Welcome to the boards and congrats on your new pet. I'd be glad to answer any questions you may have. There are also experienced breeders and owners who frequent the boards. I am curious what caused the injury. Was it something in the cage?
I just want to give you a little advice going in. You may already know this but this is a good place to post this information since it's been a while since I've posted this information:
- Chinchilla cages must be of all metal construction. No plastic trays or accessories.
- Cages must NEVER contain wire ramps or shelves. (even solid ramps should not be used in chin cages)
- Never use wire hay balls with chinchillas.
- Your pet's diet should be loose timothy hay and alfalfa-based pellets that do not have treats or contain a mixture of different shapes, colors, or doo-dads. (Other diets can be used only if you know what you are doing)
- Treats should be given sparingly if at all.
- Chinchillas must have constant access to wooden chew toys and wooden shelves.
- Chinchillas should be dust bathed no more than once every other day for a maximum of 15 minutes per session.
- Never let your pet roam outside of chinchilla-safe area where there are electrical cords, poisons, or substances that can be ingested and cause mechanical damage to their insides.
- Chinchillas should be weighed once a week, their fecal output must be monitored once a day. If there is not ample output your pet is in trouble.
- Room temperature should not exceed 73 degrees F for a chinchillas. (You can take it higher only if you know what you are doing)
- Chinchilla cages should never be put where is direct sunlight.
- Cages should be out of reach of dogs or noisy pets and should be in an environment with 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness *if there is no natural light in the room.
If you follow these rules you will avoid many common mistakes that have caused many chinchilla deaths and complications. Some of the rules can be bent but if you don't know what you are doing you can end up in big trouble.
I would also like to mention, just in case you might not realize this that chinchillas are highly susceptible to GI stasis. I recommend supplementing with syringe feeding (baytril) if for any reason it is eating less than normal. Antibiotics such as baytril are notorious for causing this as well and deaths related to stasis are common with sick animals. Chinchillas should never be given treats or anything with sugars in them unless they are eating normally or they can get bloat and bowel obstruction from gas. A couple of drops of simethecone are recommended with each feeding to reduce the potential for this. There is debate over the effectiveness of probiotics. If probiotics are given they should be given some time after the administration of the antibiotics.
I hope all goes well for you.
