As with humans, prevention is the key for your chinchilla to staying healthy and not getting sick.  Even though precautions are taken, sometimes steps are still missed.  It is crucial that your pet’s cage have fresh food and water daily.  Their cage should always be kept clean and their food should not contain fungus or insects.  Any violations of these can cause adverse effects for your pet.  Keep in mind your chinchilla has a sensitive digestive system.  It cannot easily get rid of bad food from their system.  This means they could get sick.

Please find below some health problems that could affect your pet and what you can do:

Constipation:

You will know that your pet is constipated if their bowels are dry, small, strangely shaped and have a foul odor.    Provide them with more fresh water and hay.  Also, you can give them 1 - 2 raisins.

Bloating:

Your pet will look like a balloon and their bowels will contain mucous.  Their bowels are also holey and sticky.  Give your chinchilla a longer time to exercise and give them food culture.

Diarrhea:

Your pet’s bowels will stick and look like a grape.  The diarrhea in your pet could be caused by hay that is moldy or algae that has grown in their water.  Check the hay for mold and check the water for algae.  It is imperative that their water is changed out everyday and that it’s fresh.  Also check to see if their diarrhea is caused by an environmental change.

Seizures and Cramping:

If your pet does not move or starts to tremble, this may be a sign of a seizure.  This can be caused by stress, injury to the head or lack of calcium.  You will know if your pet lacks calcium if their teeth turn white.  This can happen moreso with the female chinchilla.  Don’t allow your pet to injure themselves.  They should be kept warm.  Since this is a more serious issue, see a veterinarian immediately.

In addition to the above, you should see a veterinarian immediately if your pet is experiencing any of the following:

Severe diarrhea or constipation, injury of the eye from a sharp object, pneumonia, weight loss, ingesting poison, or broken bones anywhere on their body.  Any of these will require additional medical care from a specialized veterinarian.

You hope that you don’t have to experience any of this with your pet chinchilla.  There are things you can do to make sure your pet stays healthy and not fall into any health dangers.
Listed below are some of the tips:

- Keep their cage cleaned on a regular basis.

- Don’t change their food too often; they have a sensitive digestive system.

- Don’t move them around a lot; chinchillas can’t withstand changes too well, especially sudden ones.  If you do have to move them, try to do it gradually.

- Make sure their roughage food is fresh.

- Make sure their water is fresh and constantly changed out.

- Their food should be administered in small portions.

- Since chinchillas are night owls, they should rest during the day.

Follow these tips and your chinchilla will live a long and happy life.

Tags: Health Problems of Chinchilla

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