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[gasaraki03]

I need to monitor my chinchilla to make sure hes peeing and pooing. Luckily he started pooping again and peed some since vet but extremely little. As for last 24 hour im not for sure mostly i figure how small amount he'd pee might go away before id see it. Vet suggested papers but he'd prob just eat ton of it maybe. Cant use carefresh since might stick to him.

Right now its just plastic floor and little cloth of fleece. Also theirs hay on the floor.
Worst is when gotta work since cant check for 8 hours

Secondly is an other suggestions to keep him hydrated and fed. Hes on 4 different medicines at the moments twice a day(figured alot liquid there). Ima go pick up some pedialyte now. Ive given him very little water through syringe. Hes eaten a tiny amount of critical care (his choice). Also he has 2 packs still of water attached to him i dont know what you call his to help keep him hydrated.

Any suggestion i haven't covered to help be helpful. Right now not really anymore a vet can do just hope he heals and all works out.

[gasaraki03]

Also if need back story on Thursday notice he was making sounds and when looked it up found similar problem they suggested he couldnt pee. Took him the the ER and found a stone making him not able to be able to pee. There first choice was a surgery but due to high costs couldn't afford it so did second option which was cut him little and pull it out and let it heal back.

Next day took him back was free re-check in 24 hour since hasn't pooped since got home, again was a major surgery but easily over a grand. They gave him more meds thinking maybe since hasn't had pain meds yet was hurting to much to poop. He has pooped and still is since 5am on Saturday.

Now i just need to make sure he is still peeing

[mojito]

I'm so sorry to hear about that! I hope he is feeling better. I would give 50/50 pedialyte and water as much as he'll take, using a syringe. Do you mean he has IVs in him to hydrate him? If so he should be peeing soon. I would also see if he'd like more water every hour or so. Make sure he has plenty of food and lots of hay to eat. Hay is full of fiber and will help keep the gi tract moving. I could be wrong with chinchillas but I do know some pain meds and antibiotics can mess with the gi tract in different animals so keep watching for poop too!

[GrayRodent]

If he's on IV bags you don't need to forcing down water especially since some of his food is already mixed with water. The IVs will keep him hydrated and more than what is normal already. My chinchilla at 500g drinks about 34cc of water every 24 hours fairly consistently. It should be fairly easy to add up the meds and rate of iv drip to calculate how much he is actually getting. Overdoing it can be dangerous and cause a fatal chemical imbalance so follow your vet's instructions closely.

As far as pooping goes the big thing you have to watch for is GI stasis caused from stress and medications. That is when the stomach and bowels stop flowing. He needs to eat the right amount of food each day or GI stasis will result The biggest indicator of eating is pooping but one thing you can do is measure out about 1/4 cup of pelleted diet each day and you can get an idea of how much is consumed. Usually sick chinchillas will favor pellets over hay because they are easier to eat. If you suspect he is off his food then syringe feed based on your veterinarian's advice. Be prepared ahead of time. GI stasis can be very difficult to treat once it starts and is the biggest post-operative complication in chinchillas. It can happen even a week or two after the surgery so stay on guard. I've seen several pets die after fairly minor surgeries from this and I think it is usually preventable.

It is usually pretty easy to tell if your chinchilla has peed because their urine is pretty dark red and sticky when it dries. Under the circumstances though it may be diluted a bit because of the extra hydration. Also chinchillas are usually active mostly at night and will drink most of their water at night. You should take a rubber band and wrap it over the water bottle to mark the water level each day. I measure mine with a centimeter rule and I use a cylindrical bottle so it's pretty accurate.

I pray all goes well for you.

[gasaraki03]

Thanks for your answers. Ill keep him monitored even afterwards.

[GrayRodent]

Do you have any idea what caused the stone to form? Usually it's a genetic issue that can be helped by a special low mineral diet.

[gasaraki03]

The vet isnt sure how it formed. but know he'll be more likely to have it again in the future. Once he's all better ill have to maybe adjust there diet not sure how but figured id worry about it later.

He's doing better i have his e-collar off as he just sits in his house, i know still got a while to go. Going vet this weekend and hopefully be all done.

[GrayRodent]

Sounds like a big step in the right direction.