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[Abby W.]

I recently had a kit born whose eyes did not develop properly and he is blind.  I am unsure of how this will affect his life.  So far he is nursing, gaining weight, and is moderately active, but not nearly as much as his two sisters.  They were twice his size at birth...so I am thinking this may be a case of superfoetation...this would mean he is essentially premature.  He doesn't seem to be in any pain at this point.  But his eyes have turned white.

My quandary is to decide whether or not to have him put down.  I have no experience with blindness in chinchillas, so I don't know how this might affect his quality of life.  All of my adult cages are multi-level, so I guess he would have to live in the one-level maternity cage.  But, chins have poor eyesight to begin with, so maybe it wouldn't be so debilitating for him....

Has anyone here had experience with blind chinchillas?  If so, do you feel they can live a decently normal life with this handicap?  I don't want him to be miserable for his whole life.... 

[Jenova]

I don't have any experience with blind chinchillas but I would say the one level cage is a must, make sure you don't move anything around in it.
This is from the Other Pets section, maybe it will be of some help.

http://www.chinchillaclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,1532.0.html

Are all chinchilla kits in a litter conceived at the same time because if so, would he be premature if the other kits weren't? Or is it possible the male fertilised that egg later? I'm no expert. Maybe you can give him a supplement? If he doesn't seem in pain and he's happy I'm sure he would make a lovely pet, if not for you then for someone else who is experienced with chinchillas or blind animals.

[Deeliteful]

He can live a very happy life blind but would need special handling and care . I recently lost my blind rat Ed and while I know rats and chins are different i don't see how the special things you need would be so different.

One level cage . Water bottle and food need to be in the same spot all the time so that they would just know where it is . Talking to him woould be a must . soft soothing tone . always talk to him before you do any handling that way he knows who it is and wont be so scared.

If you were close I would be happy to take the blind little guy . Even if you aren't close I would still be happy to take the little blind one If something could be arranged . If he is in a safe familar invironment all the time ... where the sounds are the same the people are the same I believe he would be fine and happy.

[Abby W.]

Thank you both for your input.  I think I am going to let nature take its course and see how he does.  He has gained from 28 grams up to 43 grams since the 5th.  Other than the blindness he seems ok.  I have separated him from his sisters...they were beating up on him, since he was so much smaller.  So they are taking turns having time with mom and then dad, but both dote on him.  So, I guess I will take my cue from them.  If something else was really wrong they probably would not invest their energy into caring for him. 

Deeliteful, thank you so much for the advice.  I actually read your post about Ed.  I am sorry for your loss.  But it sounds like Ed lived a life of ease and love with you. 

Jenova, kits can be conceived at different times.  The female chinchilla has two uterine horns, each containing viable eggs.  There can be a situation where the egg(s) in one horn are fertilized and begin to develop, then weeks later the other side is fertilized in a subsequent mating.  This is called superfoetation.  It's not very common, but can happen.  Usually the outcome is that when the mother delivers the older kits, she will also deliver the younger ones.  So, you can have a litter where some kits are full-term and some are premature, or often stillborn.

I also encountered a situation like this with another breeder recently.  She had a female who delivered one healthy kit and then ended labor.  When we felt her belly there was still a limp present, so my friend took her to the vet to be checked.  An x-ray showed three more kits in her belly.  The vet administered a very small dose of oxytocin to stimulate contractions.  The female delivered one stillborn kit, who was not fully developed and then ended labor again.  The vet had her go home to be watched carefully for the final two kits.  She was not in distress, and continued eating and pooping normally.  Almost a week later she delivered the other two kits, alive!  They were very small, 25 grams or so, but at this time both have been gaining weight and are almost three weeks old.  It just reminds me of how much we still can learn about them!

[Deeliteful]

Abby .. if he makes it and you decide to sell I want him . I talked to the hubby this afternoon and saw you were in virginia we are in NC ... I could drive up and get him . I got a soft spot for special needs cases . I have a wonderful vet here and He would have a loveing home . Just let me know.

[Abby W.]

Deeliteful,

I will definitely let you know if he makes it, which I think is pretty certain at this point.  Unfortunately, my space is kind of limited, and I already have a couple of pet-only chinnies.  But I don't want any money for him.  I would just want to know he is well-loved and cared for.  I'll keep you posted on how he does.

[Deeliteful]

Awesome . Abby He would definately be loved here. yes please keep me posted .

[Jenova]

That's so sweet, I hope he does well. Let us know.

Abby, thanks for telling me about that. I find it so interesting. I know quite a few animals can have similar pregnancies including kangaroos who actually store fertilised eggs. It is amazing how much we don't know about chinchillas, they're so amazing and I love learning about them.

[Lori Ramsey Earle]

Abby,
We had a chin, Seamus, who was born blind in 2001. His mama was older,10, and the pregnancy was a complete surprise to us.( Previously, all my mama chins had stopped littering around 5 or 6.) Anyway, even from an early age, Seamus was very adept at getting around the cage he was born in,which was like a large avian cage(48" tall) that had a coop box, 3 large cross branches and 2 perching ledges up high. In other words, it's not exactly a straightforward cage arrangement. He never had a problem with it, and had the layout memorized. He at times would bound around like any young chin, and you would never know he was blind. I did have him examined by my vet to confirm his blindness, as I initially thought he might have some peripheral vision(he didn't). So  I don't think that it's absolutely neccessary to have a blind chin in one level cage situation. But they'd need to be in whatever cage environment you chose pretty much from a very early age. The only thing I did was make sure his cage set up was exactly the same, always, and if we had a petsitter, I'd do a little diagram for her( ie coop here, toys there,food bowls here, etc).
Anyway,  Seamus grew to be a big happy boy, and was very playful. He passed away at age 6, (cause unknown).Other than not eating a few days before he died, he was never sick. We loved having him in our chinnie family, and was sorry to lose him so soon. He was a great guy!

[Abby W.]

Lori,

Thank you so much for your advice!  It is really encouraging to know that a blind chinchilla can still lead a more or less normal life.  This little guy is definitely completely blind.  HIs eyes seem not to have developed properly in the womb.  When my vet looked at him she said the anataomy of his eyes was wrong, that things were not fully formed, and other parts were out of place.  Consequently, Deeliteful, his eyes are kind of weird looking, just to warn you.  One of them is pretty much normal, except for the milk color.  The other one is pretty weird, at least at this point.
It's possible he may develop some very limited amount of sight in the eye that is better formed.  But that is yet to be determined.  I am taking him back to the vet at four weeks old (his last visit was at one day old) to re-check.
I'll keep you guys posted.  Thanks again for your help!

[Deeliteful]

Abby I am not worried about how the eyes look .  not at all . I have a rat with one good eye the other is malformed and tiny and looks weird ... we call him one eye . Ed's eyes were nearly transparent you could see through them just a bit . No worries he will be loved .

I had my dog into the vet monday he got something stuck in his nose . Come to find out it was some timothy hay . Go figure . The Chupers is always leaving snacks out for the dog . To him the dog is that really big chinchilla that lives there too . No serious . They play together all the time . When he is in his ball its so funny to watch the chin chase the dog . Or to watch them play threw the bars of the cage ... or go nose to nose . I told everyone about the blind chinnie I would be taking in . They were so excited about my soon to be new baby .

 

[Abby W.]

Well, he weighed in at 58 grams last night, which is still small compared to his sisters, but considering he was born at 28 grams isn't half bad.  I think he is going to be just fine.  He may always be a small chinnie, but he is starting to act like a normal kit...climbing the walls of his cage, jumping on his mother's head 

[Jenova]

I feel so sorry for mum when they charge into her head. Do your kits do it when she's just settled down for a nap?

[Abby W.]

My kits seem to like to wait until the poor girl is eating, and then slide down her head into the food bowl!

I wanted to give you an update...his better eye has become much clearer over time, and he may actually have/be developing some amount of sight...which would be wonderful!  We are going back to the vet next week to re-check.

Wish us luck!

[Jenova]

Aww I hope so, good luck.