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[Cyrusandme]

Hi,
New to this board and am hoping to get some help.  I have one Chin, Cyrus, who is around 4.  Sorry this will probably be long
Before I get into the reason for my posting, I will say I have taken him to the vet, and am still in contact with them.  In fact waiting for call back now.
The situation is this.  On 8/27, I woke up to find blood all over his cage and wheel.  He was acting 100% but it looked like a blood bath in there.  I immediately called the vet, took him in (vet specializes in exotics, shelter I adopted him from also recommended them).  The blood was coming from his back legs, the flat part that he rests on.  So, vet examined him, gave me an rx for Baytril, leg was a bit inflamed.  I gave the baytril, it put him off his food, so called vet, she said to discontinue meds.  Syringe fed him for a day to get him back into eating and he was good to go.  Bleeding had stopped, he was healing, back to eating, drinking and pooping, all was good.  This am woke up to a ton of blood again.  BTW, I took out all his lava ledges, and his wheel (one of the really nice stainless steel flying saucer ones) when this first occurred.  The cage is a nice 2 level ferret cage.  No wire anywhere, all smooth surfaces. Have no idea why this could have happened.  I am really worried.  I asked about topically treating it, instead of oral meds, don't want the whole off the food thing again. 
Is this common in chins?  Anyone have any suggestions on doing something.  I am so worried.  I have to go out of town on the 13th for 4 days.  Hubby and a pet sitter will be caring for him. They will do whatever is necessary I know, but I am the only one that can really handle him well.  He had a rough start in life and was not well taken care of or socialized before I got him.  He doesn't trust anyone else but me too much. 
Thanks in advance for any help that I get.

[GrayRodent]

I feel bad for you. That sound like a nightmare but it's actually not that uncommon. Usually everything heals up in a few weeks.

You didn't say what your chinchilla is being treated for. Bleeding from the feet is sometimes caused by callouses that chip off. Some chinchillas have problems with these even on smooth surfaces.
What did the vet say was the problem? Was it that or was it a cut or something on the foot? Sometimes that can scab over resulting in chewing on it and reopening the wound. The next step is going to depend on what is causing this.

How did the inflammation respond to the Baytril? Does it still look red and swollen?
I am glad you were instructed to syringe feed for the Baytril. I have heard of chins dying because those instructions were not given.

Over the next week I recommend your husband does something with your chinchilla every day. Even if it's going up to the cage and letting it sniff around on his hand through the door. This will help reduce stress when you are gone.

[Cyrusandme]

Hi Gray Rodent!

It has been a nightmare!  The first time I saw all that blood was so scary.  Especially since I thought he was peeing blood.  Then upon examination, we realized it was his feet.
The vet thought possibly bumblefoot.  It was hard to see if there was inflammation.  If there was, it was very little.  Does not look all that inflamed right now.
I didn't even wait for the vet to tell me to syringe feed.  I had the Critical Care on hand from a few weeks ago dealing with a guinea pig with mouth issues.  So I grabbed it and got it into him ASAP.  Didn't think I could do it with him as he is not
The next step of figuring out why it happened is the real mystery.  I have never seen him chewing  his feet/legs.  I thought maybe the wheel was the problem, but he has not had the wheel for the duration.  And is missing it too, btw!  All the surfaces are smooth in the cage, not protruding wire.  Took out the lava ledges.  Just don't get it.
My husband pets and hand feeds Cyrus daily.  He is very hand shy.  He was bought as a baby from a pet store by someone for their 8 year old child.  He did not handle him well or properly.  Or take care of him the right way.  He had not been given a dust bath, had not toys and was eating adult chin food.  They finally relinquished him at about 9 mos old.  He was in foster care with a GREAT chin mom, and she brought him a long way.  But he is still very hard to handle.  I am home all day, so he is much more used to me, but even so, he still can be skittish.  Or sometimes just bratty! LOL.
I was glad to read this is not that uncommon.  I feel horrible.  He seems to feel ok.  He looks okay. 
I thought of aloe for it, or bag balm.  Waiting now for vet to call with suggestions for other topicals.  I am hesitant to go the antibiotic route again unless we absolutely have to.  If we have to do that, I will probably have to cancel my trip, which will not go over well .  Ugh.  I just want my baby to be ok!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[chinclub]

I am so sorry you are having to go thorough that.  Did the vet give the Baytril orally?  When you do that it wipes out the good bacteria in the digestive system.  There is an easy fix.  Get live culture yogurt from the store.  Most yogurts are still live but activia is safe bet. Feed your chinchilla that between doses.  Example:  If you give the meds every 4 hours you would give the yogurt 2 hours after you give the meds each time.

Are the shelves plastic or wood?  If they are wood could it be splintered somewhere? What shavings are you using?  Have you changed brands or bought a new bag as this started?  I am wondering if it could be some sort of reaction to bedding.
Are there any places in the cage that hold water?  Maybe where the water bottle drips or something? If the feet stay wet they are easily opened up like that.

Other than those things I can't think of something would cause bleeding like that.

[Cyrusandme]

Hi Chinclub!

It was oral Baytril.  He is off it now, it as given more as a preventative measure.  I don't usually like to give or take antibiotics, but I agreed in this case because I was so freaked out by all the blood and was so worried about him.

Absolutely nothing changed in his cage.  He has been in there since I got him.  It is a ferret cage.  Hard plastic shelves and he never chews them.  I don't put shavings in cage, I use newspapers as I have all along, and change them daily.  Cage is completely dry.  Water bottle isn't leaking.  The wood shelves he has are not splintering. I have looked and looked and cannot find a single thing that should explain this.  So upsetting and frustrating.

Such a mystery.............................

[GrayRodent]

Does the skin on his foot look dry, calloused, flaky? If it's not red or swollen I wouldn't think it's bumblefoot since bumble foot is an infection.
If it's healing what usually happens is it forms a scab and itches. It's possible your chinchilla scraped the scab off. Figure about how long it took to get to that point and put salve on it then. Maybe that will fix it.

[chinclub]

Is there an obvious cut or sore spot that is bleeding or it is the whole area?
Newspaper isn't as absorbent as shavings.  When your chinchilla pees on it the urine will puddle under him just a bit as the paper absorbs it.
Urine is very hard on skin and if his feet are getting some urine on them each time he goes it will just dry on there.  What you are seeing could be sort of the same idea as baby diaper rash.  I would recommend that you try some bedding (pine, aspen, carefresh).  This will absorb the urine better and since it is a thick layer of bedding the urine will fall down through the shavings and keep his feet dryer.  I know you are changing the paper everyday and I am sure that the cage is clean, but you want to keep the urine away as it is coming out.  Plus, it is unnatural for chinchillas to pee on a hard surface.  That is why they will go to the bottom of the cage into the shavings to pee when they have solid shelves.

[Cyrusandme]

The vet was not sure if it was actually bumblefoot, she just mentioned bumblefoot in conversation, part of the foot looked a little puffy, but not bad. At this point, I cannot tell if it was calloused, dry, flaky or not, the skin is all scraped off. Honestly, now I feel like a terrible chin mom, but I never looked at that part of his feet.  He does not like to be flipped over on his back and I have to do that to look at his legs.  So, I really never checked that part of him.  I keep a close eye on his eyes, ears, coat, activity level, poop, etc, but never had reason to look at his legs before.  I've dealt with bumblefoot in ducks, but that is a lot different.  It is the flat part of his back legs that is bleeding and raw.  It was healing very slowly, but was getting better. It looks more like the skin got scraped off, rather than one spot.  And it is mostly his right leg, I think the left just has blood on it from the other leg.
Putting bedding in this cage is not really feasible.  It is a ferret cage and I did it when I first got the cage.  He pushed most of the bedding out. There is no lip around the edges.  He only pees on the newspaper and it absorbs it pretty fast.  I just changed the paper a few hours ago and all the pee spots are dry already. He never pees on the hard surfaces where he sits. He pees and leaves the spot quickly, mostly in the corners.  I can try to put a box in there with some bedding in it to see if he likes to pee in that.  Ha!  What are the chances though!
It is strange, he never had a problem before.  Nothing at all has changed.  He's been healthy since I got him.  I am so worried...................
Thanks everyone for the answers, I appreciate it.

[Cyrusandme]

We tried to figure out what we could put around the cage to keep  the bedding in, but the only thing we came up with was stuff he can chew.  Plus the doors present a problem.  The tiny cage they gave me at the shelter was better in some regards, but waaaaay too small, so we got this one.  Other than this, it's worked out well.

[Cyrusandme]

Are allergies common in chins?  If so, what are the symptoms?  Could he be chewing due to itchiness?  I think I will make an appointment for him tomorrow at the vet.  I just need to get a better handle on this.

[Cyrusandme]

AARRGGH!!!!!!!!!!!!  I just saw that he is chewing on his front leg.  Just made a vet appointment for tomorrow.  Not messing with this.  I thought he had gotten some of the blood from his back legs on his front leg, so I took him out to look.  Sure enough, it is raw.  Ugh.  So made an appointment.  SHe is not in this afternoon, or I would have taken him today.  The other vets there don't specialize in exotics so I want to see our regular vet.  He is peppy and happy, so I think I can wait till tomorrow.

[chinclub]

If you do a search for rabbit urine guards you can use those.  If you have a place that sells plexiglass you can use that.  But I think a pan with some litter would be great.  You can use a glass baking dish.  I really think that will go a long way to helping his feet.

[GrayRodent]

There are several things that can cause this. I'm a little skeptical that the skin is having an allergic reaction since there are no other signs of redness or scaling on the skin but the vet will need to rule that out.

I don't mean to scare you but I want to throw this out so you can talk to your vet about it.
It could be a psychological problem caused by pain or stress that is causing self-mutilation. Usually it starts with fur biting where you can see extensive damage to the coat and progresses slowly over days or weeks from there.  Animals that have been abused or have this in their genetic line can be predisposed to this. Since there is no history of fur biting this would be a strange case if it is psychological.

Pain can be caused by tooth problems, joint and back problems, or internal problems that will need to be ruled out. Hormonal problems or vitamin or nutrient deficiencies can cause strange behaviors too. If it is psychological it could be environmental due to varying changes in its daily schedule or room lighting. I would rule this out if it has roughly the same schedule each day.

It could be a mechanical sound such a nearby appliance or TV or something that is on constantly. I know this to be a cause of fur chewing. It might be good to add new wooden toys and playthings into the cage to help distract him.

I think you should be very careful of the veterinarian you select. This could be a complex problem.

[Cyrusandme]

He seems to be a happy chin.  He has playtime out of his cage.  He has enrichment toys that I rotate.  He has food 24/7.  He actually likes people as long as they are not trying to pick him up. He comes to the sides of the cage for scratches. He has 2 guinea pigs and 2 cats for company. He is not afraid of the cats, one will give his cage a wide berth, the other will occasionally play with him, but he can get away of he chooses. His life is the same as it has always been.  He was neglected as a baby/youngster, and I know they don't forget things, but I honestly think he has a good life now.  Certainly the best I can give him. 
I have the best exotics vet in the area.  Recommended by my dog and cat vet, the shelter I got him from and several pocket pet owners that I know. 
He does not pull his fur out.  He has no bald spots.  Nor do I find clumps of chin fur in his cage or the bathroom when he plays there.
He had a wellness exam a while ago.  She checked his teeth, eyes, ears, felt his abdomen, etc.  He does have a heart murmur.  We shall see if that is the issue.
I AM scared.  I don't want to lose this little guy.  I am no youngster (by a LONG shot), and he is my first chin.  I treasure him.  I will do the best I can for him.
Will post what the vet says tomorrow.
Thanks for the input.

[Cyrusandme]

GOt back from the vet awhile ago.  She thinks it really is from always being on hard surfaces.  One hock is a bit puffy, so got a different antibiotic .  I am in the process of making bedding areas so he can get off the hard flooring/shelves.  I am cutting up cardboard boxes, lining them with fleece and newspaper, and adding some carefresh and a small box of hay in each one.  Fingers crossed this helps.  Also, doing the bag balm thing.
Thanks again to all that responded.  Will update in a few days.