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[Ninetalez]

So, I just recently posted something about how my chinchilla is not eating, but eats raisins and dried banana slices absolutely fine. I looked around her mouth and found these scabs on her top left lip and two on her bottom left lip.

Help! What do I do?

[GrayRodent]

I would strongly suspect tooth spurs here especially because she has been eating the wrong diet. Eating only soft foods is a big symptom of that too. You need to see a vet as soon as possible. She will need to have her teeth filed. Also ask the vet about calcium deficiency that could be caused by a poor diet. This can cause the teeth to distort and cause this as well. Your pet is in grave danger of infection and malnutrition.

[jmdebb]

they will always eat raisins.. they are their LOVE.. lol..  but yah, if he isn't eating his regular food, he needs to see a vet asap, they shouldn't go long without food, and they shouldn't have alot of sugary treats.. best of luck... 

ps.. is he drooling at all, or is he wet around the eyes, if so, its his teeth..  i'm fighting that issue right now, he is going in for surgery tomorrow.

[Ninetalez]

She has hard food, I gave her and an almond and she loved it and gobbled it right up today. She also ate a few pellets, unlike yesterday. She also is eating her hay perfectly fine now too. Her cuts are seeming to get better, but slowly. If she can eat hard foods, should I not worry that much about it? I have put in new pieces of wood and a whole new wood hut for her to chew, I hope that helps.

[GrayRodent]

Chinchillas as well as other rodents have teeth that grow constantly. The hard food keeps them trimmed and shaped properly. When the overgrown parts of the teeth grind against each other they wear unevenly causing sharp places that grow into the flesh above them. This is a very painful condition that will get worse until the animal stops eating ASSUMING that is the problem.

Because it seems to be clearing up on it's own leads me to think there's a different problem, possibly a traumatic injury caused by colliding with something. Often tooth problems present with the chin crumbling or partially eating pellets and they rarely go away on their own. Are you seeing signs of chewing on the wood?

Still, keep a close eye out for infection or changes. Also it's best not to feed chins nuts as their systems are not designed for that. It can easily lead to diarrhea. Raisins are good though, just no more than 2 a day. But, always, when in doubt, see your exotic vet.

[chinclub]

Do you let your chinchilla run outside of the cage?  It  sounds like she might have tried to eat something she shouldn't.  I have seen something similar with a chinchilla that bit into an electrical cord.  Or it could have been something sharp she tried to bite.  Do you have any sharp edges in the cage?  If she is able to eat a nut and a banana chip quickly it most likely isn't teeth.

(By the way, Almonds cause liver damage.  You should stay away from all nuts)

[Ninetalez]

When I take her out of her cage, I always supervise her. There are no sharp edges in the cages. She is still eating her raisins and dry banana slices.. The cuts seem to be getting better still, I don't know/ or think I could put anything on it to heal so it doesn't leave a mark. I just don't want this happening again though, I am observing her 100 times more than I have been.

[GrayRodent]

Do you have any wooden toys or items in the cage that might have nails or staples in them?