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[GrayRodent]

That is true. See if there is a probable cause for that. If you are noticing puddles of pee on a shelf or hard surface that would be unusual but could explain it. My chinchilla, being a standard gray, has a white belly, and I've never seen him get soaked with urine. He does have some slight staining which I think is normal but he has never been wet. He doesn't pee on the shelf either. The worst he does is pee in his dust bath but the dust clumps like cat litter so he stays dry.

By getting an early diagnosis and treatment you should be able to avoid it becoming something serious if it is a UTI.

I agree that withholding the dust bath until you get a diagnosis is advisable. If the vaginal area is inflamed it is best to withhold dust baths for at least a week. Giving probiotics is a fairly common practice. Some vets may prescribe bene-bac. Mine did not. Not all vets agree on the effectiveness of giving them but if it is prescribed it's probably best to use it. The most important thing is that they keep eating their normal daily volume of food at a normal rate.

GI stasis is when the stomach and intestines stop flowing. (gastrointestinal stasis). If it occurs and is not reversed it is fatal. In chinchillas and other small animals GI stasis can occur because the animal stops eating and the gut has nothing to work on so it slows down. This further reduces the amount of available nutrients in the blood which causes depression and becomes a death spiral. The antibiotics are irritating to the bowels and may make the bowels more likely to go into stasis. Stress from the treatments can also contribute. Closely monitoring food and water intake and syringe feeding if there is trouble is the best way to prevent this. Once stasis occurs it can be difficult to reverse it because gas builds up in the intestines and can block them off. There are treatments and techniques to treat the problem but prevention is the best medicine for this. In most cases there are no problems and all you have to do is monitor for it which is something that should be a habit for all chinchilla owners to do each day.

I don't recommend bringing the other chinchilla. With pairs it seems that sometimes they can feed off of each other's stress. I've taken my chin to the vet before and he did just fine.

[iheartchins]

Thanks for the reply. I hope it's just pee too! Called the vet today and they didn't have an opening until tomorrow so she has an appointment for tomorrow (:

[GrayRodent]

That's good. From my experience with others' pets on the boards simple UTIs are easy to cure with meds. I think you'll do just fine.

[iheartchins]

So the vet appointment is done & they said that they couldn't see anything very wrong except for the staining of the fur. They don't really do exotic pets, but they're going to wait to give an antibiotic until they've done more research, but they also think it's possible that she sat in her pee in her old cage. Heat is also a possibility. They advised me to put 50/50 cranberry juice in her water and they'll go from there.

[GrayRodent]

I am glad to hear that. Cranberry juice in water is a well known home remedy for UTI. You will need to change the water and clean and flush the bottle each day to prevent mold which can be extremely hazardous. Watch for changes in fecal output. If it starts getting mushy you'll need to go back to regular water.
If the fur is still getting wet, not just stained, but wet, I recommend taking further action, unless you can find something about the cage that is causing it.

[iheartchins]

So change the cranberry/water every 24 hours or should I do it more often? And will it bother the cage mate at all? When they examined her today, they said there was no vulva swelling and no discharge, so that was good. They also said she was starting to get bubblefoot, so I'm really glad she's on the fleece now. I'm thinking maybe that she was sitting in her pee in the old cage (with only plastic shelves) and that I only noticed it when I switched her into the other cage.

[GrayRodent]

Bumblefoot can be pretty serious. If you notice any unusual swelling (indicating infection) on the feet you will need antibiotics. Most of the time dry and cracked feet don't become infected on chinchillas but they may bleed. Urine is known for causing that as well. It is a hard thing to clear up though once it starts. It may take months of being extra cautious.

Swelling in the vulva is a good thing to rule out. If there is an infection that spreads into the uterus (pyometra) that is usually a terminal condition. It was also something I was concerned about and I'm glad there are no issues there.

The cranberry juice should not bother the other chinchilla but make sure the droppings in the cage stay normal. If they look abnormal somebody isn't handling the juice well. I think 24 hours is good swap out time.

[iheartchins]

I'll definitely keep an eye on her feet, but right now they look dry/cracked. I'm assuming it's from the hard surface they were on. The fleece should be more comfortable now, so hopefully that'll get better quickly. If needed, I'll post a picture. I'll also check out her cagemate's feet.

I'm glad it was ruled out, too. She peed on the paper towels that were lining her travel carrier yesterday, and the vet said that looked completely normal. They cleaned the yellow stains with some sort of animal shampoo yesterday and today the stains are less visible. The vet also suggested wiping the area with baby wipes if I could.

I'll make sure to watch their droppings. They look normal so far, but I'll monitor. Is there a specific way I should clean their waterer out when I swap their drink?

[GrayRodent]

If it were my waterer I would clean it with water with a little dish soap, dispense the soapy water through the spigot, and repeat with clean water.

[iheartchins]

Ok, thanks so much. Here's an update pic (again, I hope the link works) http://s1368.photobucket.com/user/tweetybirdy8/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsde18f499.jpg.html?filters[user]=141303880&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0

[GrayRodent]

Not sure why but it's not working. As long as the fur is dry and does not stink I think you're okay.

[iheartchins]

Alright, sounds good. I don't think it's wet anymore, but I'll keep checking daily. Here's another try on the link. Hopefully it works http://s1368.photobucket.com/user/tweetybirdy8/media/323AB5BD-BCF7-4B53-A3BE-7A1C070E6902_zpslf2vuebd.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

[GrayRodent]

That's not much worse than my own chinchilla and his regular staining, although he is male, so there are some differences. I guess it managed to soak itself in urine in the cage that one day. The last time I saw a chinchilla that nasty was one that was diagnosed with UTI and inflammation and was peeing on the inside of its legs. Looks like everything is fine to me.

[iheartchins]

Yeah, it seems to have improved. The cranberry juice could've helped too. I'll definitely keep an eye on it (the vet called back and said they've found an antibiotic if she hadn't improved). Do you think it's safe to give dust baths now?

[GrayRodent]

Personally I feel it is safe to give dust baths and go back to regular water. Considering there were no other symptoms and the cage situation has changed I feel there may not have been an infection to start with. You probably shouldn't get too concerned unless the fur becomes wet, or stained like that again, with no apparent cause. I'm grateful you didn't have to use an antibiotic.