How To Cure Some Health Problems of Your Pet Chinchilla

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.

How To Discipline Your Pet Chinchilla

When you want to discipline your chinchilla, you have to be mindful of how you do it. Please note that they are not responsive when you verbally berate, hit, or smack them in anger. The physical actions can result in wounds and abscessing. The physical actions don't serve a purpose because your pet already has a sensitive body. Chinchillas are already fearful and chewing them out verbally will do nothing but escalate the situation. The negative verbal actions are not effective at all.

Since they are fearful, when their owner treats them as such, they start to feel withdrawn and stressed out. Like a human, they can feel your hostility and anger. In turn, they will become more defensive. You should never blow in their face to punish them. The germs from your air can transmit onto them. They are susceptible to catching a virus, the cold or the flu.

When a chinchilla gets hostile, they will spray urine. They are acting out on their need to withdraw. They still feel defensive, and you may not know why. The withdrawals won't start until the root cause of it is revealed. When the owner finds out what the problem is, the pet will feel better and can be safe in their habitat.

They will definitely make a change when they sense that you are not trying to put them down (degrade). You will have to spend time giving them lots of love and patience. This scenario is reminiscent of what humans go through in relationships. Women, for the most part, want respect. If their boyfriend or husband can't or won't give it to them, then they won't be happy campers.

As long as you show your pet genuine love, concern and compassion, they will respond to you with a more accepting reaction. When you give them a warning, do it in a stern, but loving manner. Don't get in the habit of just saying "no" all the time. Doing this will just take your pet back to square 1. That's not a good idea. On the other hand, there are some chinchillas that have no personality and tend to be harsh, abrasive or moody. These kinds of pets are very vocal.

If you have a pet chinchilla that is withdrawn due to owner neglect or abuse, it may be helpful for them to have their behavior rehabbed. This type of rehabilitation can help your chinchilla to change their tune. You have to be very mature to take care of an exotic animal such as a chinchilla. Just remember that you have to be even-tempered, calm and non-threatening. You also have to have patience because changes just don't happen overnight. You'll have to look past it and do your part to help in the change. The chinchilla is scared and they may pretend to be threatening, but they're really not.

You must continue to love them, be compassionate, gentle, constantly give them assurance and lots of affection. In time, they will change to the loving pet chinchilla you want them to be.