TWO TUTTLES

There are a few ways to determine whether or not your chinchilla is running a fever. Just as a human, a chinchilla’s normal temperature is 98.6 degrees. Without any special thermometer, you can see if the animal has a fever by touching and examining its ears. If they are pink or red in color and feel abnormally warm to the touch, then there is a high probability of a fever. Prior to this method of determining temperature, observe the position in which your pet has been sleeping. Sometimes, if the ears are tucked under the sleeping animal, the ears, warmed by body heat, may produce appearances similar to those described above. Wait a while after the animal has awakened before trying to determine an elevated temperature.

If you do suspect a fever, the animal will probably also appear listless. If this is the case, you should also listen carefully to its breathing. If it experiences difficulty breathing, makes a wheezing sound or shows a nasal discharge it might indicate a case of pneumonia or other respiratory illnesses. In a case of pneumonia, this causes unusual stress to the animal’s circulatory system and heart. In fact, it is this kind of stress that is usually the direct cause of death in such instances. In most cases, you will require the services of a vet to treat pneumonia. Only a trained expert will know the exact type and needed dosage of antibiotics. If such is the case, you should also remember that you will most likely have to administer water to the stricken animal via a water dropper several times a day and make certain the animal is kept warm in a quiet place.

If the symptoms occur minus any difficult breathing, your chinchilla might be suffering from the common cold. In such a case, all you need do is keep the animal warm and be certain it drinks plenty of water. Also, don’t allow the animal to have a dust bath until the cold symptoms clear up. Continually examine the animal to make sure no pneumonia symptoms appear later on.

While pneumonia is not rare in chinchillas, it is more likely that watery eyes are a sign of a more common chinchilla difficulty such as dental problems. If you observe the animal pawing at its mouth or drooling when it eats, dental problems might be the cause. If such a condition has continued for a time, the animal might not have had the proper chewable foods and playthings to wear down its constantly growing teeth properly.

Holding and lifting the chinchilla is not only to see if you and the animal are compatible, but you should use this opportunity to determine the appearance and general health of the animal. One determines the other.

First, get the “feel” of the animal in your hand. It should be “solid” and weigh about one to two pounds when fully grown. Chinchillas are considered fully grown at approximately eight months of age; however, they are usually weaned after only ten or eleven weeks. They are able to leave their mothers at this time and many shoppers prefer a younger animal as a pet. This allows the joy of watching them growing and exploring their surroundings. Of course, the younger the animal, the more years it will have as a pet. The disadvantages of having a younger chinchilla include the facts that they may not be as used to handling at a younger age and that some chinchillas do not take well to separation from their mothers. Some that have been weaned too early have experienced sickness and even death. Studies have indicated that the period of time right after a young chinchilla weans up to when it reaches about three months of age is when most deaths take place among the younger animals. Sadly, this is often due to new owners feeding the smaller chinchillas as if they could handle an adult diet. We will be covering proper feeding of chinchillas later on. We note this at this point only to illustrate a possible advantage for a new owner in purchasing a full-grown animal for a pet.

Eyes and teeth should be examined next. You should look straight into the eyes, making certain they appear clear and bright. Clear and bright eyes are an indication of good health. If the eyes are teary, it is probably an indication of an existing health problem or one which is about to show itself. One such cause of watery eyes might be dental problems in the animal.
The eyes are relatively easy to check, but you might prefer the help of an expert in observing the chinchilla’s teeth. It is essential to make a careful examination of the chinchilla’s mouth. Like many small animals, it will most likely be reluctant to have its mouth forced open to provide a clear view. Also, rodents have very narrow mouth openings, making such examinations difficult. However, your pet shop owner or chinchilla rancher will probably be able to handle the animal so you can get a quick look. A good way to do it on your own is to, if the owner will allow it, offer the chinchilla an acceptable treat of some kind or let it chew harmlessly on some object. While it is doing this, you will be able to view its front teeth, which, oddly enough, should be yellow or orange-yellow in color instead of white.

Being rodents, chinchillas’ incisors grow continuously. Their normal chewing and gnawing actions naturally grind down the teeth. Chinchillas that have been well cared for are usually provided such things as pumice stones or hardwood branches from fruit trees for this gnawing exercise. If all is well, the tips of the top pair of teeth should be straight across.