Chinchilla won't eat "hard" food

My 4-year girl Tupi had some health issues. She stopped eating like 4 months ago, become lethargic, stayed on heat sources, poop was small - the whole thing.

She had like 690-700 grams back then.

After several visits to vets, university medics, the conclusion was:
- incisors need some fixing (had some irregularities)
- a wound inside mouth (they suggested human glicerine, to help healing)
- she lost a lower incissor somehow (didn't noticed since only the uppers are visible, even now I can't see lower incissors)
She was asleep, entered surgery, it wasn't pretty.

Luckily she recovered, become active (slightly less than before) and inquisitive.
But she stopped eating hay, chewing (tries to chew softer things, but not wood, doors, even remote controls and computer keyboards like she tried before) and eating pellets.

Hand/force feeding since the surgery with a mix of hay, pellets and small quantity of filtered water, but still now is around 570 grams (lost around 120 grams).

Other than that there is not much visible difference in behavior.
Also, I am feeling the back more proeminent, before surgery they didn't asleep it with usual tube over face, but with an injection (not sure if that was so good, but they were afraid of lung damage, or so they said). I hope the injection in the back didn't caused damage or so.

Anyways, this is where I need help:
- What should be done in order to make her restart eating hay and pellets?
She *is* trying to eat pellets, but after taking into mouth she drops them like she cannot eat them. It is possible that the missing incissor to affect this so much? Is like she forgot how to eat pellets.
- If she won't eat pellets like... forever, since she won't chew as much as before (or even at all), what should be done regarding teeth (and how often)?

Male starting to mount spayed female!

Hello all! I have a male and a female chinchilla (spayed). I got them both as rescues last December. The male is approximately 2 years old and the female should be 2 in October this year.

Last night, I had them both out in their playpen and I started seeing the male chase the female around the pen, mounting her and humping her. I realize that he is letting out some frustrations, but I was wondering if I should do anything about it? I was worried about the girl since she was trying to get away, and I even ended up pulling him off of her while they were in the cage together.

Should I just let them be? Or should they be separated when he starts to exhibit this behavior? Is it harmful to her in anyway? I hope I'm not overthinking this!

Chin sick AFTER vet put on probiotic and antibiotic

Hey there. This is my first post. I have an 8mo old chin named Juniper (Juni) and she is usually a bundle of energy with a very healthy appetite. Recently an abcess formed on her chest, naturally she went to the vet to have it looked at. They said it needs to be removed surgically and so an appt was set for the surgery. They gave acidophilus probiotic and batril antibiotic to give to her by syringe for the few days prior to the surgery. Well, after administering those for just one day she stopped eating her hay and pellets, she is lethargic and not pooping. Afraid for her well being, she went back to the vet and they said she looked fine still. They sent home critical care and reglan to get her pooping again. Nothing seems to be perking her back up though.

I am so scared for the baby. I stoped the antibiotic after the first day. Just gave her the critical care with some acidophilus and Regan the next day. She was still not eating or pooping. So today I am only giving her critical care. She is currently out and running around with periods of her retreating and sleeping.

I’ve tried everything but she still really isn’t interested in eating. What can I do? I’m beside myself with the fact that she was behaving fine before the vet. Sure she has an abcess but when the treatment makes her more sick than the condition, is it worth it?

thoughts on staple diet?

Thoughts on mixing 5lbs of CANIDAE® UNDER THE SUN® GRAIN FREE
WITH CHICKEN
CRUDE PROTEIN (MIN.) 25.00%
CRUDE FAT (MIN.) 11.00%
CRUDE FIBER (MAX.) 4.00%
MOISTURE (MAX.) 10.00%

Chicken meal, garbanzo beans, peas, chicken fat, dried whole egg, chicken, flaxseed, suncured alfalfa, natural flavor, minerals (zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, manganous oxide, sodium selenite), vitamins (vitamin E supplement, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid), choline chloride, DL-methionine, taurine, salmon oil, mixed tocopherols (a preservative), carrots, tomatoes, butternut squash, pumpkin, green beans, cinnamon, rosemary, zucchini, apples, blueberries, sage, parsley

with 6lbs of Natural Balance Original Ultra Reduced Calorie Dry Cat Formula
Moisture 10%
max Protein 34%
min Fat 10.5%
min Fiber 8% max
Taurine 0.16% min
Omega 3 0.20% min
Omega 6 1.7% min

CHICKEN MEAL, CHICKEN, BROWN RICE, POTATOES, PEA PROTEIN, OAT GROATS, BARLEY, PEA FIBER, DEHYDRATED ALFALFA MEAL, CHICKEN FAT (preserved with mixed tocopherols and lactic acid), NATURAL FLAVOR, DRIED TOMATO POMACE, DRIED BEET PULP, SALMON MEAL, CARROTS, DUCK, BREWERS DRIED YEAST, SALMON OIL (preserved with mixed tocopherols), DRIED EGG, SALT, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin), CHOLINE CHLORIDE, TAURINE, MINERALS (Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), L-CARNITINE, SPINACH, DRIED KELP, PARSLEY, L-LYSINE MONOHYDROCHLORIDE, CRANBERRIES, YUCCA SCHIDIGERA EXTRACT, CITRIC ACID (used as a preservative), ROSEMARY EXTRACT.


THANKS!!

I stepped on my chinchilla!! HELP!!

I stepped on one of my chinchillas, Rosie during play time. I have had her since the day she was born for almost 3 years and the only time she has ever been sick or hurt was when she had a bladder infection which we got cleared up. Anyway. When I lifted up my foot she tilted her head and wobbled. I thought she was going to fall over and die but she didn't I saw blood dripping but it was not from her mouth, it was a nose bleed. after about 15 minutes she started hopping around and for about an hour she did play time pretty much as usual. But she still looked kind of deformed I guess. This was yesterday and today she has dried blood in her nose and it does not look like she has had any internal bleeding but her ear is sagging ever since it happened. She can't lift it up and she snaps when I lift it up for her. What should I do, did I dislocate her ear? Did a crack her skull? Will she make it and fully recover?Please tell me I love her and I feel horrible.

Chin's pooping irregular?

Hi there, first time posting here. I don't think this is really an emergency, but I wanted to get some second opinions to calm myself down a bit.
My Chinchilla (9 month old male) usually poops pretty consistently all throughout the day. Yesterday when I got home from work my girlfriend told me he didn't appear to be pooping at all throughout the day.
I took him out and brought him to his play area; he was happy and healthy, running and jumping and eating lots of hay, but still no poops the whole time he was there. I put him back in his cage, and he went to sleep comfortably in his hammock for about an hour. He woke up and got out of it, still no poop.
I was very worried at this time, so I decided to try and stress his system a bit by putting him in the carrier I use for Vet visits. He let out about 25 poops in 2 minutes after putting him in there, all normal looking but the first few to come out were a bit squished down.
I checked on him this morning before work, and his cage was full of dozens of fresh poops (we had cleaned it out last night to keep track)
However my girlfriend just called me and once again he hasn't seemed to poop all day; still his normal happy self when she woke him up. She tried putting him in that carrier for 10 minutes and he didn't poop at all.

I'm just wondering if anyone thinks I should worry about that? I have a vet appointment for him this evening anyway (he cut his eyelid a couple weeks ago and has a checkup.) but I am just trying to calm my own nerves until then, really.

He is also on .17 ml of metacam daily for the eyelid injury.

Thanks in advance!

He won't stop biting my nose!

I've had chins for 14 years, and I've never experienced anything like this. About six weeks ago, I acquired a wonderful healthy (he's been checked by my vet) active two year-old male chinchilla named Journey. He is the only chinchilla I have at the moment. During the day he lives in a Quality Cage mansion and has free access to food, hay, and plenty of chew toys that he regularly destroys. He's a sweetheart in the cage; he gives nice kisses through the bars and doesn't mind when I reach in and scoop him up.

At playtime, he is a wild child! I've never had a chinchilla with so much energy. I've always liked to lay on the floor with my chins during out-of-cage playtime so that they can climb on me. Journey, however, uses this opportunity to run up to my face, bite my nose hard, and run away. Each time he bites my nose, he draws blood. I currently have multiple wounds on my nose. Why is he doing this? How can I make him stop? I have a buddy and an assortment of large chew toys available for him during playtime. I really don't want to have to block him in somewhere without me for playtime. Please help me deal with my little vampire!!

Drooling- could it be anything other than mal?

Aurora is my 4 year old chinchilla whom I adopted when she was just over 1. As of late, my boyfriend and I have been noticing wet spots on her front paws and under her chin which appears to be from drooling. This is the only symptom we've seen that would make us think it could be mal. She's eating her food and hay at the same rate she always has (she's super picky so I would think this would be an issue, but has not been). Also her poops are normal, and she doesn't seem any less active or social.

While I know you can't always tell without an x-ray, from what we can see her teeth look fine. We also tried feeling around her jaw for any unusual bumps and all seems normal. I've noticed a few drops of water that leaked out below where her bottle sits, but it doesn't look like its leaking enough to cause a wet spot of this size on her.

Just to be safe, I'm setting up an appointment with the vet regardless, but I was wondering if anyone else has experienced anything like this or has any ideas of something else that could be causing this? Also, if I'm missing any of the warning signs of mal, please share! I'm stressing out because I read somewhere that they often will suggest putting down chins with mal because shaving the teeth is painful and only a temporary solution to an unfixable problem. I'm not ready to lose my baby )':

Wine toys

Hi everyone! I found very pretty toys made of wine. I was curious that from what part of the wine plant can be used for chin toys... a friend has a wine pland and I would like to make some toys...

Hello! Mom of 2 Chins

Hey there everyone!

I got my first chin in 2015. ;) His name was Charlie and he was beige. He got sick down the road and he was only about a year and a half. I took him to the vet and they were not well experienced with chins; They couldn't tell me what was wrong and he ended up passing away. I didn't realize he was ill until there were scary signs of him not eating or drinking. To this day, I don't know what was wrong, but I gave him all of the love I could until it was too late :cry3:

After mourning Charlie, I continued to love chinchillas and did TONS of research from books and other chinchilla owners, fantasizing about someday getting another! I did some traveling for a while and when I returned home to the U.S. last year, I was scrolling online and found two rescue chinchillas in my area - a white mosaic male and an ebony female (spayed). The male had a head tilt, was running in circles, and had some milky discharge in his left eye. The female had slipped MOST of her fur on her back. Needless to say, they were not in the best shape.

My heart jumped at the opportunity and I brought them home in December 2017. I was so anxious to get them to the vet (the woman I took them from didn't know ANYTHING about chins) so I took them the following morning. To cut a long story short - I named the male Yuki and the female Rika. :thumbsup:

Yuki's head tilt and circle running is a thing of the past. Rika's fur has grown back - it's full and beautiful! I am loving my chins more and more every day and I'm seeing a lot of improvement in their behavior.

I'm so glad to be apart of this community! I've already read a lot of useful information from it and now that I've learned my fill, I'm excited to give back by giving advice to others :heart5:

Need new hay- good quality, but not over priced

Hello,

I've had my chin for almost 2 years now and I've been getting his hay from the same store each time but now the store is closed and I haven't been able to find a good hay that I liked. Petsmart/ petco have bags of hay that are very small pieces of hay (seems like they're scraps of hay, not full pieces), the one I got from my previous store was much longer and easier for him to eat. Any recommendations on a good timothy hay that won't break bank?

Thanks!

Amanda and Eli

What hay do you get?

Hello,

I've had my chin for almost 2 years now and I've been getting his hay from the same store each time but now the store is closed and I haven't been able to find a good hay that I liked. Petsmart/ petco have bags of hay that are very small pieces of hay (seems like they're scraps of hay, not full pieces), the one I got from my previous store was much longer and easier for him to eat. Any recommendations on a good timothy hay that won't break bank?

Thanks!

Amanda and Eli

Stuffed animal chin friends

Hello I got these many years ago I have a solitary chinchilla and I thought she might use them for snuggles when I am working. Turns out she just flat out ignores them. Would anyone like them, if you could just reimburse me for shipping I could send them to you.

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Introducing Bonded Pair to Current Chinchilla

Hi--

Apologies if this question has been asked a million times before, I tried to find my answer on the forums before posting with no such luck to my specific situation.

Has anyone ever tried to introduce an already bonded pair of chinchillas to a single chinchilla or vice versa? My boyfriend and I currently have one white chinchilla that's 1.5 years old and she's very crazy and active, probably a pretty dominant personality if I had to guess, and she's never been around other chinchillas before.

We found a listing online of a lady who is getting rid of her two chinchillas (mom is 6 years old, her daughter is 1 year old) because she picked up a second job overnight and doesn't have the time to take care of them anymore. She won't sell them separately because they're mom/daughter and doesn't want them to be apart, so I'm just wondering if introducing an already bonded mother-daughter pair would be a good/safe option for my chinchilla. We've done quite a bit of research on bonding chinchillas overall, as we want to get another one regardless, but there seems to be a bit of divide online as to whether or not trios of chinchillas work out well. Has anyone had good or bad experiences doing this?

Review of the Angel Exercise Wheel from Heavenly Chinchillas

Hiya Guys :) ...

If you've been wanting or needing an exercise wheel for your chinchilla(s) but you really don't like the idea of spending $100 or more for something like the Chin' Spin or the Flying Saucer & you've been looking for more feasible options or thinking about making one yourself, chances are you've read or watched a DIY chinchilla exercise wheel video online..

Like you I've read a couple DIY chinchilla exercise wheel tutorials and watched a few videos on the subject. I was planning on ordering a 3 gallon utility pan off of Amazon, then sourcing a wheel from a rollerblade and putting German or Swiss bearings in it if it didn't have one or the other in it already. Then I was planning on going down to my local hardware store and sourcing all of the necessary grade 5 bolts, fender washers and Wing nuts that I would need to assemble a chinchilla exercise wheel, then use a drill press to get all the necessary holes drilled Plumb and square to assemble everything correctly.

Before I could get around to doing just that I happen to be putting a couple orders together on both eBay and Amazon when I happen to run across theAngel chinchilla exercise wheel from Heavenly Chinchillas :

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O74S7IC...v_ov_lig_dp_if

https://m.ebay.com/itm/Angel-wheel-l...MAAOSw63FaLdnC

After looking real close at the available pictures for the exercise wheel and reading all of the Amazon reviews I realized that I didn't have to build an exercise wheel for my chin myself and I had found that more feasible alternative that I had been looking for so I ordered one. now that I have the angel wheel in hand and I've had a chance to look it over for all intents and purposes it's exactly what I was planning on putting together myself from the get-go.

With that being said I thought I do a quick review of the Angel chinchilla exercise wheel for those that might be wondering about it. Now I'm not a go-to source for chinchilla information but I am an automotive mechanic and a construction trades contractor so I know all about engineering & I recognize nice work when I see it and I give credit where credit is due :) .

All the bolts, fender washers & wing nuts are properly sized grade #5 hardware. All the holes are drilled Plumb and square. The main center bolt that the wheel spins on is braced with a fender washer on the inside of the wheel and has an X brace on the backside of the wheel that adds structural rigidity and is the same width as the rollerblade wheel that bolts to the cage with more Fender washers and Wing nuts. The bolts that go through the rollerblade wheel are also drilled Plumb and square in the perimeter of and countersunk into the wheel & are finished off with 8 Fender washers and 4 lock nuts to securely attach it to the cage. All in all it's very nicely done and well worth $50 and it saves me the time Hassle and effort of rounding everything up I would need and building one myself so I thought I'd pass it along :) ...

I can't attach pics to this thread so see the pics that I have attached to my thread here :

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forum...ad.php?t=48980

the Angel Chinchilla Exercise Wheel from Heavenly Chinchillas

Hiya Guys :) ...

If you've been wanting or needing an exercise wheel for your chinchilla(s) but you really don't like the idea of spending $100 or more for something like the Chin' Spin or the Flying Saucer & you've been looking for more feasible options or thinking about making one yourself, chances are you've read or watched a DIY chinchilla exercise wheel video online..

Like you I've read a couple DIY chinchilla exercise wheel tutorials and watched a few videos on the subject. I was planning on ordering a 3 gallon utility pan off of Amazon, then sourcing a wheel from a rollerblade and putting German or Swiss bearings in it if it didn't have one or the other in it already. Then I was planning on going down to my local hardware store and sourcing all of the necessary grade 5 bolts, fender washers and Wing nuts that I would need to assemble a chinchilla exercise wheel, then use a drill press to get all the necessary holes drilled Plumb and square to assemble everything correctly.

Before I could get around to doing just that I happen to be putting a couple orders together on both eBay and Amazon when I happen to run across theAngel chinchilla exercise wheel from Heavenly Chinchillas :

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O74S7IC...v_ov_lig_dp_if

https://m.ebay.com/itm/Angel-wheel-l...MAAOSw63FaLdnC

After looking real close at the available pictures for the exercise wheel and reading all of the Amazon reviews I realized that I didn't have to build an exercise wheel for my chin myself and I had found that more feasible alternative that I had been looking for so I ordered one. now that I have the angel wheel in hand and I've had a chance to look it over for all intents and purposes it's exactly what I was planning on putting together myself from the get-go.

With that being said I thought I do a quick review of the Angel chinchilla exercise wheel for those that might be wondering about it. Now I'm not a go-to source for chinchilla information but I am an automotive mechanic and a construction trades contractor so I know all about engineering & I recognize nice work when I see it and I give credit where credit is due :) .

All the bolts, fender washers & wing nuts are properly sized grade #5 hardware. All the holes are drilled Plumb and square. The main center bolt that the wheel spins on is braced with a fender washer on the inside of the wheel and has an X brace on the backside of the wheel that adds structural rigidity and is the same width as the rollerblade wheel that bolts to the cage with more Fender washers and Wing nuts. The bolts that go through the rollerblade wheel are also drilled Plumb and square in the perimeter of and countersunk into the wheel & are finished off with 8 Fender washers and 4 lock nuts to securely attach it to the cage. All in all it's very nicely done and well worth $50 and it saves me the time Hassle and effort of rounding everything up I would need and building one myself so I thought I'd pass it along :) ...

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Ideas for Holding Hay

I have tried many different ways of providing my little guy with hay, but have had issues with everything. If the holder is made of wood or plastic, he destroys it within days. I tried metal, but that annoys him so he just immediately pulls all of the hay out of it. Anything hanging is a no go because that annoys him most of all. So far the only thing semi-working is a plastic holder that hags outside of the cage, but it makes a huge message and he has begun to chew the little clips that hold it in place.

I've tried just having it loose in his cage, but he throws it everywhere making a mess and will even make a pile of it to pee on.

I am grateful for any ideas.

head shaking

Hello...

I created this account to ask a couple of questions about my chinchilla that have been worrying me. I hope somebody can help!

About a week ago, my chinchilla was lying curled up on his side against his nest house (which is round), with his chin/neck pressed against it. I accidentally pushed the house against him, he leaped up and shook his head and since then, I've noticed him shaking his head noticeably more frequently than before this incident. One of his ears was on the ground while he was lying and I was worried the push grazed it against the ground.

He also went to the vet a couple of days before that, and she tried to clean his ears with a Q-tip. He struggled a lot, so perhaps she accidentally poked them... because so far the people I've asked have only suggested it might be a ear infection.

Does anyone know what the head shaking could be a symptom of, besides that? Could it be a neurological or respiratory problem, or head tremors?


Besides that, my chin often presses his belly against the ground and stretches his body. I have fed him bloat medicine, gut motility medicine and Simethicone. Only the Simethicone seemed to work a little but he still does it from time to time. The vet said it's normal (he was diagnosed with GI stasis before but has apparently recovered), but I'm reading differing opinions on the internet. Is it normal for him to do these things if he's no longer bloated?

Thank you to anyone who replies my queries!

Cat food not possible!

Hi team,

I live in rural tanzania and recently found a little hedgehog in our garden. I'm not one for adopting wild animals really but it looked like he/she has a bit of a hurt leg. Anyway, going to help him/her get better for a few days/weeks (as much as i can). But! as i'm in rural tanzania there isn't anywhere to buy cat food, kibble, freeze dried insects or basically anything that people say i should be feeding the little guy. Please help!

At the moment he/she is being fed hard boiled eggs, little bits of banana (which he/she doesn't really eat) and whatever insects i can catch in the garden. Mostly worms. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Alex