Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Beccaleigh05]

i noticed at 4am that ottis had these weird things on his ears. please look at pics and help... im a new pet mommy and im freaking out... i was up til 6am researching. please email me message me something i'll be at work til 0230am but im freaking out.. hes acting NORMAL, runs around at night.. we've had him since tuesday and he adores my boyfriend and hes starting to warm up to me..but last night after seeing that stuff on his ears i have been worried... please help!!! well it wont let me post those pics but email me and i'll send them to you .. please respond

[GrayRodent]

I don't know if you got my PM yesterday but if you check it you should find my e-mail address for your picture. I can help you get it posted here.

[Beccaleigh05]

i did and it said it cannot deliver to you   

[GrayRodent]

That is strange. Here it is again in case of a typo: cham624 at earthlink.net (Just replace the at with @ and remove all the spaces). If your image is larger than 5MB you might have a problem uploading it to my email. Here is a link to a previous post where I walked someone through the process of resizing a photo if you need it.

http://www.chinchillaclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,3496.msg27050.html#msg27050

Because you don't know what the problem is it might be time to schedule a vet visit in case it is something serious.
You want a vet with experience with exotic pets. It is also important to look for online reviews for the vet before you choose.

Here is a vet directory that might be helpful:

http://www.chinchillaclub.com/vets/

[GrayRodent]

This is a link to the image of Otis' ear. Consider this a temporary location for this file.

http://www.chinchillaclub.com/forum/gallery/displayimage.php?album=298&pid=1080#top_display_media

[GrayRodent]

It looks a lot like eczema or dry skin to me. How often is your chin getting dust baths? It should be done once every other day for about 20 minutes per session. Some owners overdo it and end up with similar problems.

[chinclub]

I agree it looks like dry skin.  I was also going to ask how often you dust as well as what type of dust you use.

[Beccaleigh05]

i bought the petco "eco" kind and he was having a dust bath every other day... his ear looks a lot better and he had a dust bath today.. he doesn't stay in it long, he rolls more in his litter than in his dust bath LOL...
but before today we didn't give him anymore dust baths after i posted first time...

Question as well.. Bonding.. i think hes about 3-4 months old. and we've had him exactly a week now... sometimes he comes running to the cage and lets me hold him and jumps all over me and comes to me when i call his name and tap on the floor and days like today he gets mad when i try to pet him in his cage and runs away from me...... What gives?

[GrayRodent]

Would this be the Petco Blue Cloud chinchilla dust? What kind of litter are you using?

One thing I've learned about pets is that they are not always consistent. They can be predictable and if your schedule and the way you handle them is consistent it helps. If he is running from you in his cage it could be a sleep cycle thing or perhaps something startling him. Or maybe it's just your pet being inconsistent. There was a case like this recently that turned out to be due to a change in daylight length at the end of winter where the chin went under its cage when the owner got up for work in the morning (same time each morning). Always reach in low and not over their head when possible and make deliberate (not jerky or unpredictable) movements. This is the same for birds.

[chinclub]

he rolls more in his litter than in his dust bath

What do you use for litter?

days like today he gets mad when i try to pet him in his cage and runs away from me.

Could it be different times of day?  Remember, chinchillas sleep during the day and many can get grumpy when they are trying to sleep and you wake them up.  Those same chinchillas will love play time when they are awake and ready to go.

[Beccaleigh05]

the litter is whatever petco had as litter for small animals..

and its usually the same time of day if i see him up and about in his cage during the day i walk over and say hi and usually he comes over i know it takes a while for them to bond and i should be patient i just want him to know i wont harm him and we let him run around and watch him but dont touch him unless its time to go back in the cage..

[GrayRodent]

Is it Carefresh bedding? Aspen chips? Cedar chips? They have several options. I think we are both afraid your chin is sensitive or possibly allergic to something in the bedding. If I remember correctly Carefresh bedding can cause skin dryness because it absorbs lanolin. Not all chins make a habit of rolling in it where it gets that bad though.

As far as behavior issues are concerned I'm guessing your chinchilla is just taking time to get used to you and its new surroundings and may be slightly territorial about its cage. See if you can start interacting with your chin at the threshold of the doorway of the cage and see how far you can go without chasing him into the cage. The key is not to chase or corner your chin which will scare him but attempting to touch or pet him at the door should be fine. He might back off and then come right back in a few seconds.
If you are too passive you won't get anywhere and if you are too proactive you might scare him so it's a matter of reading your chin. However I wouldn't do much for the first two weeks. Chins do not like relocation and it can be a quite a shock before they start behaving "normally".

[Beccaleigh05]

we are going to be ordering the fleece liners from someone on this site who makes them (they are beautiful) here within a week.. The bedding is carefresh the grey kind (supposed to be all natural etc?) I am so new to this so im just trying to get what is best for ottis and make him happy. i love him

Andrew gets so mad when I freak out and worry so much about ottis and his ears haha im just a new "mommy" and i want the best for him..

[GrayRodent]

That's great. I hope his skin condition improves with the fleece. Just make sure he does not chew and shred the fleece or you will have to remove it and find an alternative. Some do but most won't.