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[FLINTSTONESKID]

My baby gurl is a bit under a year old, she has been very healthy since i got her and besides an eye infection for a day or so, i have had no other situations with her. i also have a male who is about two years old and before the gurl was old enough to get pregnant, we either let them out to exercise seperatly or watched them when they were out together. Anyway, to the point, we have been letting the gurl and the boy get it on, so to speak because we would like some kits, we have a friend or two who are interested, we dont want to make any money out of it, just the happiness of a few friends. anyway, about a month ago, the gurl started spraying a brownish fluid, mostly on the walls aside of her cage but also out in the room during her exercise, i also noticed that now it appears to be on the rug in a few spots but not like urine, more like she was walking and....leaking.....sorry, couldnt think of a better way of saying that! the first time i noticed this, i cleaned up the walls and it seemed to stop for a few weeks, now i see it again but only once. my questions are, may she be pregnant? might she have a urinal or vaginal infection? i also dont know what to look for to see if she is pregnant, as i understood it, it is very difficult to detect a pregnancy in a chin. i am worried about her because it seems like her attitude has changed as well, she seems to be more testy to both me and her husband. i also dont know of any vets in my area who specialize in chins, any help with these questions would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

josh

p.s. - i live in eastern pennsylvania

[Jo Ann]

My baby gurl is a bit under a year old. ... a male who is about two years old ... we have been letting the gurl and the boy get it on ... because we would like some kits, we have a friend or two who are interested, we dont want to make any money out of it, just the happiness of a few friends

... a month ago, the gurl started spraying a brownish fluid ...  a few spots but not like urine, more like she was walking and....leaking.....sorry, couldnt think of a better way of saying that! ... the first time i noticed this, i cleaned up the walls and it seemed to stop for a few weeks, now i see it again but only once. ...  

 my questions are, may she be pregnant? might she have a urinal or vaginal infection? ... i am worried about her because it seems like her attitude has changed as well, she seems to be more testy to both me and her husband. i also dont know of any vets in my area who specialize in chins, any help with these questions would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

Josh, I am using colors to correspond with the answers ...

How old is the female?  How much does she weigh?  The "appropriate" age/size to breed varies with the different breeders' pinons. It is admirable of you to think of the happiness of your friends, but your chin needs to come first.

The first time you saw it, would have been the appropriate time to get her checked out by a vet.  When a chinchilla does something (having to do with her health) that is out of the norm/unusual for her, she needs to be checked-out by a vet that is familiar with chinchillas.  When you say "leaking" are you referring to a urine leakage, or what looks like blood?

pregnant?

Yes, she could be pregnant ... but, with what you are describing, I hope that she is not. 
If she is, she could be having a miscarage. 
If she is, the kit/kits could be dead and her body is trying to absorb them, with not much success.
If this is the case, they could be setting up an infection in one of the two uterus that could cause you to loose her.  I think, if you ask Abby, she could give you a first had experience with this problem.

"urinal or vaginal infection?" Could be ... I hope that it is ... either of these is much easier to treat.
Antibiotics by mouth and/or in/around the infected area for a vaginal infection.
Plenty of Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice (mixed 1/2 and 1/2 with water) in a separate bottle if it is a urinal infection, to help "flush" the kidneys + what ever the vet suggest.
Regardless, with any of the above, I feel, she is still going to need a vet check.

i am worried about her because it seems like her attitude has changed as well, she seems to be more testy to both me and her husband.

A change of attitude/mood, for the bad, of a chinchilla is often a "red-flag" saying "Hey, I am sick!"

i also dont know of any vets in my area who specialize in chins,

This is why I tell everyone to find a vet before buying a chinchilla.

If you do not know of any exotic vets in the area, I would suggest going to the next best thing ... any vet that is familiar with small animals.  That is better than no vet for your chin.

Good luck, say a little prayer and let us know how things progress with her.

 
Jo Ann

[Abby W.]

Josh,

I completely agree with JoAnn.  I did have a female who was pregnant and her kits' embryonic sacs began tearing away from her uterine wall, causing an infection.  She showed many of the same syptoms you have described.
This is an extremely serious situation, and requires medical attention.  I have included a link to a listing of exotic veterinary hospitals in Pennsylvania.  Hopefully, you can find one near you. 
It may not be as serious as we are describing, and I hope that it's not.  But regardless, you need to have her checked ASAP.  With chins, usually, by the time an owner sees symptoms of illness, the animal is often already quite sick.  So it is important to seek diagnosis and treatment as soon as the symptoms appear.


Exotic Vets In PA

[chinclub]

Have you seen her do it or just found the spots?  Was the male with her during the time these spots appear?  Females will spray urine on the male when he is trying to breed before she is fully in heat.  She will miss him a lot and the pee will end up all over the walls and the floor of your house.  When it drys it will appear as dark spots.  With so many females in our breeding room we are mopping the walls and the floor about every day.

That would coincide with your story that it stopped for a few weeks (during the time she wasn't near heat so he wasn't trying to breed) and then picked up again (about the time he would have started trying to breed again.)

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Their urine can be pretty dark.
I had a chin miscarry, but she didn't couldn't spray it. It just ran out of her.You could tell it was dark blood.
I have never heard of them spraying other fluids, not that it couldn't happen, I'm just wondering if it's just pee.
When I give my chins alfalfa their urine seems darker.Some of them , cause some could eat the cage and it wouldn't effect them. 

[Jo Ann]

Hi Debbie,
       You just haven't gotten hold of the right female, or ticked one off bad enough, if you have never seen one of your females spray urine.       Not all female chins will spray.
       Of course, I have to say, there are other reasons they will spray urine also.  Females use it to protect their kits, defend themselves, to separate fighting kits, to warn you to go away or get bitten, to tell a male "No", and to get your attention.  They are VERY ACCURATE up to 7 or 8 feet away!
       Precious, one of our beige females, loves Bill, my husband, and demands attention from him.  Anytime he walks into the room where she is and does not greet her, and call her by name, before sitting down  at the computer, he's in trouble.  She is approximately 7 feet away from his chair.  Just after sitting down, with his back to her, he finds she will immediately "rain" on his head!       It did not take long for her to train him  to speak to her every time he entered the room.    
       
Josh,
    How's your little one doing now?  Did you find a vet?

 
Jo Ann

[Debbie.nl.ca]

I have never heard of them spraying other fluids

They can all spray urine, and yes I've been the target many of times

[FLINTSTONESKID]

sorry that i havent responded in a while guys but for some reason the site isnt notifying me when i get a reponse on a topic even though it is set for that, guess i should have checked back before. anyway, thank you all for your advice, Jamie is on to something, it is when the male is out and it does seem as though what she is describing fits. i think i mislead a bit about her behavior, it wasnt dramatic and it wasnt as if she was depressed or angry, she just changed a bit, not much, but enough for me to notice it. i have seen these spots on the floor in various places around the room but only small spots. it defiintly isnt "leaking" out of her, she is very clean, and as you were asking Joanne, she is about a year old, she eats well, is very healthy, drinks well, and gets plenty of exercise, she utilizes her exercise time well. she hasnt been " spraying" lately so i honestly havent taken her to the vet, because as i said, she seems very healthy otherwise and quite frankly i havent actually seen her doing this so i am not sure it is her, and it doesnt appear in her cage at all, nor his. thanks again for all of the links and your helpful advice. i do have one other question not pertaining to this situation, in the winter i dont keep the heating vent in the chins room open because i dont want it to get too warm in their room, i have done some reasearch but i am curious about the temp in their room, it isnt cold but it is certainly cooler than the rest of the house, probably about 60 or so. is that about right or what temp should i keep it at? thanks alot guys and by the way, i put some new pictures up on my photography website, take a look, if you would like something in particular please feel free to ask, i have alot of photos that are not on the website. here is the link, thanks again everyone!!!!

http://joshtaylorphotography.com/

Josh

[Jo Ann]

Regardless of how small a change you see in your chinchilla ... it can often be the first warning sign of trouble.  It is good you were keeping track of even the most subtle changes ... it never hurts to get other opinions and help when needed!

 Keep the watch constant!  Next time may be the one that will be one that needs attention.

That's what we are here for ... the chins.   

Your pictures look really nice ... I see you've added a few since the last time I was viewing it.

 
Jo Ann

[chinclub]

in the winter i dont keep the heating vent in the chins room open because i dont want it to get too warm in their room, i have done some reasearch but i am curious about the temp in their room, it isnt cold but it is certainly cooler than the rest of the house, probably about 60 or so. is that about right or what temp should i keep it at?

We keep our chin room cooler too.  Its not uncommon for it to get in the mid to upper 50's at night.  If you have wire bottom cages you might not want to let it get that cold, but for solid bottom cages with shavings we have never had a problem, even with newborns.