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[kostar]

Hello,

My chinchilla Ninja is about 13 years old now.  He's always been completely healthy except for some fur biting and even that stopped in the last year. 

However to my complete shock he's stopped eating.  Even raisins!  He takes a raisin in his paws and then drops it.  He hasn't been eating pellets, just leaving them kinda maimed around his bowl.  He hasn't pooped properly in over a week.  Like, some days I don't think he poops at all.  And the fur under his chin is matted and I've read that's cause he's drooling.

I'm quite sure it's his teeth.  Reading up on this malocclusion, I see a vet and file down his teeth but only a very experienced chinchilla vet.  He's always had chew toys but he's lost the interest he once had.  He's just getting old and tired.

My question is this:  He's getting old, I don't want to put him through a surgery that will scare him to death anyways, I don't want to risk something so invasive, and I likely can't afford to spend the money that will require at this point.

I'm looking for feedback if anyone has gone through this with their chinchilla and what their thoughts are.  I'll call a vet today to ask about their experience and the costs but my Ninja is so old already....

Putting him down would be so hard but I can't let him starve in his cage.  He's drinking water and probably managing to get a tiny bit of food down but he's lost weight so there's no doubt he's not eating properly.

Sad times.  Any thoughts or feedback would be appreciated.

Leslie

[GrayRodent]

I recently put a chinchilla down that was (I think) 2 years old after it was diagnosed with malocclusion. My only alternative was to take it to the vet for regular tooth filings. The vet diagnosed him with congenital malocclusion which is caused by having deformed jaws. There is also a high risk of the roots growing through the jaw even with expensive tooth filings with that that so I thought euthanasia was the best option. With that being said I was not really that attached to the animal. I got him second hand about four months prior and he was very difficult to tame. Although that was a very depressing time and about $300.00 in vet bills for diagnosis and an extra $60.00 for the cremation (I was not informed of that cost or that it would be cremation so beware), my second chinchilla turned out to be a far better pet.

With an older chinchilla it may just be that he is not chewing his food thoroughly and may not have jawbone problems but just overgrown teeth that have caused a painful infection in the mouth. If that is the case you are still facing regular filings if he lives more than a year. Also when animals get old they are prone to various internal problems that can have these symptoms so the vet will still need to do an exam and make a diagnosis.

A tooth exam and/or filing usually requires anesthesia. I know of one exception where the animal was so tame it let the vet perform the procedure without squirming, which is remarkable. Usually there is an abscess involved that will require antibiotic treatment. Many chinchillas will need to be hand fed through the course of the antibiotics because they can cause them stop eating. You will need to hand feed your chinchilla three times a day to satisfy his dietary requirements. This is not an easy thing to do but I can provide some suggestions to make it easier. I had to do this with my first chin until the diagnosis was made.

If he is only eating tiny amounts the intestines will slow and cause severe constipation which is what you are observing. This can cause gas buildup that can obstruct the bowels. It can also cause his digestive system to shut down and stop moving anything through even if he does eat which results in starvation as well. If he is not made to eat a healthy portion of food each day it can start this process and it is not always reversible

I hope this information will help you decide on your next step.

[kostar]

Hello,

I find this advice very helpful, thank you.  I spoke with a vet today that does teeth filing on rabbits and some chinchillas and they quoted me $65 for the consultation and $490 for the dental exam and x-rays.  I don't think this even covered the filing.  It's horrible to have to look at your loved animal of 12 years according to money but geez.... Ninja is so old already and he's been getting more and more inactive over the years.  He doesn't seem happy anymore.  The fact he hasn't pooped in probably 2 weeks means he is suffering, even if he doesn't show it.  I read that rodents and animals usually preyed upon will try to hide their illness for survival.

Rough times.

thank you

[GrayRodent]

Chinchillas do tend to act sick when they are about to die. You really should start syringe feeding today if you want to keep him alive. He could be right on the edge considering he hasn't eaten much in two weeks. Chinchillas do not have much fat reserves to keep them going. Once those are gone the organs start to shut down and it is too late. I recommend getting a recovery diet called Oxbow Critical Care from the vet. You should be able to get that without an appointment and get advice on how to administer it. This can buy you a day or two even if stasis is involved since it is formulated so some nutrients can be absorbed readily. Getting an x-ray will give you an idea of what state his digestive system is in and if medications are needed to get things straightened out. If it is already in stasis then hand feeding can cause harm because it will just accumulate in the stomach and cause distress without providing nutrition. You do not have long to act.