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SUPPLEMENTS: Supplements can include vitamin supplements, calcium or hairball medications. CALCIUM: Calcium is a MUST with all chinchillas, especially kits and nursing mothers. Calf manna is a supplement that can be used (alfalfa also contains some calcium). I usually add calf manna to our mazuri pellets (1 cup of calf manna to every 4 cups of mazuri pellets). To check your chinchilla to make sure they are getting ample calcium, examine their incisors (front teeth). If the incisors are white then more calcium needs to be added to their diet. A healthy chin with ample calcium has yellow incisors. The older the chin, the darker their teeth will become (even to an orange color), if they have ample calcium in their diet. VITAMIN C: It has been claimed that chins with Vitamin C in their diet have fewer teeth and gum problems. Even though it’s not a proven fact, I do like to supplement my chins with vitamin C. The Vitamin C that you give to your chins should have no sugar added. I prefer the Oxbow Vitamin C product…my chins love it and see it as a treat. PAPAYA: Chins can shed fur and they can ingest it and have problems with hairballs. Hairballs can kill a chin if it goes unnoticed. Especially in the summer when the chins tend to shed a bit more, I like to give them as their treat of the day, a small piece of papaya. Papaya helps to breakdown hairballs in their digestive tract. YOGURT: Yogurt provides a reinforcement of “good” bacteria in a chinchilla’s gut. I believe it helps to maintain normal gut flora, which can help prevent against an infection. Yogurt is also very important if your chinchilla is on antibiotics. Antibiotics not only kill the “bad” bacteria causing the infection but it also kills the “good” bacteria. Giving your chin yogurt 3-4 hours before and after they have taken the antibiotic helps to build back up the lost “good” bacteria. Never give yogurt at the same time or close to the same time as any antibiotic is given, they will counter-act each other. If your chinchilla is not on antibiotics, I still like to give them yogurt once a week as a preventive measure. PLEASE NEVER give them peach, cherry (any pit fruit), or any citrus types of yogurt…this will harm your chin. I have found that blueberry and strawberry are favorites of my chinchillas. If you see that your chinchilla is acting abnormally (lethargic), their eating or drinking habits have declined, or they have a change in their waste production (soft stools or no stools at all), please see a vet immediately!!! Chinchillas are very fragile animals and you have a small window of opportunity to help them. Below are a few diseases that affect chinchillas. Diarrhea: Diarrhea (soft or even runny stools)can be caused by a variety of factors which can include, a change in the chinchillas normal routine, too many treats (raisins), moldy hay or pellets, water contamination, parasites such as giardia or they are just upset over something that has recently happened (a loss of a friend etc). Giardia is a very serious problem and needs to be treated immediately because it can spread to other chinchillas. Treatment for diarrhea will depend on the cause. If it is caused by giardia, then medicine will be administered. If the diarrhea is caused by an upset tummy or a change in their routine, We have found the best and most effective way to eliminate diarrhea due to change in schedule is to only give them hay for 24 hours and gradually re-introduce the pellets. Constipation: Maloclussion: Ringworm: Hair rings: Seizures: HOME |