Author: Jo Ann
of Luv'N Chins
Unusual Chinchilla Health Problems
There are the 'normal' or more frequent health problems we see in chins such as diarrhea, enteritis, giardia, heart murmurs, and malocclusion, these are, or can be, deadly. Most of us are familiar with these ... but ... hopefully not on a first-hand basis.
Then there are the 'odd', unusual, and "never heard of before" problems that they can develop. More and more of these are becoming discovered, due to the fact, I think, that;
(1) chinchillas are being exposed more to other animals and places than ever before, therefore being exposed to many things they do not normally come in contact with otherwise ... things they have no natural immunity to,
(2) more private chin owners are having pathology reports done to find out what took their little one, and
(3) more and more research is being done due to the fact that they are becoming very popular "pets" ... most major chin ranches take care of the medical problems themselves ... individual owners do not have the knowledge and experience of the ranchers, therefore the vet comes into play and research is needed to explain why the chin died.
A long-time rancher I know recently made the remark to me, "In the last two years I have heard of more problems with chins that I have never heard of before."
I am going to 'touch base' on a few that I have heard of from other breeders and chinchilla owners over the past year.
Stomach Warts ... This is deadly! It is a virus that can be spread by contact or it can be air-born. I am told that it can take 9 weeks to as long as 9 months to become noticeable ... by the time it does, as far as I know, it is too late. Warts form in the stomach, intestines and/or esophagus. As they grow in size they can eventually block the opening to the stomach or block the intestines. A chin will either starve or end up with an intestinal blockage ... both result in death. With this particular chin, once the chin appeared 'sick' it was dead within one week ... even with 4 days of a vet's care and a $700+ vet bill.
Then, there was a '9 month watch' on all of the other chins owned by this lady, to see if/or who it may appear in next. A very smart and very lucky lady ... this was a new chin and had been kept separate from her other little ones (as all chins should be, regardless of where you get them), so it did not have a chance to spread to her other chinchillas. All received a clean bill of health after a very long nine months.
Peronies ... This is very uncomfortable and can cause many complications. The male chin can develop peronies when he is trying to mate and the female 'breaks off ' the intercourse in the middle of things. The penis of the male can be damaged, causing part of it to remain erect and the other part becomes limp. The penis may take a week or more to get to the point you can help him get it back inside the protective sheath. In the mean time ... triple anti-biotic works well to keep the skin on the penis soft and helps to lower the chance of infection. If the anti-biotic is not used and the skin is not treated, it can dry and crack, causing an infection and much pain for the chin. Do not use Vaseline, it will inhibit the ability to the proper extension and retraction of penis back into the sheath and will cause bedding and fur to stick to his penis as it retracts ... this can cause additional problems. Triple anti-biotic will become absorbed and still keep things working properly. According to the vet there is no known way to help this poor little male chin. He will have problems also with his urine flow ... often constantly 'dribbling' urine, keeping his belly fur constantly soiled and wet. He has to have a bath 3 or 4 times a week (in water) to keep him free of the health problems that can occur due to the urine. Separation from his mate was a must, his and her depression set in due to the fact they could no longer be kept together (chins can come very dependant on each other's love, care and attention). Even keeping them in cages side by side, he quit eating, went 'down hill' physically and giardia took over ... he was lost. His mate refused to eat after his death, until a young (just weaned) kit was placed with her and gave her a reason to want to live.
The picture below will allow you to see what peronies in a male chin looks like ... as you can see, there was no fur ring.
 Male chin with peronies.
Cancer is another problem unheard of by most. The chin I am referring to did not actually have a cancerous tumor but cancer cells were found during the pathology.
Liver Problems occur due to many things ...
(1) Ingesting a toxic glue due to plywood, pressed wood and laminated boards in the cage with the chin,
(2) Being fed nuts ... nuts contain a fatty oil that can not be properly processed by the chin's system,
(3) Meat ... a young lady lost her chin due to the chin's begging for food, and a friend of the family could not resist such begging and shared their BBQ rib with the chin, without the owner's knowledge. (The chin ate the whole thing, smacking his lips and grinding his teeth in appreciation ... only to be dead in less than 24 hours.) and,
(4) Many other things I am sure are given to chins that should not be given to them that their bodies were not made to process.
Poison ... eating house-hold plants, cleaning supplies, chewing on furniture made of wood that is not acceptable for chins and many house hold items that are in most homes. As a general rule, chins can not regurgitate, so the poison is absorbed into the body and kills him/her.
Respitory distress can be caused due to a chill, a draft (hot or cold), getting wet and not being properly dried immediately, odor fighting additives in bedding, cedar wood in bedding, many chemicals used for cleaning (even cleaning other things in the same room as his cage is in will cause the fumes to be carried to the chin in the air) and allergy reactions to perfumes and cologne or even make-up the person has on while handling the chin.
Feline distemper Yes, even feline distemper, normally found in cats. This is highly contagious and will usually take a chin in less than 24 to 48 hours. This can be passed to your chin by you petting a cat, then touching a chin ... even if the cat does not appear sick, it can be a carrier. Please make sure that your cat has all of its shots, especially the one for distemper! If any one comes to visit, ask them to wash their hands, arms, and face before handling your chin ... this may sound rude, but would you rather take a chance on your chin's life? It is easy to explain why this is necessary ... for your chin's health!
Internal bleeding This is usually caused by the ingestion of a foreign object(s) such as hard plastic, wire, and even metal. Chins are able to chew through a 1/4" metal rod in one night!
Internal bleeding can also be caused by a rupture inside of the chin. The rupture can be caused by a fall, another chin being too aggressive, and even a birth defect. When chins are born premature, some parts of their bodies do not always develop properly ... they may seem normal, then one day you find them dead, but with no apparent reason. The wall of an intestine, stomach or uterus can be to thin and tear, causing internal bleeding and/or infection.
If you loose a chin, please, get a pathology report on him/her ... for the safety of your other chins AND for the future health of all chins ... this report could save many chins ... vets and research centers share these results.
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