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[chinchillylvr]

We recently had two female chinchillas, but the youngest one, Mikey, Died of a heat stroke. Now, Mikey's mother, Maxie, has been depressed and has not been eatting regularly and has stopped drinking completely! Is Maxie doing these things at night while we are sleeping? We have no clue what is going on but we are getting worried. What is happening and how can we solve it?

[chinclub]

It sounds like Maxie is depressed.  Measure her food and water as you add it to see just how much she is eatting. Try taking her out of the cage more if she likes that and buy her a bunch of new toys.  Hopefully she will pull through this. If she has stopped eatting and is loosing weight you may have to try force feeding her.  You may want to start looking around for a good chinchilla vet in case you need one and you may need to get some critical care from the vet if she isn't eatting on her own. 

Chinchillas have been known to loose their will to live when a cage mate dies.

[chinchillylvr]

Well, due to the poor handling by the pet store owners, she is very scared when someone tries to handle her. She also tries to bite, and that HURTS! She runs around her cage like a maniac when someone comes to feed her carot stems (she loved those ) and will not eat them.
Also, we have many dogs, and Maxie is afraid to come out of her cage because they will eat her! We know this because they ate our hamster...    {R.I.P. Flower}

[chinchillylvr]

We are going to give Maxie her first bath in about a month and clean out her cage to see if that will make her feel a little better. hopefully it will work !

[chinclub]

Please don't feed your chinchilla carrot stems or any other veggie or fruit. Chinchillas need an all dry very bland diet..and please don't give her a water bath!  She needs a dust bath at least once a week but should never get a water bath.

[chinchillylvr]

Okay, we did give her a dust bath, I should have specified it more :-[ ! 
And we live in the middle of no where and the vegetables that we grow are very tasty to Maxie! We can't seem to ever get to a pet store for all of our animals. We live on a farm.
Also, after giving Maxie her dust bath and cleaning her cage, she seemed to be very pleased with the work we had done for her. We bellieve that she is very happy !!!

[chinclub]

If you insist on giving her vegetables she will not live very long. 

[chinchillylvr]

well, she has lived 1-and-a-half-years on those vegetables....
we believe she is very happy...

[chinclub]

Keep in mind, chinchillas are not rabbits.  Even in the wild they do not each foods that are fresh and watery.  They eat dried foods.  Their systems are not meant to digest watery foods like fresh veggies.

What type of chinchilla food are you feeding and how many veggies do you feed your chinchilla?

[Stacy]

Just a suggestion here. I can't ever seem to get to pet store ether but I order my chin food on line. www.lonestarchinchilla.com sells chin supplies and a lot of other places also. It come to your door and you don't have to go anywhere. They have carrot slims that she my like. 

[chinchillylvr]

Well, we give Maxie just some dry things that we can find around the house like saltine crackers, veggies, fruit loops and a couple of other things.

Also, Maxie is still not drinking any water! We had taken the advice to measure the water before we go to bed and check it in the morning. We had done so and none of it is gone...

[chinchillagrl06]

Chinchillas should only be eating Hay, Pellets, and ocasional treats! NEVER feed any foods with salt!! She may not be drinking water because of poor diet.

Well, we give Maxie just some dry things that we can find around the house like saltine crackers, veggies, fruit loops and a couple of other things.

Also, Maxie is still not drinking any water! We had taken the advice to measure the water before we go to bed and check it in the morning. We had done so and none of it is gone...

[Jo Ann]

Hi ChinChillyLvr,
 Names can be deceiving.  
      

Mikey, Died of a heat stroke. Now, Mikey's mother, Maxie, has been depressed and has not been eatting regularly and has stopped drinking completely!

 Chinchillas need to be kept in temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees.
    

Well, due to the poor handling by the pet store owners, she is very scared when someone tries to handle her. She also tries to bite, and that HURTS ... Also, we have many dogs, and Maxie is afraid to come out of her cage because they will eat her! We know this because they ate our hamster...    {R.I.P. Flower}

If you have had her for a year and a half and have been treating her lovingly, she would not be biting you.  If you had some wild animals as big as a house (compairing the chins size to your dogs and you to something comparatively the same size) ... you'd be afraid to!  Those dogs have NO business around the chinchillas!
    

We are going to give Maxie her first bath in about a month and clean out her cage to see if that will make her feel a little better.

If you are boasting you're finally going to give her a bath and clean her cage after a month like that is doing something special for her ... I'm not fond of some of the things I have heard about PITA, but I can only hope they come visit you!
    

We can't seem to ever get to a pet store for all of our animals. We live on a farm.

 If you can not feed them properly you should have never gotten them!  They must be from a pet store, no decent breeder would have sold them to you.

well, she has lived 1-and-a-half-years on those vegetables....
we believe she is very happy...

 Apparently you are not very observant and have no idea how to care for her properly!  And from what you are saying and your attitude ... you don't care or have any intentions of doing so!
    

Well, we give Maxie just some dry things that we can find around the house like saltine crackers, veggies, fruit loops and a couple of other things.

Also, Maxie is still not drinking any water! We had taken the advice to measure the water before we go to bed and check it in the morning. We had done so and none of it is gone...

 It is very apparent you need to find her a good home a.s.a.p.  Or Someone up there will take pity on her, too.

 You came asking for advice ... have chosen to ignore it ....  and in the process tried to tell off the owner of the Forum and the Chinchilla Club who does know what she is talking about!

   I would say what I am thinking, but I'm a lady.

      
     Jo Ann [/i]

[tinabeana]

well, she has lived 1-and-a-half-years on those vegetables....
we believe she is very happy...

A happy chin drinks water...

pleeease pleeease listen to these ladies, they know what they are talking about! they've helped me so much!

[Stacy]