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[mb30]

I've only had one chinchilla so i'm not so experienced...i was wondering if i leave my email address if somebody with experience with eye issues could please contact me and i will provide a couple pictures to look at.

Im not quite sure if there is anything to be worried about but there seems to be a bit of wetness towards the corner of my chins eye. Im fully aware of what it could be but it may also be nothing to worry about.

Im just looking for a bit of reassurance if there is something wrong or nothing at all.

I have tried to search for pictures of eyes problems caused by maloclussion as well as maybe irritation due to dust bathing.

I would prefer to send the couple pictures instead of shrinking the filesize down.

The weather is quite warm and will continue to be so according to the forecast so i dont want to take her out unless i absolutely need to...

My email is mattb0725@gmail.com

Thanks in advance...i realize not everyone would want their email put on here so i am leaving mine.

[GrayRodent]

In this case I doubt a picture is going to doing much, however I'd be glad to help you post it (I'm sending a PM). A wet and runny eye can be many different things and usually goes away on its own. It could be a small scratch on the eye, a clogged tear duct caused by irritation from something such as dust bath that will correct itself. It could potentially turn into something more serious so watch for changes. Also withhold the dust bath for the next three days. You can dab it with a slightly damp cloth to help clean it. If there is no improvement in three days from the onset it may be time to see a vet.

If the eye does not otherwise look red or swollen, or obviously scratched or have a thick crusty buildup I wouldn't worry too much about it as long as there is no discharge from the nose or signs of drooling which could signify a respiratory infection that may need antibiotics and immediate intervention. Also make sure your chinchilla is not loosing weight or going off of its food. If it goes off its food that is an emergency. These kinds of things can heal up quickly and they can escalate quickly so have a vet lined up just in case.

Malocclusion can cause the tear ducts to clog and can also result in frequent eye infections, however eye infections are not uncommon with chinchillas. You cannot tell by looking at the eyes if it is malo but only with a visual examination of the teeth and/or x-ray. The biggest symptom of malo is a cutback of food intake which causes weight loss and anorexia. Usually you'll notice drooling and matting of the fur on the back that results from that but not always.

If you do end up getting antibiotic treatment watch very closely for anorexia caused by the treatment and be prepared to hand feed. Some people have lost their pets because were not watching for this.

That is my non-expert advice.

[GrayRodent]

Here is the first of mb30's chinchilla pictures. I did my best to resize and compress the files for optimal levels. You can certainly request them from mb30 if you want high-resolution. The eyes are clear but watery with some wet fur on the face.

[GrayRodent]

Here is another picture of the closeup of the eye.

[GrayRodent]

Here is an excerpt from an e-mail exchange we had (posted with permission) that might help.

There are a few signs that have lead me to believe that i may have a problem, but also, there have been changes that may have to do with what i think to be signs of something a bit more serious.

My chinchilla is approximately 3 years old now and was purchased from a little pet shop...so that is one of the concerns i have since i have read that genetic malocclusion happens right around this time frame.

She has lost a bit of weight over the last 4 months...but i have changed her pellets to what is regarded as the premium chinchilla pellet in the uk, bephar chinchilla care plus.

Also, for the last two months i have switched brands of timothy hay and she is eating noticeably less. That decision was soley because the oxbow hay i was ordering came in a bit brownish and without as much of the leafy green hay.
I switched to a brand called alfalfa king timothy hay which is packaged differently(compressed). I will be ordering more oxbow tuesday in hopes that the couple less than stellar batches were just a fluke.

It has been very hot as well for the part of the uk that i am in and consequently the portable air conditioner i bought has been on most of the day for a while now. It is quite loud and my chin is definitely stressed out because of the noise but no way can i let her over heat. Luckily there has been a break yesterday and today so she can have some quiet time again.

So there are reasons why she would be eating less and grumpier/not as active at night when she runs free.

Also, i am aware that this could just be something that happened as a result of the dust bath.

She is eating the leafy parts of the hay when i give them to her from my hand and she is also eating rose hips and chewing on apple sticks.
She is still active outside of the cage but not as much as usual...but that could easily be explained because of the loud noise during the day.

With that out of the way...here are the pictures. The picture that isnt a close up may be hard to see anything but i will include it anyways.

As of today she is at 552 grams which i have read is right on the line for a healthy adult chin. Since she is a pet shop chin i am not sure of her genetic history so she may just be a small chin. She is also a black velvet.

The blueish hue in her actual eye will be from the camera flash...its the bottom corner of the eye which i spotted. I have noticed it like that for a week or two now..but i can't really say if its usually like that. I know it did catch my attention a little bit ago but i just figured it was due to the dust bath. It may be nothing unusual and just something i havent noticed before. I usually work during the day and try not to bug her if i am off. When i do let her run free at night i usually have the lights very dim. I may cut down on the dust bath to every other day or two to see if there is any change.

Thank you very much again and it is greatly appreciated!

[chinclub]

She is a beautiful chinchilla.

Lets start with the big one...malocclusion. Tooth issues cause the eye to weep when the disease has progressed so far that the root has invaded the sinus cavity.  For this to happen, the chinchilla would also have at least one really long tooth in the mouth.  Before the eye can become affected, the chinchilla would have also had serious eating problems, and should have had some wetness around the mouth.  I do not think it is a tooth issue.

The eye itself looks clear and I don't see any signs of squinting or mucus in the eye so I don't suspect any serious eye injury. 

If it is in both eyes, I'm guessing it is probably due to dust.  If the ac is blowing right at the cage it could also be from wind.
Sometimes eyes weep when a chinchilla has a respiratory infection, but if she isn't coughing and her nose is dry you are probably ok there.

Since you got her from a pet store how sure are you about her age?  I have noticed, in my own herd, that a lot of my older chins will begin  to keep a little oily look around the eyes.

[mb30]

Just an update...

I have a vet appointment for tomorrow as it was the earliest possible appointment i could book.

I'm afraid things have taken a turn for the worse and there is definitely something wrong...

Chinchoo is eating still very sparringly as well as drinking if i hold the bottle...
Her breathing looks quick and jerky a bit. When she is swallowing she sort of moved her body backwards at times.
She is still eating hay and i did give her a very small raisin...just in case this all doesnt end well.
Her poop is very small but there is still alot of it.

There is no wetness under the chin. She is lethargic and allowing me to wrap my arms around her while she sits on my lap.
She made it through lastnight.

Im really upset over this. She helped me make it through the most difficult time in my life and i feel helpless now that she is in hers. Im just staying with her and feeding her hay when she will take it to hopefully keep her bowels active.

I have already said my thanks and peace just in case.

There is no wheezing ir rhaspy sound to her breathing.

[mb30]

Also, there isnt wetness in both eyes...it is just the eye in the picture. There is no runny nose.

She is chattering her teeth more than usual. I also think she is now pawing a bit after she eats.

Really sad times. Hopefully this thread will help somebody.

I will give an update tomorrow, good or bad.

Thanks so much for all the help.

[chinclub]

I am sorry. Do let us know what the vet says.

[lilchinchilla]

She could just have a spur that is causing a bit of issue. Not necessarily a malocclusion problem. Sometimes the chins can be lazy chewers or a tooth could have broken off from something hard they chewed on, causing the teeth to not grind properly and a spur to develop. Usually if it is malo, you can feel little bumps along the bottom of their jawbone (not always, but sometimes). They feel like tiny little pellets on the jawbone. I hope things work out, and it's nothing more serious than a spur needing a trim.

[mb30]

Yeah, i will let everyone know.

I have felt her jawbone and definitely do not feel anything.

Is it normal for say something like a spur to cause the chinchilla to behave differently.

She is letting me get a lot closer than usual. Usually she will smack my hand away and go bounding off after a short while.
Now she is letting me basically hug her. She was on the dining room chair and i rested my head next to ger and she was pushing into my hair. Obviously it is for comfort.

Since this is my first i dont really know what a chinchilla acts like while in pain with something such as a spur.

She is definitelt still pooping(but smaller), definitely still eating(but less) and is lethargic. Is that normal for a tooth spur?
This morning she was tearing bits of wood off her pine shelves.
She ate a rose hip yesterday.

She is noticeably weaker and less energetic.

[mb30]

Come to think of it...i do remember her making quite a loud "beep" sound while eating a month or so ago.
I didnt even think of that as anything since she can be quite vocal at times.

[GrayRodent]

My chinchilla that was diagnosed with malo progressed somewhat like yours. An experienced vet should have a good idea of what is going on. A tooth spur operates similarly usually cutting into the side of the jaw and can be caused by one tooth being slightly out of alignment. The tooth wears unevenly and the part that is not ground down extrudes upward (since the tooth underneath constantly grows) and is deflected towards the tongue or jaw by the tooth above it. It is a process that forms over time.

In malocclusion there are multiple causes. One cause is a structural problem with the geometry of the skull and you can tell because all of the teeth are affected and meet at slant. One I read study concluded that this type can be caused by a calcium deficiency during developmental years or congenital calcium malabsorption. Another cause seems to be an out of control growth rate of teeth and roots. Roots will often protrude through the skin of the lower jaw and you can feel them like bumps. Another type can caused by trauma to isolated teeth or even severe decay of teeth from poor (sugary or high carb) diet. Technically this is also called malocclusion but breeders usually associate the term with the congenital types.

As eating gets harder you'll see a steady decrease in weight over a period of weeks or months but an infection can start at any time and strike suddenly like it did with my chin. This usually causes total anorexia from the pain. In my case it happened after a week of observing marked constipation. I was watching for the anorexia and had an emergency diet on hand since I wasn't sure what was causing it. The lack of food consumption causes a lot problems with the stomach and bowels causing additional pain and gas buildup that goes quickly into a downward spiral if not addressed, which is why I keep telling people that when a chinchilla goes off its food it should be considered an emergency and not to mess around.

I could see signs of abdominal pain about two weeks before I took him to the vet, as well as frequent pawing at the mouth. I could see him become very agitated after eating and suspected something was wrong. I waited until I could tell he was not eating properly (about 1/3 of his usual diet) before I took him to the vet and confirmed changes in his stool. The weight trend I had carefully monitored over several months convinced the vet it was time for a tooth exam.

Even with the emergency diet my chinchilla was not doing very good. He was on antibiotics through the weekend before I could take him in for the tooth exam and he acted very unhealthy. He acted weak but you could still tell he was not very tame. I decided to have him euthanized because I didn't feel the need to undergo any more expensive treatments for an animal I really wasn't that attached to and certainly will not opt for regular tooth filings since the roots keep growing under the malfunctioning teeth and it can get ugly. For those in the US any ongoing treatments are painfully expensive and it just isn't worth it.

In your case you may want to get a good assessment and have the teeth filed if it's just one or two adjacent teeth and see if it happens again later this year, and go from there. If it's a treatable problem you should only have to get it done once. If there are several teeth involved on one side then it's probably best not to have it treated because that would indicate a structural problem in the skull. If there is a root up in the eye socket clogging a tear duct that is not always a show-stopper but it depends on the severity. Roots will reduce in size if the teeth can return to functioning properly.

That is my understanding of this disease based on what I've read. Certainly we don't know what is wrong with your chinchilla. It might not even be a tooth problem but something else entirely and an exam certainly is in order. You might want to try to hand feed some alfalfa pellets soaked in water until they are mushy. You don't have to stop feeding before anesthesia like you do for a cat or dog. Depression like you describe could be a sign your pet is in peril from malnourishment.

[mb30]

Just an update:

She has been to the vets and she has a respitory infection and possible pneumonia.

I am guessing because the air conditioning was left on for too long at a time. Which makes perfect sense because i have left it on twice while i have been at work.

I thought i was doing the right thing since it was so hot out.

They have given us antibiotics and painkillers which we have to syringe feed her.
Everything i have read says survival is unlikely in this case.

So please use this information when trying to keep your chin cool.
We just have to hope for the best now.

[mb30]

My wife gave her the antibiotics and she just had a seizure and died in her arms.

Please be careful.

Theres a small place in my heart that will never be filled.

R.i.p. baby.