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[iheartchins]

Hi, my white female chinchilla has wet urine in between her legs and around her privates. I've just given her a dust bath and the dust is sticking to the wetness a little. Is this normal or should I be concerned? She's eating and drinking fine and seems to be acting normal. I've also just moved her and her cage mate into a whole different cage and setup today if that helps with anything. Thanks for any help (:

[iheartchins]

Shes also grooming herself down there. I think when she pees she just sits there and it soaks into her fur.

[GrayRodent]

I'm sorry you're having trouble with your pet there. No it is not normal. It may indicate a urinary tract infection and I know of cases like yours that have turned out well. I advise you find a veterinarian that specializes in exotics and rabbits. They will likely prescribe antibiotics such as baytril. These can be very hard on their digestive systems.
Chinchillas have a tendency to stop eating when they become ill and may stop eating when put on antibiotics. Discuss syringe feeding with your vet and obtain the proper supplies.
Make an appointment ASAP. If it is an infection it can spread rapidly.

[iheartchins]

I think the urine on her fur is just from pee stains when she sits. Since her fur is white it's easier to see. She's eating like a pig and drinking a lot, and she's bouncing around everywhere like a normal chin. If it gets worse and/or she acts lethargic I'll make a vet call though.

[GrayRodent]

Some slight staining is not unusual. Wetness is not normal. It is usually caused by inflammation of the genitals so that urine cannot be properly ejected.
Healthy chinchillas will urinate in one corner of the cage and stay out of it.
Another word of advice and that is chinchillas hide illness well. Sometimes when they are having symptoms such as depression it can be too late to save them. Please monitor the situation closely.
If it's an isolated incident you can give her that but if it happens repeatedly there is a problem.

[iheartchins]

Okay, thanks for the help. I think it's only wet after she pees, but I'll check on her underside when I get back home. Do you know the symptoms of a UTI?

[GrayRodent]

Wet fur as you describe is the primary symptom of a UTI. Sometimes the urine smells worse than usual or appears to be sticky. In severe infections you may see pus on the fur which is sticky and smells foul.

[iheartchins]

Can I upload a picture on here? If so I'll try to take a pic and show you what exactly it looks like. We'll try and take her to the vet if it is UTI. What would they be able to do for her?

[GrayRodent]

Yes you can upload a picture if you would like. The picture will have to be sized so it does not exceed 128,000 bytes.

The vet can do a physical exam and see if there is anything anatomically wrong and will also check for signs of inflammation and possible underlying causes like a foreign object. If there is an infection he will prescribe an antibiotic that should clear it up. It is possible they will do a culture where they take a swab of the area and view the microbes they collect under a microscope. Sometimes they can identify the pathogen to refine the medical treatment. Recovery should be less than two weeks in most cases.

With any antibiotic treatment be prepared to treat anorexia and talk to your vet about it. Sometimes it happens and when it is not discovered fatal complications usually occur.

[iheartchins]

Thanks, I'll try and upload a picture this evening. If needed, how would I give her the antibiotic? By mouth? And do they always end up not eating with antibiotics or is it only in some cases?

[GrayRodent]

If needed the antibiotic will be given orally. Usually twice a day with a syringe. It's not a pleasant procedure and is best done with two people. I hope you won't have to do that. I have done it myself but not for a UTI.

It seems that most chinchillas are okay with the meds but some are not and I've seen many cases where that happens. They end up loosing the chinchilla because it goes into GI stasis and by the time they start treating it it's too late. I think in most cases it is preventable because every time I ask how long their chinchilla had been off its food they were unable to determine that because they were not monitoring and suspected it had been for two or more days. Make sure to get detailed instructions from your vet on hand feeding and the proper supplies, if possible if you ever are prescribed antibiotics, especially baytril. Some veterinarians will prescribe hand feeding as part of their diet during the course of meds to prevent stasis, especially, if they are on a heavy dose.

[iheartchins]

Thanks! I'll try and get her a vet appointment tomorrow just in case. There are no exotic vets near me, but I guess any vet is most likely better than none. It's a small animal clinic. But here's the picture (sorry it's not good quality; she wouldn't stay still!) http://s1368.photobucket.com/user/tweetybirdy8/media/197547BA-7BFE-488C-8541-E6B576FFFE50_zps7ohit8vu.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0 I hope the link works..if by let me know

[GrayRodent]

Yeah that worked. I agree you need to see a vet. If they see rabbits they should know what to do. Please express your concerns about GI stasis. Chinchillas are more sensitive to that than rabbits and have different dietary requirements.

[iheartchins]

What exactly is GI stasis?  I'll try to get an appointment tomorrow, if there are no openings tomorrow, I'll try Wednesday. I'm hoping it's nothing serious. Should I bring her cage mate with her to help lower stress?

[mb30]

Does she pee on any hard surfaces where she may be sitting in it? Like on a shelf or in a solid floor?

Another thing you can do is hold her facing away from you and check her vaginal opening for any swelling or discharge.
If you dont feel comfortable doing that then definitely take her to a vet.

One of my chins has some sort of infection there. I think she had it for a few days. I noticed her grooming more than usual and afterwards she would grind her teeth. They do this to sometimes clean stuff of their teeth so i knew something wasnt right. The vet confirmed and we were given baytril and shes made a full recovery.

I would say dont give her a sandbath until you figure out whats going on. Somebody correct me if im wrong about that.

If you do end up getting baytril ask the vet for critical care as well as a precautionary measure. I have read many stories where baytril made a chin lose its appetite completely. I didnt have that problem but she definitely did stop eating as much.
Also, ask about something to replace the good bacteria in her gut as baytril will kill that as well. Probiotics theyre called. Dont give that until 2 or 3 hours after the baytril.

If you look in this section there are a couple of threads right below dealing with uti and vaginal infections.


It seems like a lot of information to take in and it is but your chin will very likely make a full recovery if it is a uti.

The best thing you can do is really watch your chin. Spend a couple or a few hours just watching her and see if she is doing anything unusual...or if she makes any noises while peeing etc.

Hopefully it just is a case of her sitting in pee though.