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Author Topic: fur chewing in weird places?  (Read 2197 times)

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jessilove89

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fur chewing in weird places?
« on: December 04, 2009, 05:38:31 PM »

Im a new owner.. and have found this site very helpful! ..i have had 2 chinchillas for a little over a month .. i was told they were both girls but to my surprise i have a male and a female .. they have been caged together for 2months now (old owner had them together a month) she said there were no issues between to 2 but recently .. as if out of the blue, my babies were acting very odd .. chewing on and pulling out, the hair around their genitals and feet. it looks like a bikini wax or something .. when i found my girl last night with a chewed on tummy and screeching in the cage her warning sounds but were loud and aggravated, i separated them .. and got her a new cage and put her in another room .. but now my male is chewing his fur out in the same area and also around his back .. and i also noticed there were some places my girl had been chewed on .. (face and back of head) obviously not by her but by him ..  my guess is he wanted her and she denied him, now they are stresseed? but is it a normal area to chew on? or is that weird? also whenever she is near him he chases her down ad around leading me to think shes in heat .. however i think she was last week and i removed her for a while to keep from mating .. i dont kno whats going on but im worried ..
also he has been calling out to her since she left the cage even tho he seems to hurt her alot ..
please any suggestions or help? thank you all very much
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chinclub

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Re: fur chewing in weird places?
« Reply #1 on: December 04, 2009, 07:28:06 PM »

Sorry to hear you are having trouble with them.  How old are they?  Also, I just want to be sure it is fur chewing....Is the hair in that area shorter or are you seeing bald spots?
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jessilove89

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Re: fur chewing in weird places?
« Reply #2 on: December 04, 2009, 08:07:14 PM »

im seeing bald spots.. and pink skin where hair used to be.. and wetness .. and ive witnessed them hunched over attacking themselves .. i was told they were about a year old but im starting to think otherwise..
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jessilove89

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Re: fur chewing in weird places?
« Reply #3 on: December 04, 2009, 08:47:26 PM »

also how can i find out how old they really are?
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Jo Ann

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Re: fur chewing in weird places?
« Reply #4 on: December 05, 2009, 09:43:30 AM »

 ::silly::  Did you get them from a breeder, a pet store or a friend?  If from an individual, do you know if they were purchased fro a pet store chin or a breeder?  
also how can i find out how old they really are?
Only the breeder would have that information.
im seeing bald spots.. and pink skin where hair used to be.. and wetness .. and ive witnessed them hunched over attacking themselves ..
 That sounds like a fungus or ring worm ... I would definitely have a vet check them out.  If they have a fungus or ring worm, they need to get that cleared-up a.s.a.p.  BTW  Both are also contagious to humans.
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i was told they were about a year old but im starting to think otherwise..
Why?  Are you thinking they are older or younger?  
Can you post a picture of them?  How much do they weigh?  We might give you a ball park age, but nothing for sure.
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...now they are stressed?
 Most likely, but the reason for the stress it the most important question.   Chinchillas do not do well under stress.
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but is it a normal area to chew on? or is that weird? also whenever she is near him he chases her down ad around leading me to think shes in heat .. however i think she was last week and i removed her for a while to keep from mating .. i dont kno whats going on but im worried ..
also he has been calling out to her since she left the cage even tho he seems to hurt her alot ..
 Do you know how to check her to see if she is in heat/season?  If not, click on the picture below ... when in season, she should appear moist, slightly swollen and you should be able to see what looks like a tiny dot of red blood in the center.  She will also tend to clean herself more often than usual during this time.

 ::wave::  Jo Ann
« Last Edit: December 07, 2009, 08:05:21 AM by Jo Ann »
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jessilove89

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Re: fur chewing in weird places?
« Reply #5 on: December 05, 2009, 08:31:08 PM »

its now been 2 days since i separated them and they have stopped attacking themselves down there .. nd are getting used to being alone .. also it looks much better.

the male is still biting a little bit on his back and sides and a little itchy so i changed the bedding ..

i  got them from an individual .. who got them from a pet store .. but she only had them a month before she gave them to me

i think the female might be young and the male older because of how they behave ..and the size .. male(pinky) kinda big and dominant nd crazy lol and female(brain) shy but very curious and smart..and smaller in size.. but idk  il try to get some pics up .. i tried last night but it froze up ..

i checked her out last week because she looked like she was in heat a little more out there and pink ... thats why i thought it was ok to let her back in with him but he was like forcing himself on her nd she was hiding from him it seemed like

there could be a few reasons for stress..

last weekend i added a more nutritious feed into their old feed and slowly started to mix it in regularly..they seemed to love it though

also the whole in season thing which if one is too young and the other is old enough and ready.. i think would b a problem ..

however he has cut back on calling out to her and was realllly active in his cage last night playing ..but did cry a little...

 shes been active too and then ran all over in one bed room and we spent a while coaxing her back into her cage so they seem to be getting better?

i will try to get them to a vet asap .. thank you and i hope this info can help any !!
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Jo Ann

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Re: fur chewing in weird places?
« Reply #6 on: December 07, 2009, 09:09:50 AM »

Quote
Also now if he's in this mood and we put him back in his cage and we stick our fingers in to pet him he sniffs then tries to nibble them.
Suggestions on how to deal with this?
  You may want to get an anti fungus foot powder and add a teaspoon of it to the dust bath dust, just to play it safe.
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i  got them from an individual .. who got them from a pet store .. but she only had them a month before she gave them to me
  I would check with the pet store, if possible, to see how long they had them.  Most pet stores get kits about or under 2 months old ... if she had them a month and you've had them two months, that would probably put them at about six months old or under (unless the pet store had them for a long period or time).  Both to young to be in breeding.
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i think the female might be young and the male older because of how they behave ..and the size .. male(pinky) kinda big and dominant nd crazy lol and female(brain) shy but very curious and smart..and smaller in size.
What color are they?  IF they are the same color, the female is usually larger than the male if they are the same age.
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i checked her out last week because she looked like she was in heat a little more out there and pink ... thats why i thought it was ok to let her back in with him but he was like forcing himself on her nd she was hiding from him it seemed like
  CAUTION  At the tender age of ten weeks old, males have the ability to get a female pregnant.  At the tender age of 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 months of age, a female goes in season for the first time and has the ability to get pregnant BUT her body has not matured enough to be able to safely deliver the kits.  The minimum safe weight for a female to become pregnant is 500 grams ... approximately 1 pound and 2 ounces ... but this is pushing the safety factor because her birth canal may not be large enough to deliver the kit/kits.  I never put a male in breeding until he is 9 months old or a female in breeding until she is at least a year old ... personal preferences due to safety factors.  This is with standard gray and most beige chinchillas ... some mutations, like the ebony, I will not put together until they are about 18 months old.
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however he has cut back on calling out to her and was realllly active in his cage last night playing ..but did cry a little...
  Males usually do a mating ritual known as the "Swish-Swish Tail" Dance ... he does a little  hop, hop, then swishes his tail from side to side ... this is repeated often until the female is in full season and says "yes" to him.  If you look closely, you may even see a smile or an eager look on his face.  But, if she is not old enough, it could be the beginning of the end for her and any kits she may be carrying.

What I am about to say is not said to be mean or hateful, but as one breeder to anyone who wants to become a good breeder.
And from one person to another that does not want you to be heart broken at a bad outcome  ...

A "breeding situation" is anytime a male and a female chinchilla is put together for 15 seconds or more {that is all the time it can take him to get her pregnant}.
A breeder is anyone who puts two chinchillas of the opposite sex in a breeding situation.
This does NOT mean the person is a good breeder or that it is a good situation.  Knowledge, good breeding practices, and results are what makes the difference between a breeder and a good breeder and the difference between a healthy chin momma and kits or possibly dead ones.

 :)  Jo Ann
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jessilove89

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Re: fur chewing in weird places?
« Reply #7 on: December 08, 2009, 01:13:41 AM »

thank you ..

she is smaller than him .. much .. and darker .. hes a standard grey but she has a much darker tint to her .. and is noticeably smaller .. but hes a dope goof ball nd shes serious and very very curious ... they are no longer in the same living space at all and things are getting better .. no more biting .. but im noticing that she eats much less than he does .. hes poops look good but sometimes are a bit skinny .. his are normal and look healthy..

what kind of anti fungal would u suggest? and specific brand or ingredient?
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Re: fur chewing in weird places?
« Reply #8 on: December 10, 2009, 11:54:08 AM »

 ::silly::  Desenex is the brand I use.  It also works great as a preventive, when there is not a problem to start with.   

Make sure they have separate dust bath containers.  Using the same dust bath container from one chin to another is one of the most common way to spread germs, illness and fungus.

 ::wave::  Jo Ann
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