Common Chinchilla Health Problems

Though you might take every precaution in the world to keep your beloved pet chinchilla safe and healthy, mistakes, missed steps, or misfortune can lead to your chinchilla experiencing health issues. Though you may strive to keep your chinchilla's cage clean, life can be hectic sometimes. And, sadly, chinchilla food can often have insects or fungus without careful daily inspection. Due to the very sensitive digestive system of chinchillas, they have a hard time passing bad food from their system. If your chinchilla seems a bit off, it could be sick.

These are a few symptoms of common health problems that plague chinchillas in addition to some helpful remedies:

Constipation:

If your chinchilla's bowel movements are dry, smell foul, strangely shaped, and small, your chinchilla is constipated. In order to fix this problem, give your chinchilla more hay and fresh water. You may also give a raisin or two to your chinchilla to fix it.

Bloating:

If your chinchilla seems to be more rotund than normal, and its bowel movements have a nasty mucous that causes odd holes and stickiness, your pet is bloated. The best cure for this is added exercise time and food culture.

Diarrhea:

If your chinchilla's bowel movements are sticky and look like grapes, the culprit is diarrhea. This problem is often caused by moldy hay or water full of algae. Check the hay and the water for signs of either problem. Make sure that you change your chinchilla's water every single day. Diarrhea can also be caused by stress, so try and avoid abrupt environmental changes.

Cramping and Seizures:

If your chinchilla seems to be trembling or unable to move, it could be a sign of a seizure. Seizures are caused by injuries to the head, stress, or a severe lack of calcium. If your chinchilla has white teeth, this is a sign that it is lacking calcium-a problem more common in female chinchillas. While seizing, keep your pet from injuring itself and keep it warm. This problem is a serious issue and requires a visit to the vet.

If your chinchilla suffers injury to the eye from something sharp, pneumonia, severe diarrhea or constipation, unexplained weight lost, broken bones, or happens to ingest poison, you should immediately seek care from a veterinarian.

In order to help keep your chinchilla healthy, and to give yourself peace of mind, you ought to follow these suggestions:

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Clean your chinchilla's cage regularly

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Avoid changing your chinchilla's brand of food often. Your chinchilla has a sensitive digestive system that doesn't handle change well.

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Do not move your chinchilla around to avoid stressing it.

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Give your chinchilla the finest and freshest roughage

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Clean your chinchilla's water regularly

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Administer food in small portions

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Let your chinchilla rest in the day; it is nocturnal

Following these tips will help your chinchilla live a wonderfully long and very happy life with you.