Chinchillas are unique pets. This is nice in a way. Whenever someone meets your chinchilla, they tend to be excited because they've met very few of them before. However, when it comes to health and vet care, the fact that chinchillas are not so well known does not fare as well. Many owners, unfortunately, overlook the early signs of illness in chinchillas because they're simply not sure what they should be looking for. Take your chinchilla to the vet if you notice any of these issues.
Failing to Defecate
Chinchillas defecate more often than most animals. They can go several times an hour, all day and all night. If your chinchilla stops producing excrement for more than an hour or so, then this is cause for alarm. The animal may have an impaction or a bowel obstruction, which is a fancy way to say, "something is stuck." This can lead to a ruptured bowel or death if not treated promptly. A vet can give the chinchilla fluids, perform surgery to remove the obstruction, or administer a laxative to get things moving again.
Lethargy
You probably have days when you're really tired and don't really want to get out of bed. This is normal as long as it doesn't happen too often. For chinchillas, though, this extreme sort of lethargy is not something to shrug off. It can be a sign of anything from a respiratory infection, to a bowel obstruction, to a stroke. If you poke or pet your chinchilla and it barely moves away in response, something is up — and you should see the vet right away.
Bleeding Mouth
A tiny bit of blood coming from the mouth may not seem like a big deal as long as the chinchilla is otherwise acting normal. However, this blood could be a sign of a sinister and common problem in chinchillas: overgrown teeth. Since their teeth grow incessantly, sometimes they get too long and start causing ulcers and irritation in the gums. This is an easy problem to fix; your vet can just file down the teeth. But if you do not have it treated soon, your chinchilla may end up with an infection in their mouth or an inability to eat.
If your chinchilla is showing any of the problems above, then you need to contact a vet right away. You're always better off playing it safe with these small, less familiar pets!
