in Chinchillas (tooth problems?)
Wet fur around mouth or nose
It could be a piece of wood from chewing, food, cuttlefish bone, or other foreign object trapped between teeth. Or the dreaded Malocclusion you will all have heard about. This in layman terms is an overgrowth of the incisors or/and molar teeth. This is serious. If in your breeding line do not breed with it. Teeth may if caught quickly be filed down. I have myself done this for an owner. It is harmless to the chinchilla, however it usually needs done on a regular basis. I check my chinchillas every month for this by running my finger along the jawline to check. It rarely shows up in young kits or youngsters.
Damp fur at eyes
This may also be a sigh of malocclusion. It may also be something as simple as dust from their bath in the eye. Check the eyes too just in case.
Fur missing in patches
Large patches of fur missing, the animal not eating well, is also very thin. Large area of bare skin showing. This may be due to diet or old age. This is very rare, I just thought I would mention it though as another possibilty.
Fur biting/chewing. This can be from stress due to noise, boredom or an uhappy environment. Even something as simple as you moving the cage to a part of the room the cage had never stood at before.
Again patches of fur may be missing. The nose, eyes paws and tail area may be crusty in extreme cases. The Whiskers may be brittle, broken. In the early stages this is not serious, however if there are large patches of seeping, crusty patches imediate action is required. I would strongly recommend seeing a vetenary expert. (if you can find a good one). I put half a teaspoon of antifungal powder in all my chinchilla baths once a month.
Most fungus infection comes from mouldy hay. Check the hay out and always have it well dried and in a dry place.
Fur missing due to fighting
Injury? If the skin is broken dust with an antibiotic powder to heal and keep clean. This should clear up if not severe.
Fur coming away in your hands when you pick your chinnie up.
This is a reflex action from your chinchilla. In the wilds they use this action to escape predators. Their fur is so dense that the preditor is left with a mouthful of fur. The same happens if you try to catch a chinchilla against their will. The will shed fur to escape.
Sudden loss of fur when you bring your chinnie home
In 99% of cases this is environmental. Moving from a cool place to a warmer place like a house with high heating and humidity. try to keep your chinchillas cool never above 75f if possible or you risk heatstroke for your chinchilla.
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