Medication question

Hello all. I have a question about medication. How do you guys get your chin to take a medication he absolutely doesn't like the taste/smell of? I have to force giving this to him. He absolutely runs from me. The vet doesn't want to switch the antibiotic, nor can she change the compound for taste. Can anyone suggest a better way to give

Hello everyone

Hi my name is Jenn and I currently am the mom to two chinns. One I have had for over 10 years, and the other is younger and almost 3. I have always had chinchillas and love them dearly. I love this group and hope to learn from all of you. Thanks for sharing this group.

My Chinchillas Still Sprays Pee After Two Years HELP

I’ve had my rescue chinchillas for two years, both are females and approximately 3 to 4 years old. My one girl Chynna has always sprayed Urine, however I expected after two years that she would stop spraying me. I am so extremely frustrated because I play with them every single day, I handle them so gently and never force my attention on them, and I do not do anything to provoke her except for pushing her off of my feet when she chews on my toenails during playtime. I don’t even take them...

My Chinchillas Still Sprays Pee After Two Years HELP

8 week old kit updated

So I was given a 6 week old kit from someone who was running out of room for their expanding chinchilla family. I was told she had been weaned off momma before I picked her up, but when I arrived they were still caged together and found they had never been apart. With some reassurance from the owners I took her home anyways. She’s eating, drinking and jumping around I just worry with one this young. I’ve read I should buy alfalfa instead of Timothy on the forum for the protein content. Till...

8 week old kit updated

Moving (out of state) with chinchillas

Hi all! I feel this category best fit the topic, but if not let me know. In about a month my partner and I will be moving from NC—>VA (about a 5 hour drive) and in turn that means our little fur family will also be moving! I was wondering if anyone had any tips/ tricks/ literature to help me prepare as fully as I can to ensure my chinchillas make the move successfully and as stress-free as possible. Thank you in advance!

6 week old kit

So I was given a 6 week old kit that was running out of room for their expanding chinchilla family. I was told she had been weaned off momma before I picked her up, but when I arrived they were still caged together and this found they had never been apart. With some reassurance from the owners I took her home anyways. She’s eating, drinking and jumping around I just worry with one this young. I’ve read I should buy alfalfa instead of Timothy on the forum for the protein content. Till what...

6 week old kit

Chin fell from CN cage

So, I sometimes leave some of the cage doors open of my Critter Nation on the opposite level while I'm cleaning the other floor. This time I was cleaning the first floor and left a door on the second level open. I heard one of my chins get on the wheel, and then all of a sudden he was on the floor. The wheel is on the second floor. It happened so fast I couldn't get a decent idea of what happened, but I assume he skidded off the wheel like he usually does when he sprints on it and fell to...

Chin fell from CN cage

Chins breeder by Calgary?

Wanting to find a pair of chinchilla babies by Calgary, if you know of any breeders please let me know. Thankyou!

Chins attempt to chew on my fingernails.

Whenever I put my hand in the cage, my chins try to nibble on my fingernails. I don't let them, but I was just wondering if this is something I should be worried about or if they're just being chinchillas?

Things toxic to hedgehogs

NOTE: This is only a partial list and just because something is not mentioned on this list, does not mean it is safe.

Grapes - are toxic to most small animals including hedgehogs. They cause renal, liver and organ failure.
Raisins - are not only toxic but can get caught in the roofs of their mouths.

Tea Tree oil - this includes, tea tree shampoo, tea trea oil, tea tree sprays and anything tea tree. This can be fatal in as little as one dose or application. It causes renal, liver and...

Things toxic to hedgehogs

Strange one

So, having lost Bunty (23) some years ago.

I am now proud owner of two twin boys. I have an issue with one and for the record I have been to the vet but coming here to get opinion.

Bertie has had conjunctivitis, diagnosed after full going over from an exotic vet. He had it in both eyes and was given specialist eye drops. After three days both eyes had cleared and were perfect.

10 days on, one eye at the 5 o clock position keeps getting a pin head of goo.

Having courted opinion of other...

Strange one

Need Advice Please

My chinchilla now is 17, he is very fit even after he had 1 of his back legs amputated 2 years ago. but very sadly I've just found him dragging his other back leg along which means his more than likely broken his other back leg. I now fear the worsted that I will have to have him put to sleep as I've not heard of anyone with a chinchilla with only 2 front legs unless anyone can prove me wrong on here and give me some hope.

Chins fighting! Please help

Hello,
We have 6 chinchillas. We have two separate cages. In the first one, we have a mom chin (Lulu) and her 2 older daughters, all girls and they all get along well. In the other cage, we have Lulu's third daughter, Marble, and her two babies. Since she had babies we gave her a new cage for two months to have more space for them. There was never any aggression, but since we separated them Marble has been attacking and peeing on everyone from the other cage. We do not know why or how but...

Chins fighting! Please help

3 legged chinchilla

My chinchilla now is 17, he is very fit even after he had 1 of his back legs amputated 2 years ago. but very sadly I've just found him dragging his other back leg along which means his more than likely broken his other back leg. I now fear the worsted that I will have to have him put to sleep as I've not heard of anyone with a chinchilla with only 2 front legs unless anyone can prove me wrong on here and give me some hope.

Messy Eye

Hi everyone,

So my chinchilla started having some eye irritation last month. Redness around the eye, teary and wet, started slight hair loss near the eye and keeping it half closed. He really only showed symptoms at night. Went to the vet, stained the eye, no scratch. She gave me antibiotic eye drops twice a day for a week. We made it through the drops, the eye cleared up. Then, about a week later, he started having a white discharge from the same eye. Began the teary and half closed eye...

Messy Eye

Sneezing More Often

Hi everyone, just wondering if this is something I should be a little concerned about.

Over the past 2 days, Dexter has been sneezing (or what sounds like sneezing) more frequently. Yesterday he sneezed ~5 times over the entire day which I know can be a sign of a URI, but there are no other symptoms other than the sneezes. Besides the sneezing, he's been acting perfectly fine. He's been eating all of his food, drinking water like normal, his droppings are normal-shaped and not mushy (and no...

Sneezing More Often

Rehoming chinchillas

Hello all, I’m Katherine I have two of the most cutest chinchillas ever. However because of circumstances I can’t keep them with me much longer. They’ve been with me for a long time and I love and care for them so much and I want to find them a new home. Somewhere where they can be taken care of and will give them the attention they deserve. Please email me to Katherinebrisa97@me.com for more information I have two of them both are standard color they are so sweet and I’ve had...

Rehoming chinchillas

Atlas

Lost my baby boy on August 29, 2018. He was three years old. Been missing him very much lately.

Baby boy chinchilla up for adoption!

Hello everyone,
I currently have 5 female chinchillas and one baby boy we are looking to give away. Since he has finally weaned off his mother he has been active and trying to mate with the females, which I want to avoid happening. If anyone is interested in adopting him please let me know. We are looking for someone with previous chinchilla experience and someone who already has a boy so he can have a friend. I am located in Deerfield Beach, FL. Please message me or respond to this thread...

Baby boy chinchilla up for adoption!

What's new?

With the new software and lots of old members coming back, thought it might be fun to see what everyone has been up to.

Travels? New pets? What's new?

Chin putting head in others chins ear?

Hi all,

Our chins are perfectly healthy and active happy boys but I noticed a strange behaviour earlier and was wondering if it's just a chin thing or something I should watch out for? One of my boys put his nose into the other chins ear and it looked as though he was rooting around in there.

Does this sound like something to watch? It's the first time he's done it and I haven't seen him do it since. They have been displaying any other odd behaviours e.g. scratching/ head shaking.

He is...

Chin putting head in others chins ear?

Websites for chin toys

Does anyone have any good websites for purchasing chinchilla toys?

Sick chinchilla?

About 3 or 4 days ago my chinchilla stopped pooping a lot like normal chins do and then he stopped eating his hay and pellets but he ate his treats, this worried me so I watched him for a few hours and he had diarrhea once it worried me and I took him to the vet in the morning, they examined his poop and looked at his teeth and took his temperature and said he’s fine but said to change his pellets and hay so I did I changed it to oxbow chinchilla food and his hay is oat hay. he ate some...

Sick chinchilla?

Bee Pollen

I just purchased a treat sampler/variety pack from a seller on ETSY. It contains about 10 treats. One of the treats is Bee Pollen. I have never heard or read about this as being a chin treat. The rest of the treats are the typical dried treats like hibiscus, rose hips, goji berries, oats, etc. Has anyone given their chins Bee Pollen before? Do they eat it as is or do you have to mix it up in their food?

Chin Fight

Hello,

I have 2 male chinchillas who are both 6 year old. I have owned them both since they were kits and they are actually brothers. They have spent their entire lives together in a double FN and always got a long great cuddling etc. This morning I woke up to barking and when I went over to them I could tell they had gotten into a fight- Some small cuts on each of them and fur slips. They were still chasing one another and I immediately separated the two of them, but I am just so...

Chin Fight

RIP Spark

I have not been on this forum for a long time and have only posted once before (the time Sparkle jumped off the balcony and slid down the porch roof) but would like to add to this memorial page,

Wee Spark passed this week, and will be joining his brother under the apple tree.

My life has changed so much in the years I had you. You and Guss were my first pets and put up with a lot of changes- new cages, new houses, new dog, new human babies! You have brought such joy to our lives. From...

RIP Spark

Lymphoma

My 16 year old chinchilla was diagnosed with lymphoma last week. The mass on her neck is getting larger and I'm concerned about her being in pain. Does anyone have experience with this?

What to do in summer?

Is there a temperature in which you shouldn't let your chin out for play time? I want to do what's best for my boy

Used Critter Nation Metal Pans

Hi

I am selling my used critter nation metal replacement pans. I got a new custom cage for my chins so I have no need for them. The bottom pan measure 34.5 x 22.5 x 2.5 and top pan measure 34.5 x 22.5 x 2.5 with a cut for the ramp. They are galvanized steel.

I am asking for $30 and prefer local pickup unless you want to pay for shipping then I can ship them to you. I am in North Jersey. Thanks...

Used Critter Nation Metal Pans

Chin toys

Hi all. Ive had my chin for about a year or two now, and ive noticed that he loves to play with my cats mylar balls when we let him explore. He doesnt seem to eat them, but just throw them around. Are they ok for him to play with?

Questions concerning the new software.

Please ask your questions about the software here so I can answer them for you. Having them in one place makes sure I can find them and help you.

Operating notes about new software.

How to post a new thread:

1. Find the forum you wish to post into, and click on title.
2. Look at upper right of the forum and find the Post Thread orange button. Click on that.

3. Fill in title and message then at bottom of message box look for the Post Thread button. Click that and the Thread first post is made.

Small Bump on Tail

So, we were on vacation last week and my mom was watching our pets. When we got back I noticed a small, like pimple sized, bump on Jack's tail. The only reason I even noticed it is because it moves the fur at a strange angle. I googled and the only thing I can find is abscess, but it doesn't look like those pictures. I waited a few days and it is not getting bigger but not getting smaller. He is acting normally, eating, playing, etc. Any ideas what it could be?

Frustrating humidity

So, the new arrivals to the household are here. Bandit & Buttons, the dynamic brother duo. I thought I'd be the most excited person alive once they got here and got a little settled in.. but then the atmosphere had to mess everything up. I have a dry heater running and an AC (that's suitable for the room I have space-wise) with a dehumidifying function. Those two are on A LOT. But, for some unknown reason, the humidity won't change from 56%. The temp control is fine, it usually stays around...

Frustrating humidity

Loud breathing

Each time I pick up my old 16-17 year old girl she starts breathing loudly. I don't hear her doing it after she starts resting again but she does it when active too. So two nights now during play time she starts this. She does it when I pick her up to medicate her as well. She gets 1.5mg/ml of metacam at .1 ml twice a day for pain and inflammation for her chronic bumblefoot. She also gets 50mg/ml of gabapentin at .1 ml twice a day for pain. She gets sodium chloride twice a day every day, and...

Loud breathing

Safe Wood

Hello guys!! i have been wanting to make ledges for my chin. I went to home depot and I didn't see any kiln dried wood, I searched online and only found this. If this wood is no Bueno, which wood can i purchase from Home Depot or Lowes? Do I need to prep the wood? I know I need to sand the edges down. I am new to this so any advice is appreciated, thanks in advance.

Sick chinchilla?

About 3 or 4 days ago my chinchilla stopped pooping a lot like normal chins do and then he stopped eating his hay and pellets but he ate his treats, this worried me so I watched him for a few hours and he had diarrhea once it worried me and I took him to the vet in the morning, they examined his poop and looked at his teeth and took his temperature and said he’s fine but said to change his pellets and hay so I did I changed it to oxbow chinchilla food and his hay is oat hay. he ate some...

Sick chinchilla?

Bee Pollen

I just purchased a treat sampler/variety pack from a seller on ETSY. It contains about 10 treats. One of the treats is Bee Pollen. I have never heard or read about this as being a chin treat. The rest of the treats are the typical dried treats like hibiscus, rose hips, goji berries, oats, etc. Has anyone given their chins Bee Pollen before? Do they eat it as is or do you have to mix it up in their food?

Chin putting head in others chins ear?

Hi all,

Our chins are perfectly healthy and active happy boys but I noticed a strange behaviour earlier and was wondering if it's just a chin thing or something I should watch out for? One of my boys put his nose into the other chins ear and it looked as though he was rooting around in there.

Does this sound like something to watch? It's the first time he's done it and I haven't seen him do it since. They have been displaying any other odd behaviours e.g. scratching/ head shaking.

He is...

Chin putting head in others chins ear?

Websites for chin toys

Does anyone have any good websites for purchasing chinchilla toys?

RIP Spark

I have not been on this forum for a long time and have only posted once before (the time Sparkle jumped off the balcony and slid down the porch roof) but would like to add to this memorial page,

Wee Spark passed this week, and will be joining his brother under the apple tree.

My life has changed so much in the years I had you. You and Guss were my first pets and put up with a lot of changes- new cages, new houses, new dog, new human babies! You have brought such joy to our lives. From...

RIP Spark

What to do in summer?

Is there a temperature in which you shouldn't let your chin out for play time? I want to do what's best for my boy

Used Critter Nation Metal Pans

Hi

I am selling my used critter nation metal replacement pans. I got a new custom cage for my chins so I have no need for them. The bottom pan measure 34.5 x 22.5 x 2.5 and top pan measure 34.5 x 22.5 x 2.5 with a cut for the ramp. They are galvanized steel.

I am asking for $30 and prefer local pickup unless you want to pay for shipping then I can ship them to you. I am in North Jersey. Thanks...

Used Critter Nation Metal Pans

Questions concerning the new software.

Please ask your questions about the software here so I can answer them for you. Having them in one place makes sure I can find them and help you.

Chin toys

Hi all. Ive had my chin for about a year or two now, and ive noticed that he loves to play with my cats mylar balls when we let him explore. He doesnt seem to eat them, but just throw them around. Are they ok for him to play with?

Operating notes about new software.

How to post a new thread:

1. Find the forum you wish to post into, and click on title.
2. Look at upper right of the forum and find the Post Thread orange button. Click on that.

3. Fill in title and message then at bottom of message box look for the Post Thread button. Click that and the Thread first post is made.

Lymphoma

My 16 year old chinchilla was diagnosed with lymphoma last week. The mass on her neck is getting larger and I'm concerned about her being in pain. Does anyone have experience with this?

Small Bump on Tail

So, we were on vacation last week and my mom was watching our pets. When we got back I noticed a small, like pimple sized, bump on Jack's tail. The only reason I even noticed it is because it moves the fur at a strange angle. I googled and the only thing I can find is abscess, but it doesn't look like those pictures. I waited a few days and it is not getting bigger but not getting smaller. He is acting normally, eating, playing, etc. Any ideas what it could be?

Frustrating humidity

So, the new arrivals to the household are here. Bandit & Buttons, the dynamic brother duo. I thought I'd be the most excited person alive once they got here and got a little settled in.. but then the atmosphere had to mess everything up. I have a dry heater running and an AC (that's suitable for the room I have space-wise) with a dehumidifying function. Those two are on A LOT. But, for some unknown reason, the humidity won't change from 56%. The temp control is fine, it usually stays around the beginning 60s. This issue has had me worrying for hours on end, and I probably won't get much sleep tonight. I just want my fluffy children to be okay. :wacko: Any tips on how I can lower the enemy that is humidity?

Loud breathing

Each time I pick up my old 16-17 year old girl she starts breathing loudly. I don't hear her doing it after she starts resting again but she does it when active too. So two nights now during play time she starts this. She does it when I pick her up to medicate her as well. She gets 1.5mg/ml of metacam at .1 ml twice a day for pain and inflammation for her chronic bumblefoot. She also gets 50mg/ml of gabapentin at .1 ml twice a day for pain. She gets sodium chloride twice a day every day, and flubiprofen twice a day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for corneal degeneration. She has been on the .1ml of metacam twice a day for 8 days now. She finished a treatment of enrofloxin a week ago for an infection in her foot. To me her foot looks red and puffy but the vet that does her laser therapy every week saw her Thursday and said she doesn't think it's infected.
The sound she's making while breathing is kind of a whistling sound. She's been doing it for two days now. I don't know how to upload a video or audio clip on the forum.

Chin Fight

Hello,

I have 2 male chinchillas who are both 6 year old. I have owned them both since they were kits and they are actually brothers. They have spent their entire lives together in a double FN and always got a long great cuddling etc. This morning I woke up to barking and when I went over to them I could tell they had gotten into a fight- Some small cuts on each of them and fur slips. They were still chasing one another and I immediately separated the two of them, but I am just so confused why after 6 years this would occur.

Any advice or ideas about why this might have happened?

I am also guessing it would not be safe for me to put them back together?

Thanks so much!

Mammary tumor diagnosed

My Sophie is now 15 and has a large mass on her belly. Initially I thought it may be an abscess but the vet said it is a mammary tumor and at this point there isn't much for us to do. In my searches, mammary tumors don't seem common, so I'm a little nervous. I just want to make sure she isn't suffering. She doesn't seem to be in pain and she is eating and drinking.

Container

Is it safe to put pellets in an airtight plastic container?

Looking for a young chinchilla near St.louis

Hi, I want to become a new chinchilla owner and I live near St.louis. I'm currently looking to purchase one chinchilla (I could only accommodate one) near the price range from $100-200 (including a proper cage). If you are interested, please leave your contact information or contact me by email at b1075665109@gmail.com.

My chinchilla is mad but I have to pick her up

I have to give my chinchilla eye drops twice a day for a week and it is so difficult everytime I have to pick her up. She runs away and screams at me for about 10 minutes until I can finally grab her. She always seems really upset with me and chatters her teeth. I feel awful. Should l grab her with a towel? What will help make things easier?

Getting chins sooner than expected!

Alright, so I'll be getting two standard gray one year old twin brother chinchillas on the 20th this month. I found them on Craigslist. Their original owner was someone who worked at a vet, then they moved to a foster home. It's exciting, but I still have a few questions I'd like answered.

1. They are currently eating alfalfa hay, and I'd like to switch them to 2nd cutting timothy. What is the best method to do that?

2. The cage they come with is similar to a FN, but I would still like to get a FN in the future since it's better overall. I won't be switching them over instantly, since I have to save up for the FN. Is there any precautions I should be aware of when putting chins in a new cage and setup?

3. Are there any vitamins/probiotics that they would benefit from? I've heard of vitamin C tablets, but I haven't looked into it very much.

Kit not gaining weight

For a solid week now my 2 week old kit has been plateauing at 80g. Not sure if I should start supplementing goats milk or maybe my scale is off? Help?!

Young chins, cage, and A/C.

The minimum age I'd be getting my chins is 3 months. I'll be getting the Ferret Nation cage as well, but I've heard that the bar spacing is too wide for that young of a chinchilla so they could escape and/or injure themselves. I've also heard that younger chins are clumsy, so they cannot have access to a double story FN/CN. I'd be getting two chinchillas, so this leads me to ask two questions about this topic. I also have a question about the A/C I'll be choosing.

1. Would I have to wrap the FN in hardware cloth to prevent the chins from escaping, or would they be okay?

2. Do I need to block off the second story until they get older, or would a single level FN be too small for two chins?

3. The temperature of my area is around the 60s fahrenheit, and the humidity is in the 70-80% range. I have an A/C with a dehumidifier function to it on my list, and it also has 10,000 BTU. Would that be enough to lower the humidity, or would I need that just to lower the temperature and a seperate dehumidifier? Thanks.

Weight gain as a sign of pregnancy?

Hello! So backstory, I took in two chins from an older couple whose daughter had essentially dumped them on them. Male and a female whom we separated immediately. They said they’re daughter had been hoping for babies and the chins had been together for a year with “no luck” so I am hopeful that I didn’t get them right after they got pregnant, but know it’s a long possibility. I have the girl in a single unit critter nation because of the bar spacing, and have been handling her as little as possible for fear of hurting any potential kits. She looks fairly small to me, and I have been weighing her at the same time on the same day since she came in.

Week 1:
550g

Week 2:
556g

Week 3:
576g

My question is, is this continues weight gain a potential sign of pregnancy? How reliable of an indicator could it be? I’ve had some people tell me it could just be from the better food, etc. but thought I’d ask here as well. Regardless, we will continue the pregnancy watch for a full 120 days just in case.

Thank you in advance!

Terrible Two's or Something Else?

I've got a chinchilla that's two years old now, so by human standards I'm thinking maybe she's hitting her terrible two's (although I've heard elsewhere that they happen sooner than 2 years old).

Recently she's figured out how to get under the bed (we have it blocked off for safety reasons, but even for how big she is she's still managing to wiggle past our blockade). She's gotten under the bed before, but by accident, as in she fell between the back of the matress and the wall because I forgot to stuff a pillow there before I let her out. But she gave up on recreating her accident for a year at least, until recently when she wiggled between my pillows one time AND another time pulled the plywood blockade away from one of the corners of the bed. She now knows that the weakpoints are at all corners of the bed.

We've since fortified our blockade but unfortunately she's now obsessed with getting under there again - when I let her out that's literally ALL she wants to do. She goes from corner to corner and yanks on the plywood so hard I think she's going to hurt herself. It's gotten to the point where I end her playtime when she exhibits this behavior (a method that she worked to curb bad behavior in the past).

But there's another problem - when I pick her up to put her back she's anxiously kicking me, nibbling my fingers, pulling at the buttons on my shirt. And when she's back in the cage she's freaking out, wall to wall, chewing on her metal wheel loudly and scrapingly and yanking at the carabiner clips that hold her hammocks up ALL NIGHT to seemingly make as much noise and trouble as she can (she's never done this before).

I'm not sure if this sounds like Terrible Two's to you guys? And if she's just over obsessed with getting under the bed and throwing tantrums right now, and if this will pass over time. I'm mostly afraid she's going to hurt herself with how stressed out she seems when she can't get what she wants and then wind up hating me for putting her on time-out when her behavior gets outrageous.

This happens every single day. She doesn't even seem to enjoy being out for playtime anymore, she just wants to get under the bed. It's looking a little like neurotic behavior and I'm sort of worried about her.

Does anyone have any suggestions for what to do to help her get through this? I was thinking about downgrading and doing playtime in the bathroom for a bit, but when she's upset like this she does everything she already knows she's not supposed to do, like ripping chunks off the baseboards, and I don't want her causing the same damage to our bathroom that she's caused in my room already while growing up.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Messy Eye

Hi everyone,

So my chinchilla started having some eye irritation last month. Redness around the eye, teary and wet, started slight hair loss near the eye and keeping it half closed. He really only showed symptoms at night. Went to the vet, stained the eye, no scratch. She gave me antibiotic eye drops twice a day for a week. We made it through the drops, the eye cleared up. Then, about a week later, he started having a white discharge from the same eye. Began the teary and half closed eye again, so I did another cycle of the eye drops. Again, the eye cleared up. However, I noticed tonight, another week since the second eye drop rotation, there's potentially some more white discharge from the eye and, again, only at night.

My chinchilla doesn't seem affected other than occasionally holding the eye shut. I haven't noticed him scratching or bothering the eye. He is eating well and active. I've changed laundry detergents for his fleece, change them out every other day, and restricted dust baths. I don't use air fresheners in the room and I have a ceiling fan going on low to circulate the air. He's fairly new (rescued in July 2019) and only started having these symptoms about a month after living here, but I can't figure out what is going on. The vet said if it continued, we could explore URI or dental issues, however, he's not having any other symptoms.

Any ideas???

Temperature and humidity

I live in an area that has 70-80% humidity and a the high temperature being around 70 degrees fahrenheit with the average in the 60s. What is the best way to cool down the room if needed and lower the humidity? I plan on getting two chin chillers and I have an A/C with a dehumidifier function on my list. Is that enough, or would I have to do something else? What are the health risks of the chin being in a cool but humid environment?

Chin Names

Does anyone have any cute name ideas for a male beige chin? Thanks!:)

premature kit, help me please

Hello, you guys! I am new to this forum and I would love some advice, please. My chinchilla had two premature babies yesterday and one was born dead but the other one is fighting to live. I did not know she was pregnant as she just had a litter (yes, I separated the male immediately). The mom is of course cleaning and warming him but I am quite sure the kit is not eating. When I first weighed him yesterday he was 31 grams and now he is 27 grams. I am force-feeding him kitty replacement milk every 2 hours but he keeps spitting it out or taking it out his nose. I am also worried about his eyes being closed. I tried gently rubbing with warm water and a q-tip today. Please, any advice will help. I have owned chinchillas for 3 years now just in case anyone is wondering.