Chinchilla diseases: symptoms and treatment

There is no living being in the world that is not susceptible to any disease. Chinchillas are no exception. Diseases of chinchillas in most cases are not contagious, since these animals live in isolation. But there are also diseases that can be contracted even by a chinchilla living in an apartment, not walking. The main signs of disease in an animal are behavioral changes. A sick animal tries to hide from prying eyes, becomes lethargic, refuses to eat.

Most of the diseases in chinchillas are associated with improper feeding and maintenance. Chinchillas also have hereditary diseases and diseases that arise against the background of stress.

On a note! Chinchillas are quite nervous animals.

Owners need to know chinchilla diseases and their symptoms in order to be able to navigate in time and provide first aid to animals.

Chinchilla diarrhea

The medical name "enteritis" is one of the diseases caused by improper diet. Chinchillas often "ask" for something tasty from fresh fruits or vegetables. But if you give the animals a treat, indigestion is inevitable.

Symptoms of the disease will be:

softening of droppings;
wool stained with feces;
the appearance of an odor from feces.

Every chinchilla owner has encountered this disease. Therefore, the technique "what to do if a chinchilla has diarrhea" has long been worked out. First of all, the animal is put on a strict diet of hay and water. In this case, no grain or other feed is provided.

Since diarrhea causes severe dehydration, it is necessary to make sure that the chinchilla saws. If the animal is very ill, you will have to force drink it from a syringe. Instead of water, you can give a decoction of oak bark. It is not recommended to use pharmaceutical preparations without the supervision of a veterinarian due to the too small weight of the animal.

If the veterinarian prescribed antibiotics, suspecting an infectious disease: salmonellosis, then after a course of treatment, the chinchilla needs to restore the gastrointestinal flora. To do this, you will have to use the droppings of a healthy chinchilla, flood it with water, and, after insisting for 30-60 minutes, "give out" the infusion to a sick animal. Bacteria released from the gastrointestinal tract along with the droppings will quickly restore the intestinal flora in a diseased chinchilla.

Constipation

The disease is the opposite of diarrhea and often occurs in chinchillas due to eating dry food with a lack of water. Because of this, it is necessary to ensure that animals always have free access to water.

Since the chinchilla cannot get hot, over time, the animal's belly swells up. Through the abdominal wall, you can feel the intestines with solid feces. With constipation, pain occurs, and the animal begins to take care, becoming lethargic and inactive. Chinchillas reject food.

In this case, a simple diet cannot be dispensed with. What to do if your chinchilla has constipation:

several times a day forcibly feeding the animal 1-2 ml of liquid petroleum jelly;
vaseline oil enemas;
make the animal move.

Vaseline oil is not absorbed by living organisms, passing through the entire intestine and covering the walls of the gastrointestinal tract with oil. This oil will not bring harm. Movement improves gastrointestinal motility.

In advanced cases, chinchillas are injected with Cerucal 0.3 ml twice a day.

On a note! Very rare, but there are cases of constipation due to swallowed wool.

Usually a chinchilla does not swallow wool, as it does not lick itself like cats. But if animals are poorly kept, dead wool can get into the feed and be eaten. The second option for wool to enter the chinchilla's digestive tract is a fight with another animal. If the intestines are really clogged with a ball of wool, Malt Paste can be used. But for this, you must first make sure that the disease has arisen from the coat and there are no other reasons.

Flatulence

This disease is a direct consequence of feeding chinchillas succulent food by loving owners. Especially feeds with a high sugar content. In the intestines of the animal, these foods begin to ferment, releasing gas. Chinchillas are not adapted to the release of gas through the anus, which is why flatulence or bloating develops. Symptoms of this disease in chinchillas:

hard, round belly;
soreness when touching the abdomen;
lethargy, the animal prefers to lie down;
refusal of feed;
hard breath.

The latter could be a sign of another medical condition. Bloating cannot be cured on your own. Treatment should be started as soon as possible and only under the guidance of a veterinarian.

Poisoning

The disease occurs when feeding spoiled food. Symptoms of poisoning in chinchillas are very similar to signs of a foreign body stuck in the throat.

Poisoning:

urge to vomit;
lethargy;
possible bloating or diarrhea;
vomiting;
foam and mucus flow from the mouth and nose of the animal.

When a piece of wood or other object that the animal has entertained is stuck in the chinchilla's throat, the symptoms are very similar:

urge to vomit or vomit;
salivation;
sneezing;
mucus and foam from the mouth and nose.

It is very difficult to independently determine the cause of the chinchilla's disease, therefore, when such symptoms appear, the animal must be delivered to the veterinarian as soon as possible.

Rectal prolapse

The disease is often the result of constipation and attempts by the animal to heat up or very intense diarrhea. This picture looks creepy: 1-2 cm of bloody rectum falls out of the chinchilla's anus. If you do not immediately take action, the intestine dries up in the air and the disease ends in tissue necrosis.

The intestines must be immediately lubricated with an antibiotic ointment to prevent drying out and infection with pathogenic microorganisms. Then the animal is taken to the veterinary clinic. It is better if the reduction of the chinchilla's intestines is carried out by an experienced doctor.

Prolapse of the uterus

Most often occurs after whelping. Nothing can be done independently with this disease. The female is taken to the veterinary clinic, constantly moistening the fallen uterus with chlorhexidine, saline, furacilin solution or other disinfecting, but not scalding liquid.

Important! Do not use hydrogen peroxide.

Mastitis

If there are microcracks on the nipples of a whelped chinchilla, staphylococcal bacteria, the causative agents of mastitis, can penetrate through them. Mastitis usually occurs after whelping, although the disease can develop without whelping. Symptoms of mastitis:

redness of the mammary gland;
high temperature;
pain while feeding the cubs.

The disease is treated with frequent breast massages, since it is unlikely that it will be possible to squeeze an antibiotic ointment into the nipple. The size is too small. If possible, you can try to donate milk from the diseased gland.

Important! It is impossible to take cubs from the female, the situation will only worsen.

General injections of antibiotics of the penicillin group can help well, but with the milk of the female, the antibiotic will get to the puppies. Therefore, here each animal owner makes his choice.

Hair ring

Specific disease of males.A ring of wool sometimes forms on the penis, crushing the penis. Determining the presence of such a ring is not difficult:

lethargy;
refusal of feed;
lack of urination;
on examination, a penis sticking out is visible;
the tip of the penis turned blue.

The ring must be removed as soon as possible. If the coat is "fresh", the penis is smeared with petroleum jelly or oil and the ring is carefully removed. If the coat has already dried to the penis, you will have to carefully cut the ring with nail scissors.

Hooks on teeth

These formations arise usually due to an incorrect bite, when the teeth are closed at the wrong angle. The disease is usually genetic.

Important! Chinchillas with malocclusion should not be allowed to breed.

The second case of hooks is the lack of solid feed in animals. Chinchillas' teeth grow constantly. This is a common feature of all actively gnawing animals. If the animal does not have the opportunity to grind the incisors, the teeth grow and begin to injure the tongue.

With a lack of solid food for chewing or due to an incorrect bite, the back teeth can also grind off incorrectly, forming sharp edges that injure the cheeks and palate of the animal.

Signs of hooks on the teeth of a chinchilla:

refusal of feed;
exhaustion of the animal in the absence of symptoms of other diseases;
salivation.

The chinchilla breeder will not be able to cope with this problem on his own, since the hooks on the teeth must be removed surgically.

Stomatitis

The disease is a consequence of the weakening of the immune system and the development of pathogenic microorganisms against this background. Symptoms of the disease:

wet hair near the mouth of the animal due to increased salivation;
unpleasant odor from the mouth;
refusal of food.

The disease is treated by washing the mouth with antibacterial drugs several times a day.

Conjunctivitis

Poor maintenance can lead to dust clogging in animals' eyes or irritation from mold spores. Conjunctivitis can be both mechanical and infectious. When mechanical, a speck enters the eye and tears begin to flow in the animal.

Interesting! Tears are a defense mechanism against mechanical irritants in the eyes.

What to do if chinchilla eyes are watery:

check for specks under the eyelids;
rinse eyes with saline;
drip with antibiotic drops.

If there are no specks, and the eyes continue to water, most likely this is the beginning of an infectious disease. In this case, it is better to go to the veterinarian to find out the reasons, while the inflammation is still weak and the eye has not festered.

A more severe form of conjunctivitis is purulent.

Very often this is a sign of a general infectious disease resulting from hypothermia and weakening of the immune system. Local diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms include inflammation of the lacrimal canal. This disease is usually closely related to the incorrect position of the molars. If the animal is constantly forming hooks on the back teeth, one must be prepared that sooner or later the lacrimal canal will also be blocked.

On a note! With inflammation of the lacrimal canal, not only the eye festers, purulent discharge from the animal's nose also appears.

What to do if a chinchilla has a festering eye:

before examining the veterinarian, gently wipe the eyes of the animal with a decoction of calendula, chamomile or other suitable infusion;
go to the veterinary clinic to establish the cause of the disease;
follow your doctor's recommendations.

Self-medication can only do harm here, since with a general disease, it is not the symptoms that need to be treated, but the cause. And if the lacrimal canal is clogged, it will be difficult for the chinchilla breeder to clean it due to the small size of the animal. In addition, tooth extraction may be required.

Ear infection

This disease is also a consequence of unsanitary conditions. If it is heavily soiled, the outer ear can become inflamed. This worries the animal.The chinchilla tilts his head with his sore ear down, shakes his head, tries to scratch the auricle. In advanced cases, the disease turns into purulent inflammation and otitis media. In this case, you cannot do without antibiotics.

How to treat a runny nose in a chinchilla

If you exclude the above listed cases of mucus from the nose, a chinchilla's runny nose may result from hypothermia. In this case, the body's defense systems are weakened and the animal becomes ill with what is commonly called a cold. In fact, this is the activation of some pathogenic microorganisms when favorable conditions occur.

Symptoms of the disease will be:

sneezing;
body temperature is above 38 ° C, while the normal physiological temperature in chinchillas is 36.1-37.8 ° C;
runny nose;
general depression of the animal.

Sneezing is often the very first sign of illness. But sneezing can be a simple reaction to dust or some kind of annoying odor. If the animal sneezed a couple of times and stopped there, you don't need to worry.

But if the animal sneezes a lot, you need to take action. What to do if a chinchilla sneezes:

to measure the temperature;
clean the cage thoroughly;
if the temperature of the animal is elevated, contact your veterinarian for a course of treatment.

Given the general fragility of these animals, the first thing to do if a chinchilla gets sick is to see a veterinarian. Provided that you can find a specialist in these rodents. Otherwise, you will have to act at your own peril and risk.

Also, a runny nose can be caused by an allergic reaction to any irritant. Allergens are difficult to calculate even in humans, so in the case of a chinchilla, the easiest way is to completely change the bedding and food and thoroughly wash the cage. But most often the case is in molds found in poor-quality hay.

Chinchilla cramps, what to do

Quite a common disease in chinchillas, which has various causes. Due to the fact that seizures can occur for various reasons, their treatment and prevention are also carried out in different ways.

Signs of seizures:

sometimes the convulsions begin suddenly, but there are times when the animal is very active before the attack;
directly during an attack, the chinchilla falls to the floor, shakes, the head can be thrown back.

Convulsions can hardly be confused with any other disease.

The causes of seizures and how to relieve them:

hypovitaminosis: lack of vitamins of group B. Introduce a small piece of very dry dates or raisins into the diet (1-2 berries per day);
hypocalcemia. Pierce a course of calcium gluconate and add yogurt to the diet;
hypoglycemia. Increase the calorie content of feed or start feeding young animals;
stress. Eliminate irritating factors and drink with sedatives;
epilepsy. The use of special drugs that are prescribed by a doctor;
spinal injury. You cannot eliminate, you can only prevent. If you do not drag the animal by the tail too sharply.

Fishing by the tail can damage the spine of the animal and thus provoke the appearance of seizures.

First aid for seizures:

warm up and calm the animal;
inspect the chinchilla for external damage;
make an injection of dexamethasone at a dose of 0.1 ml;
give out to the chinchilla 1 pc. raisins or a piece of date when the animal comes to its senses;
take the animal for examination to a veterinary hospital.

But measures help only if the chinchilla's disease is not congenital and the spine is not damaged.

Chinchilla fleas, what to do

One of the advantages of chinchillas over other pets is that these rodents do not have ectoparasites. The fur of chinchillas is so thick that fleas or ticks cannot get close to the body of the animal. The animal stops attempts of insects to crawl on fur with sand baths.

Interesting! From each hair follicle in a chinchilla grows 60-70 hairs.

If the chinchilla itches, then the reason is not fleas, but pododermatitis or allergies. Fleas jumping around the apartment did not appear from an animal, but from an entrance, basement or through a window. It is necessary to carry out disinsection of the apartment, and ideally also the entrance, basements and neighboring apartments.

Even if the chinchilla was taken from very poor conditions and the animal lost a significant part of its fur, so that the fleas could settle on the rodent, it's okay. It is enough to treat the chinchilla with the same drugs that are used to kill fleas in other pets.

Pododermatitis

If the skin on the soles of the paws is damaged, pathogenic bacteria can enter the wounds and cause inflammation. Signs of pododermatitis:

severe itching;
the animal bites its paws;
anxiety;
refusal of feed is possible;
in the later stages, ulcers, calluses and corns appear.

Pododermatitis is relatively easy to treat, but treatment must be carefully approached. The wounds are washed 3-4 times a day with chlorhexidine and smeared with antibiotic ointment.

Important! The animal should not be allowed to itch.

Why does a chinchilla shed, what to do

And again a myth. Normally, chinchillas do not shed. But they can lose hair as a result of:

stress;
hypovitaminosis;
allergies;
lack of nutrients when feeding young animals;
fungal diseases.

If suddenly it seems that the domestic chinchilla is molting, the animal must be urgently carried to the veterinary hospital to establish a diagnosis. Fungal diseases are dangerous because people get sick with them.

Since all skin diseases are outwardly very similar to each other, then only a veterinarian can say specifically what to do if a chinchilla falls out of hair. In this case, you should not engage in self-diagnosis and treatment.

For the prevention of fungal diseases, 1 tsp can be added to the bathing sand. Fungistopa. The drug is harmless to chinchillas, but suppresses the development of fungi.

Salmonellosis

An infectious and dangerous even for humans form of enteritis. Infection occurs through feed and water contaminated with the faeces of sick animals. The main symptom of this disease is diarrhea. It usually takes two forms: acute and chronic.

The development of the acute form occurs very quickly, with profuse diarrhea. As a result of exhaustion and dehydration, the animal dies. Young animals can fall even without visible signs of illness.

In the chronic form, diarrhea is replaced by normal feces. But the animal is gradually depleted and dies. In both forms, the disease very rarely ends with recovery, therefore prevention is much more important.

Suspicious animals are quarantined from the main herd. Externally healthy chinchillas are tested for resistance. But for a pet, the chance of contracting salmonellosis is small enough. This danger lies in wait for animals on chinchilla farms.

Rabies

Many have heard that wild foxes and squirrels are the main carriers of such a dangerous disease as rabies. Accordingly, people have a natural question "do chinchillas get rabies?" Maybe they need to get their yearly vaccinations?

In theory, all mammals are susceptible to rabies. In practice, the virus is transmitted strictly from saliva into the blood of the next victim. Rabies is not tolerated by footwear, clothing or paws. They cannot be infected through the urine or faeces of a sick animal. A bite is required.

Chinchillas do not walk, they simply have nowhere to meet a rabid animal. Even if the chinchilla manages to find problems for itself, the size of this animal is similar to that of a rat. And the rat is a natural food for the main predators that carry the virus. In other words, the chinchilla, in any case, will not survive the meeting with a rabid animal and will die before it gets sick.

Therefore, it is safe to say that chinchillas do not get sick with rabies.Unless you specifically infect them.

Conclusion

These are almost all the main diseases that a chinchilla owner may face. Except for possible fractures and electric shocks after gnawing wires. If possible, it is better not to treat chinchillas on your own, but to entrust the animal to specialists.

What are chinchillas sick with?