Chinchilla Blog

Great article - it is so important to have a number handy NOW, as in before your chin has a health emergency. Owners need to do their research to find one that has experience with chinchillas specifically since they are exotic pets. You are absolutely right not to assume that your cat or dog's vet will have adequate knowledge with chins. 
 
 
 
I know of some wonderful chinchilla vets in southeastern Michigan if anyone needs a name and number. I've not been so lucky in eastern Tennessee however - the closest I've found is over an hour away :-/ Tango has been fortunate not to need one yet - thank God!

Great post. It's important to find a vet familiar with exotic pets instead of one that mostly deals with cats and dogs. 
 
chinchilla care

my chinchilla is bleeding in his "hole" hes having diarrhea and i am really scared. No one in my family wants to help me and im only 14.. 
Is there like a hotline i can call to do something.... i really dont want him to die

Darrin, I am very sorry to hear your chinchilla is so sick. It is possible he has eaten something (like a bunch of plastic?) that is very bad for him but it is hard to say. I would recommend calling a veterinary clinic asap and explaining the symptoms and seeing if they can help. Here is a list to a few that I found that treat chinchillas. You should pick one in your area if possible, but either way call for advise. http://www.chincare.com/Pages/VetResources.htm 
 
We hope everything goes well.

HELP!! i just got a chinchilla to foster for a month he is grinding his teeth in pain!!! my family cant pay and i only have $130! what do i do what if he has a mouth desease it can be fatal this is to big of a challenge and i will not take him back he had nothing to chew on and now hes sick! please help!

Angela, 
 
 
 
I think the best thing for you to do is call the vet and explain the situation. Tell them you only have $130 and the chinchilla is obviously suffering. They might just decide to help you out due to your circumstances. They also might work out a payment plan with you. I don't know that there's anything you personally without veterinary assistance. Is he able to open his mouth to eat?

How often do u have to get a check up for your chin?

Hi Mitchell, 
 
 
 
Great question. It is a good idea to have your chinchilla checked out by a vet who specializes in chins when you first bring him or her home, to make sure they are in good health, but after that it is not really necessary unless you notice a change in their health or behavior. That being said, I like to think of it as a matter of how familiar you are with normal and abnormal chinchilla behaviors. If you have a solid knowledge base of the issues that often ail them, such as maloclussion, intestinal obstruction, heat stroke, fungus, etc. and you know what to watch for, you don't need to bring them in unless something is wrong. If you are a new chin owner and are learning the ropes, it certainly wouldn't hurt to have your chinchilla checked yearly until you are more familiar with what signs a sick or injured chinchilla would exhibit. Of course, you can never bring him or her in TOO frequently, so use your best judgment. :) 
 
 
 
Amanda

i dont own a chinchilla but im needing help with some research. i need to fill out a table about their behaviour. i need to know what behaviour is normal and abnormal. pl\ could sum1 let me no

My chinchilla got wet somehow and I just noticed it this morning. I'm thinking he was wet for a week or more. I don't even know how he got wet since there is water in his cage but in the water bottle. He got wet under his chin and on his chest. It was all matted, and I thought it would dry on it's own until I did some reading. I did dry it today and got it looking real good, and it's all dry, but I'm afraid he got an infection. The skin smells rotten, since he was so wet, and the fur was matted. I don't know what to do, and I want to make sure he is ok. What do I need to do? Take him to a vet, or can I give him something or put something... I'm really watching him. HELP

this chinchillas are so cute and cuddly.

i have a chin an something is wrong with him hes walking funny an not eating or drinking hes just staying at the bottom of his cage sleeping