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[kageri]

I think I started this on the other computer and got interrupted so try again.

Sakura has been less active lately.  She's spent several months with a male and is a big round fluffy ball of a chinchilla so we thought it was just pregnancy.  I was watching her sitting partially upright and she breathed in so hard her feet would push apart with each breath.  I listened to her and there was a whoosh sound when breathing but no clicking or anything besides sounding like a large amount of regular air.  I wasn't sure normal chinchilla breathing but Aime you can't even really hear with just your ear against her.  Sakura has been otherwise normal.  Eating, drinking, normal stool, taking treats, interacting with the male, her eyes are clear and alert, her coat is clean and fluffy...  She's just spending more time sitting in this one corner and she's slower to come to the bars.  How concerning is it?

[GrayRodent]

In my opinion if it were my pet I'd be getting a vet exam ASAP. If it's a respiratory issue it can progress rapidly and spread to other chins and there's certainly cause for suspicion. I've taken my pet to the vet for much less.

[mb30]

Yeah if you think something is wrong and it has to do with breathing differently do not hesitate to get to the vet asap.

Respitory ailments are nothing to wait on or mess with when it comes to chinchillas.

[BLS Chins]

If you suspect any kind of breathing problem you should go see a vet. Upper respiratory problems can get bad fast. We can t tell you if she is sick or if you should be worried since we dont know whats normal for her and how shes doing

[kageri]

We are calling the vet early tomorrow.  I moved her in to a small cage away from the others in a more temp stable room.  She inhaled her hay last night and chewed up her sticks.  Drank her water.  Tried to eat her cage.  She's not looking for space to bounce around in but she's still acting normal otherwise. 

[GrayRodent]

I remember the first time I saw my chinchilla in a "partially standing" posture and at first it startled me because in that posture breathing looks abnormal. I picked him up and listened and heard no breath sounds. Then I put him down and he moved around normally and was breathing fine in his normal standing posture. He does sleep like that and it's normal for him when he does. I didn't rush him to the vet because a respiratory problem isn't going to resolve with a change in posture. There were no other symptoms or changes in activity, weight, or diet observed.

Considering you suspect something is wrong, you've already expressed that, and you've expressed you are seeing a change in activity it's good to see a vet anyway because respiratory infections are an EXTREME danger to chinchillas and can start quite subtly. About half the cases I've observed here result in death when they are verified in chinchillas. If your vet doesn't find anything then it's likely what you're seeing is related to the half-standing posture that some chinchillas will take and their whole body moves like they are breathing hard. It is just due to the way they are balanced in that posture. Activity level is a little more subjective than heavily breathing.

[kageri]

The heavy breathing continued after changing her posture and getting her out of the cage though.  Today her breathing now sounds what I think is normal even after some activity.  She sneezed 2 or 3 times while out for maybe 5mins and I occasionally hear a sneeze or cough in her cage so we are still going to the vet.

[kageri]

Since her symptoms are so minor the vet wants us to try just keeping her isolated in a very clean and dust free cage.  Make sure the humidity is good and wait a week to dust bath.  If she starts getting worse again he will prescribe antibiotics.

[kageri]

The timeline given by the vet for being careful to keep all inhalants including dust from Sakura has ended inconclusive.  How many or few sneezes, pops heard when listening to her breathing up close that then go away, and amount of short spurts of whistling breath do we use to confirm something is not wrong or something is wrong?  Cause I don't know how long to draw this out before putting her back with others.  She's not worse and she's not breathing odd again.  Yes, she moves when breathing while sitting upright but the difference is she is breathing into her lower lungs with her sides moving and her feet lift up and down.  When I saw the odd breathing she was breathing in her chest so her upper body and feet went sideways (apart and together) instead of up and down.  She's still sneezing daily though.  I am considering an allergy but I'm not sure what and if she's better upstairs than her cage with the others what is not on this level that is on that level.     I could take the risk of putting her back and seeing if she has an episode or goes back to normal.

[GrayRodent]

Please just take your pet to a vet and have a recheck for lung sounds. If there are any abnormal sounds it's time for antibiotics. It's been long enough now to know whatever this is has not cleared up on its own. I think your pet needs help. This is my opinion.

[kageri]

You'd think it would get obviously worse though.  Usually infections progress rapidly not a bit here, a bit there, maybe it's gone cause there's been nothing for days, was that something?.....  Which is why I'm wondering about allergies instead.  We can go ask the vet again.  If that theory is valid I don't know if they can blood test allergens like they can humans.

[BLS Chins]

They can have a low grade infection for a while before it progresses (just means she might have a very go d immune system). I would suggest another vet visit and possibly another vet. Chins are not allergic to their own dust, so him asking you to stop dusting her is quite odd. I have seen chins have allergies to their bedding but allergies tend to show up in the form of weepy eyes in chinchillas rather than respiratory problems.