thinking about getting citrus magic to help
3. What treats are best for her that I preferably can buy in the store. She has the simple reward veggie treats now (carrots, kale, flaxseed, and pepper) which she had came with but I don't think those are very healthy. She loves them tho
4. What hay is best. I have her on two different types of hay and she likes the softer sweeter one best. I have Orchard grass hay which is sweet and soft then I have Western Timothy hay which is crunchy and hearty. I want something that is healthy yet yummy for her to consume on a daily basis (she eats a lot of hay)
5. How much pellets should I give her. The girl that rescued her said a small handful (which is a handful for me cuz i got baby hands) but I was thinking if we ever needed to leave town I want to be able to give precise measurements. So I measured it out and it was 1 1/2 tablespoons which bothers my OCD cuz I would like it to be either 1 or 2. So i looked it up and it said give her 1-2 tablespoons. I started off with 2 and she couldn't finish them in one day so I made it 1 tablespoon. She finishes faster but then eats a lot more hay. I then found on the packaging of her food that I should be giving her 2 tablespoons. So now I am stuck at how much I should give her.

Abandoned or Neglected Chinchilla?

I have been intrested in chinchillas since I saw Chinta the chinchilla on Go diego Go. I have been looking for one since summer 2018 and I got to a point where I couldn't afford the ones in LA. Finally I found a add about a month ago and someone had rescued a Neglected chinchilla and was giving her away. She said I was the best person to take her and now I have my little Roo. Unfortunatly I think she gets bored when I am not around. I want to get her a female friend but I am in the position that i was at in the beginning.... I am broke. So if you know if someone is giving away a chinchilla (preferably younger Roo is 2) in the LA area plz let me know I really want to get her a freind that isnt a big dog that is obsessed with her.

Chinchilla Barking

I posted in the 'Chin Emergencies' section a little while ago about my chin's barking behavior, but Im trying to get some more insight. My chinchilla has recently taken to barking in the middle of the night/ during the day out of nowhere. I've been observing her and it seems like the behavior is associated with when she poops at times.

I've read that the loud 'keck' noises, or 'barking' as I refer to it, are signs of annoyance and not pain, but for some reason it seems like pain to me. I took her to the vet and we put her on a probiotic and pain medication (the probiotic was because she was on an antibiotic two weeks prior for a gum condition), but Im super nervous. I don't want her to be suffering, I cant tell if she is in pain and don't understand why she is suddenly barking.

Why would she be annoyed when she defecates? Or what could even be causing the pain? I just feel awful when she barks and at this point I don't know what to do. Any insight would help.

new here

Jackie from Pittsburgh area here. I got Penelope McFlufferbottom (but we just call her Penny or PenPen) when I was 16 and I'm 31 now. I was let to believe she was 2 years old when I got her; so, she's more than likely 17 now. She's a standard grey but she's having some problems now which is why I'm here. I want to pick some brains. Thanks!

What to do with chinchillas during a hurricane?

Does anyone have experience owning a chinchilla in Florida or similar climate? I have always lived in the Midwest with my chinchillas, but am planning on moving to FL.... and am concerned about the hot weather in combination with power outages due to hurricanes. Really really worries me that they would overheat and could use some perspective. Thanks.

How do I treat my chinchillas ringworm??

I got my chinchilla around 3 weeks ago and I started to notice a missing patch of fur by her nose. I kinda disregarded it but then it started spreading and after a little research I came to the conclusion she has ringworm. I bought Tinactin dust and I’ve been putting 1 tbs for 1 cup of dust in her bath for about a week but it seems like it’s just getting worse. Her ears are starting to lose fur and they look a little scaly. I’ve been seeing that a lot of people use flowers of sulphur in the dust but I can’t find it. Instead I found something called MSM that claims to be organic sulphur. I was wondering if anyone knows if I can use this for my chin? Is it the same as flowers of sulphur?

Questions about Kits- Unexpectedly Birth

So last week my fiancé and I came home to find two little kits running around the bottom of the cage. This was her first pregnancy, at least to my knowledge. I immediately moved mom and babies into an extra cage that I used to keep my first chinchilla in, as I do know that females can get pregnant right away. I removed all ledges too. Both of the babies are nursing well and have been running around and climbing like crazy. I actually noticed last night that one of the babies was climbing the side of the cage to the top and then dropping down. I’m obviously concerned about the possibility of injuries. I guess I am just wondering what the best way would be for me to baby proof the cage a little better and possibly reduce the height of the cage. And what size mesh can week old babies squeeze through? Also , when can I start giving them dust baths? Every resource I have looked at has told me something different about a timeframe. And what age can I tell what their coloring will be once matured? Mom is a mosaic with white, black and gray that looks kind of brindled and a white tip on her tail. Dad is a beige. One baby appears to be completely ebony, and the other seems to be all white with a few tan or gold spots with the same marking on its tale as mom.

I don’t mean to sound dumb. I have done thorough research, but it would also be nice to hear from experienced kit owners. Thank you in advance!

Kit Questions— Surprise!

So a week ago, my fiancé and I came home to two little kit running around the cage. We had no clue that the mom was pregnant! Since then, I have obviously made sure that mom and babies were moved to a cage with the appropriate mesh size and all ledges removes. Both of them are nursing well, and are super active. But yesterday I was noticing that one of them was beginning to climb to the top of the cage and then jump down (well more like fall). I guess I am just curious as to what other modifications I can do to my spare cage so that I can avoid injuries. Also, this might sound really dumb, but should I be seeing little poops in the bottom of the cage or will it take a while for them to get their digestive system up and running? And when would be the appropriate time for a dust bath for mom and babies? All of the information I have read has told me something different.