DO NOT STICK YOUR FINGERS THROUGH THE CAGE WIRE.
BRINGING HOME A NEW CHINCHILLA
I do not give my animals raisins. They are 70% sugar and it's like giving them a can of coke. Dried pineapple is also very high in sugar. To keep them healthy they really need to eat their pellets and alfalfa cubes and loose timothy hay. Any other kinds of treats will usually give them mushy poop and can make them feel sick. NEVER give any people food ever, it can kill them. Chins can not throw up. Spoil them with "chew treats" like pumice, lava, untreated pine and willow, branch bites, cuttle bones, bird toys (not the plastic ones).
NO PEANUTS
The problem with giving chinchillas peanuts/fatty treats is that they can't metabolise fats. I do not give my chins peanuts. Chinchillas do need some essential fats. Too much fat can cause a condition in the liver called Hepatic lipidosis. The liver gets over loaded with fat blocking the nutrients from reaching the liver cells. This causes a very sick chinchilla .
Check their water and feed every day. Make sure they have distilled or nursery water at all times, pellets, an alfalfa block and loose timothy hay. If you need to go somewhere overnight give them extra food and have 2 water bottles attached to the cage in case one leaks out.
Check their droppings to make sure they are oval and black. If they become light brown and round they are not drinking water. If they become mushy, feed them only loose timothy hay and distilled or nursery water for 48 hours and this should firm their stool. If it doesn't they need to see a vet.
COCCIDIA
Moving from one place to another can be very stressful for a chinchilla, especially a baby. If they get mushy poop when you first take them home, put them on loose timothy hay and distilled water only for 2 days. If that does not clear it up take them to the vet right away for a stool check.
All animals, including humans can carry coccidia and be fine. Stress can cause it to “flare up” in a baby chinchilla, causing mushy poop and even weight loss and weakness, eventually even death, if not treated. Normally with an adult chin, it may run it’s course and they will get over it themselves, but with a baby it’s best to take them to the vet for ANY mushy poop that lasts more than 2 days.
Treatment is very simple and effective. The vet will prescribe a liquid antibiotic called Albon to be given orally once a day. I also highly recommend giving them Probios for small animals once a day to restore the good bacteria to their digestive system. Probios can be ordered on the Internet from the Probios website. It needs to be given at least 4 hours away from when you give the Albon.
I would keep the chinchilla on the loose timothy and distilled water until the mushy poop clears up and then slowly introduce the pellets and alfalfa cubes back into their diet. If your vet is not used to dealing with chinchillas please have them call my vet, Lisa Pelfry, at 740-775-7297 for dosage amount information on the Albon.
Give a dust bath 2 to 3 times a week for 20 minutes.
Clean the cage once a week by removing old shavings (I use a shop vac or dust pan) and then wipe down the cage and add new shavings (I scoop them in with a medium sized dust pan).
Wash and replace water bottles (scrub with a baby bottle brush with soap and water. Rinse water bottles very thoroughly It is handy to have an extra water bottle so they always have a bottle on their cage.
Keep their pellets and alfalfa blocks in air tight containers to keep them fresh.
Keep chin in a cool, dry, low traffic area away from other pets. Be patient and kind. Make sure they have 1 hour total out of the cage time every day.
Make sure their cage is atleast 2' x 2' x 18", preferably 3' wide x 2' x 2'. The more you can let the chin make the contact the better. I leave my arms in the cage and keep them still. Chins are so curious eventually they will come over to investigate sniffing, nibbling and crawling on you. Don't try to touch them, just let them get used to you. Eventually they will crawl onto your 2 hands. This is the best way to teach them to come out of the cage instead of grabbing them and chasing them with your hand around the cage. Use hand sanitizer before and after you handle your chinchilla.
HEAT STROKE
Chinchillas can tolerate temperatures of 64 to 72 degrees (the lower temperature is more comfortable for them). I keep mine in the basement. It stays nice and cool. There is plenty of full spectrum lighting and windows. It is also a calm environment for them. Temperatures above 75 degrees are not comfortable for the chinchilla and combined with humidity can be fatal. Do not blow a fan or air conditioner directly on them. They do not sweat like humans do so blowing air on them does not help. The actual temperature of the room must be cool. If you keep them in a room that gets warm during the summer months a window air conditioner would be an excellent idea if you do not have central air. Also a small piece of faux marble stays cool and the chin can lay on that. You can also keep it in the refrigerator so it will be even cooler in temperature.
WATER
Tap (city water) contains chlorine and fluoride. This blocks calcium absorption and can be poisonous to your chinchilla. Also the softeners in well water contain high amounts of sodium or potassium. These can kill your chinchilla. Filtered or purified water, filtered refrigerator water, reverse osmosis, carbon filtration systems or distilled water are recommended. Some bottled water has sodium added so read your labels, nothing should be added. I use distilled water.CLEAN WATER BOTTLES ONCE A WEEK THIS PREVENTS BUILD UP OF BACTERIA, ALGEA, ETC. THAT CAN MAKE YOUR CHIN ILL.
TREATS
Too much sugar in a chin's diet can cause diabetes. Too much fat can cause obesity. Too many treats can cause diarrhea and other intestinal problems. Please do not make your chin unhealthy by spoiling them with sugary treats or junk. They do not eat a great deal and the pellets and alfalfa cubes and timothy hay will give them what they need to be healthy. Spoil them with pet safe pine chew treat, pet pumice stones, loofah chews, etc. not sugary or fatty treats.
Chinchillas teeth and eyes: teeth should be a yellow orange color. If you see that they are white, which sometimes happens in nursing moms that means they are low on calcium. A good source of calcium for them is a cuttlebone to chew on found in the bird section of the pet store or on my feed web page. If eyes are weepy or crusty take them to a vet. I use natural tears for a dry eye and teramycin from Tractor Supply for a crusty eye. If it does not clear up the vet will prescribe bactrim antibiotic. If a chinchilla has to receive an antibiotic I always give them small animal Probios 4 hours after the antibiotic to restore the good bacteria to their digestive system once a day.
Fur
If your chinchilla gets loose try not to chase it, but throw a shirt or a towel on top of it instead. This stops them from running and scares them less. If you grab a chinchilla by their fur only they can do something called "fur slip" where a hunk of the fur will come out down to the skin. This would help them to escape predators in the wild. The hair will grow back, but it takes a while.
Ringworm
This is one of the few conditions chinchillas can get. You will notice a little patch of fur missing down to the skin on their mouth, eyes or ears usually and it may be crusty. You can put 1 tsp of Tinactin (atheletes foot powder) in 1 cup of bath dust for treatment. You can also put miconazole 1% on the affected areas. You can take your chin to the vet and they will give you an oral medication that will clear it right up. They love the taste of the medicine too. If you have more than 1 chin you should separate the affected chin from the rest of your chins. You can treat your whole herd by putting 1 tsp of Tinactin powder per 1 cup of chinchilla dust in their dust bath. If the chinchilla is in a cage with another chin you should treat them both and remove both from the rest of your herd.
EXOTIC VETS
A chinchilla is referred to as an exotic animal and not all vets will treat them. You can do an online search for your area. I have been to Animal Care Unlimited located in North Columbus on Billingsly Rd 614-766-2317. I see Dr. Burton who is very experienced with chinchillas and also works for the Columbus Zoo. There is also a Fairfield Pet Hospital in Lancaster on Main St. that takes care of exotics and the vet's name is Dr. Dunn 740-653-7977. The Chinchilla Club has a page that can find a chinchilla vet by your state at
http://www.chinchillaclub.com/vets/index.html
The vets listed on there for Ohio are:
Ohio Cadiz Dr. Scott Pendleton, D.V.M. 740-942-3267
Ohio Chesterland West Geauga Veterinary Hosp 440-729-9584
Ohio Fremont/Oak Harbour Dr. Brothers 419-898-3411
Ohio Hilliard Healthy Pets of Rome Hilliard 614 876-0455
My Vets
Ohio Chillicothe The Animal Care Clinic 740-775-PAWS Priced Fairly
http://www.theanimalcareclinic.com/
Ohio, Columbus Animal Care Unlimited (614) 766-2317 Knows their stuff, but expensive.
http://www.animalcareunlimited.com/
Capital Veterinary Referral & Emergency Center
(avian and exotic service)
5230 Renner Road, Columbus, Ohio 614-870-0480
Barbara L. Oglesbee DVM, DABVP
20 years of experience, very thorough
HAIR RINGS MALES
Hairs rings can happen from mating or dominance mounting. The male usually removes the hair ring himself, but sometimes he can't and a prolapsed penis can result (from the male trying to remove the hair ring causing irritation and swelling). The penis may be hanging part way out of the sheath.
To remove a hair ring wash your hands with anti bacterial soap. Use a lubricant like petroleum jelly. Have someone hold the male in their lap on his back. Very gently and carefully pull the penis completely out of it's sheath. It extends out farther than you would think. If there is a hair ring gently remove it by rolling it down and off the penis if you can. You may need tweezers or even cuticles scissors and again be very careful. Make sure the other person holds him steady. After removal gently coaxed the penis back into the sheath. Do not force it. BE GENTLE, you can cause irrepareable damage causing a prolasped penis that could be permanent. There is a video of a hair ring check and removal on the home page menu. Videos take 3 minutes to load.
