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[17awhite]

Hi, I have a friend who has had two chinchillas that both got cancer in their jaws. She didn't own them at the same time, they weren't related, the only thing they have in common is that they stayed in the same cage and room. I'm wondering if an environmental factor could have caused these chinchillas' cancer. I also own one of the chinchillas' mother so I'm pretty confident that it isn't hereditary (like the vet said). The cage they both lived in is a metal one (with a tight mesh floor) it is big (four levels high) and it has a wheel, bird toys, and some other chewing things (like chewing logs and stuff), it also (obviously) has a food dish and a water bottle. This cage is located in the waiting room of a horse stables (which is my friend's) where it is kept at a regulated temperature and people with pet it and give it treats throughout the day. I would very much like to know if any factor in the environment could have caused these chinchillas cancer because she now has a new chinchilla. Thank you very much.
- Ally

[GrayRodent]

That's is very strange indeed. How do you know they weren't related?

[17awhite]

I owned the parents of the one she had later. The other one she had long before I even knew about chinchillas.

[kageri]

How good is this vet?  Was it truly cancer? There are lots of problems chins can have with their teeth and jaw.  People often do not feed them a good diet of hay and plain high quality pellets for good dental health and overall health.  Junky mixes can also have cancer causing preservatives like ethoxyquin that are banned from us in human foods.  Sulfates from dried fruit pieces are a health risk too.

Your mention of treats being fed throughout the day concerns me.  Treats given frequently should be things like twigs or choice bits of another hay.  Various fibrous chewy objects.  Grains and dried edible flowers are the next safest.  Unsweetened wheat cereal, limited cheerios, a few pieces of plain oatmeal...  Rosehips and rose petals are the most common flower parts you will find on chinchilla sites but there are others.  Mine like carnations as well.  Last should be anything with sugar like raisins and I wouldn't give more than once or twice a week.  Personally I wouldn't give raisins specifically at all.  Grapes and raisins have poisoned some animals and are no longer on the safe list for pets.  I have given mine little chips of other fruit and you can sometimes find containers of plain dried vegetables sold for children's snacks.  Small, very infrequent amounts only.

[BLS Chins]

It's very very rare for a chin to get cancer. Are you sure it was diagnosed correctly? Chins get abscesses and other lulls on their jaws.

[17awhite]

I'm not sure if they were diagnosed correctly, I wondered the same thing. Also I've told my friend about the treats though out the day, and I think it's reasonably limited. However, she's out and about all day and can't keep track of who gives the chinchilla treats and when. He does get raisins.

She said the area (that, according to the vet, was cancer) was pussy and wet and very large. It was right on both of their jaws in the same place. The vet put the last one down but the first one they did surgery on first, it died anyway.

[mb30]

This vet doesn't sound very good. That sounds more like an abscess or infection.

Cancer isn't hereditary(that i know of, i could be wrong) and unless blood work was done or xrays were taken how would the vet know it was cancer?

[GrayRodent]

Cancer is usually hereditary. It is one reason I chose a chinchilla as a pet because cancer is so rare in them. If it really was cancer I would suspect it was environmental or chemical and still that would be strange that it would occur only in the jaw and not other organs that are more sensitive. In order to diagnose it properly the tissues must be examined under a microscope. If this was not done I would suspect it was some kind of malocclusion and I would be examining diet very closely.

[BLS Chins]

Sounds like a tooth problem or an abscess. Cancer won't have a discharge unless it is large enough to get necrosis (and that would have to be huge on a chin for that to happen) You should see a different vet who is mute experienced with chins. I would recommend xrays to check for root problems and if none are found you can ready the infection with medications. The chins normally recover well if you are attentive and catch it before it gets too bad.

[mb30]

Is cancer considered hereditary? I've never heard that before...
Hereditary usually means when a specific trait is passed on right? I know for instance: a faulty gene can be passed on that increases your risk of getting cancer. If that gene does mutate and does give cancer and that same gene in another sibbling doesn't mutate is that truly hereditary?

I guess what i'm saying is cancer itself is not hereditary but inheriting genes that make it more likely to get cancer is...if that makes sense


Sorry to be off-topic a bit...

[GrayRodent]

It depends on the type of cancer. I know with pet rats it runs rampant but can be bred out of rat lines although with great difficulty. Cancer is usually caused by a number of mutations. Some cancers are inheritable and some are caused by exposure to carcinogenic substances.

http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/what-is-cancer/710