Cats, dogs and even guinea pigs can be very vocal when in need of something. Pets such as chinchillas, rabbits, hamsters and such are quietly tucked into a cage in perhaps a child's bedroom or the basement and with the hustle of life, it is very easy to let attention to them slip.
It is very important that before investing in a chinchilla, that you do your research and realize that these exotics require proper attention, and should something go wrong there will be expenses. Do not have the attitude of some people that they are not going to spend big bucks on a "rodent", if it dies it dies. Chinchillas are an exotic pet which will require a veterinarian who specializes in exotics. Don't assume your typical small animal veterinary clinic to understand the needs of your chin. Expect to drive a distance to find such a vet and expect to pay a bit more for the office visit. We have learned that even with proper care, things can go wrong and unless the owner is paying attention, these little guys can go downhill right before your eyes.
Our little Bugsy is now six years old and lucky for him we know his likes and dislikes enough to notice when his behavior changes. The teeth of rodents continue to grow throughout their lifetimes and they require chewing blocks and timothy hay at all times to maintain a healthy mouth. Even so, our Bugsy was trying to tell us something was wrong.
The first sign I noticed was matting of the fur under his chin. I detected perhaps this was from salivation but at first just kept an eye on it. I let it go about two weeks before another symptom displayed itself.
Bugsy loves raw almonds. Every day he looks forward to this special treat, at which he will grab it and park himself contentedly in a corner to munch away. He continued to accept the nut but would then drop it and paw at his jaw with both front feet.
Something was not right. He definitely had an appetite, his stools were fine, he was still active. But I did notice that even after using the dust bath, he still looked a bit "unkept". It can be hard to detect if a chin is losing weight because they look like a little ball of fur anyway. The proper weight for a chinchilla is between 500 - 700 grams. Turns out our little guy had dropped to 450 grams.
I did a little experimenting with softer foods to confirm my suspicion that I needed his teeth checked. He did manage to eat softer foods like shredded wheat, cheerios, rice krispees, and he could still nibble his raisin or bit of dried apricot.
At the veterinarian, it was discovered that he had developed spurs on his back molars which were painfully digging into his cheeks. Apparently this can happen even with the best of care for two reasons: in their natural habitat they have a more varied food supply with stiffer chewing materials, and its the consequence of humans over breeding them which results in a congenital defect in how their teeth meet up to grind their food.
So now I get to decide whether this "rodent" lives or dies. If I do nothing he will slowly starve. If I push it off to avoid making the decision, he will lose too much weight and may not survive the anesthesia or trauma of surgery. Or I can sign the consent form and expect to spend about $350 on him and just hope it is a once in his life time expense (of which there is no guarantee it won't reoccur).
The procedure involves filing down those spurs so his teeth meet properly when he chews. Supposedly the risks with modern anesthesia are minimal, and he should wake up with no problem, go home the same day with an oral medication for pain, and be fine.
So, the decision is made and the appointment is on the schedule. There are some who continue to snicker and call us fools with our animals. But I figure it was my decision to bring him into our home, and Bugsy didn't have a say with his adoption and subsequent care. As with every living thing, he deserves the chance to live a quality life without undue suffering.
Lucky for him, his silence was heard.
It is now March of 2014 and we said our final good-byes to our Bugsy. After the above post was written back in April of 2013 we had Bugsy back to the vet again in June of 2013 for the same concern with his teeth.
It turns out that the veterinarian thought he was older than the Humane Society originally informed us. We thought he was about one year when we adopted him, but the vet thinks that based on the condition of his back teeth, at the time of the vet visit he wasn't six years, he was probably ten or order. We had had the spurs filed down, but the problem wasn't in an overgrowth. The problem was that his teeth were just wearing out.
In the wild, as these animals age they eventually fall prey to a predator when they cannot eat properly and lose their strength. In captivity, all you can do provide them with softer foods and when the time comes, if it is apparent that the animal is suffering, to humanely have them put to sleep.
A year ago, we were given a supply of antibiotics and pain medication to give as needed whenever we noticed the drooling begin again. He was supplied with his usual food and hay, but in case he couldn't eat those we had cheerios, shredded wheat, graham crackers, sliced almonds and dried fruits available. At this point, we weren't too concerned with weight gain from too many treats. We were happy if he ate, period.
Bugsy passed away peacefully during the night of March 17, 2014, curled up in a nest of hay inside his igloo. He had weight loss but we were surprised how quickly he passed away on his own.
With sadness, we put the cage and supplies into storage. Our son had these chins (Bugsy on the left, Chili on the right. Chili lived to be about 10 as well) during his growing years and being he is in college, I suppose that chapter is now written.
