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[RockedByRequiem]

Hi everyone. I posted this on another forum and got no replies whatsoever, so I'll try here as well...
I have a 6 1/2 year old male (Peewee) and I have some concerns about him right now. He seems to have a little bit of crustiness under his one eye. Nothing severe, but noticeable nonetheless. Two other things...Not now, but I noticed a few months back that he was drooling a little bit. I've read that this could be because his teeth are too long? I give him so many toys and all that, and he is so picky. He would never touch the pumice blocks or whatever they are, and I'm sure that's what he could use right now. However, I haven't noticed the drooling in a while, and it was pretty brief. The last concern I have is he is shedding far more than normal. No bald spots or anything like that, just an unusual amount of fur being left everywhere. I wasn't too worried about this because he went through a period of a few months 2 or 3 years ago where the same thing happened, and then it stopped.

He acts totally normal. He is energetic (Not like he was when he was very young, but certainly active enough), eats and drinks normally, normal poop and pee, everything. I have ALWAYS taken care of him just how he should be taken care of. I don't overdue the treats. In fact, I really only give him plain oats and Tasty Twigs. Nothing sugary. I give him purified water, fresh food and hay regularly, and I pretty much coddle him by talking to him constantly and so on. I love him to death.

Do you think there is something going on I need to worry about? The problem is right now, I just finished a pretty lengthy health treatment that has kept me out of work, and I don't have the money to spend on vet bills. Not to mention, the closest vet that treats chinchillas is about an hour and a half away. Like I said, his behavior and overall health are good, I'm just a little worried about the crustiness. And if he wont touch the pumice, what do you recommend I give him to file his teeth efficiently?

Thanks in advance.
-Graham

[LindyLu]

I am not a vet by any means... and I'm a fairly new chinchilla parent.
However, my 5 yr old Dewey is also very picky about chews! He won't touch pumice either. He WILL, however, chew on the grapevine wreaths, the "bitty bagels", and those mineral chews. I've offered a dozen types of chew things and those are the only ones he will touch!
My other little guy (2 yr old) chews on just about anything...but especially loves apple wood.
Hope that helps as far as the chewing is concerned. I don't know what to tell you about the rest.

[Jo Ann]

   Watery eyes and drooling is usually an early sign of tooth problems.  Of course the "tooth problems" could range from something stuck in-between two teeth, to a chipped tooth, to a cracked tooth to malocclusion. 

Not wanting to chew on the harder things, like the lava blocks/stones to the hard food/treats, can often be attributed to tooth and/or gum problems, simply because the gums are to sore/tender to chew on the harder things.  If you are using the square lava block, you might want to try the softer pumas stones.  If that does not work, I would try pieces (about an inch or two long) of Popsicle sticks dipped in a mix (listed below) ... they are thinner than wood blocks, softer and tasty which should encourage him to chew.
Dip:
   1 cup alfalfa hay, stuffed
1/4 cup chinchilla pellets
Place in blender on high speed to pulverize into powder.  CAUTION: Do not remove top of blender until all has settled to the bottom of the container.  Allow to cool to room temperature (sometimes the blender will actually heat the hay and pellets when pulverizing them).
Add:
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Nutri-Cal (found in the cat/dog section of the pet store) It comes in a tube.
1/4 teaspoon papaya enzyme (optional)  (can be found in most health foods)
1 teaspoon cold water
Mix these three together and add to hay/pellet powder to make a paste ... a little more water may be added a little bit at a time, until it is the consistency of paste.  Dip the end of the Popcycle stick in it and offer the Popcycle stick and all to your chin.  Most chins like this and will chew the stick when finished with the dip.   

Store in airtight jar in the refrigerator.

Keep fresh hay or hay cubes in the cage constantly.  Remove and replace with fresh hay after 24 hours, sooner if it becomes moist.

But, the crusting around the eye could mean many other things also, such as an eye infection or something as simple as irritation due to a slight damage or scratch to the eye.

If you have contacts or know someone who does, there is a very mild eye flush that can be used to soften the crust around the eye.  If the crust is on the skin, rather than the eye itself, a tiny bit of Neosporin could be used to soften it and help prevent an additional infection that could be caused if the crust damages the skin.  If he will put up with it, a warm moist cloth, held gently in place will also help remove the crust.

As long as he is eating, drinking and pooping normally, you are fairly safe.   A vet checkup would be good as soon as it is possible for you to do so. 

   Jo Ann

[RockedByRequiem]

Thank you so much. Yea, his behavior and overall health are fine. And he actually never showed any interest in the pumice, from the time he was just a little guy. It's not like that was a sudden change. Also, we actually give him those Mrs Pastures cookies for horses (We actually buy them from Chinworld I think) as well, and the last time I gave him one, which was about a month or so ago, he didn't want it. However, I gave him one yesterday, and he once again went to town chewing on it. So with the drooling not happening, and him taking to the cookie again, it seems like a good sign I suppose. The eye crustiness is simply dried moisture underneath the one eye. It's not ON his eye, or discolored, or anything like that.

I don't think he would allow me to hold anything on his eye for any amount of time, but I will definitely get him in for a checkup as soon as I'm able to do so.