vets - chinchillas

Doom_and_Gloom

Hello. Just a simple question I am hoping someone could help me with.

We want to take the chinchillas we rescused a about a month ago to the vets just for a check up - as they have never been to a vets in their 3 years alive - and so the vet knows them. What I am wondering is how much does a vet usually charge to do a check up on two chinchillas?

This would really be helpful to know. We like to know what a vet is like and by doing a check up visit first this allows us to see how they interact with the animal and how much they know about them as well.

Thank you in advance for your help.

D&G

UKTigerlily

You'd need to ring around Vets in your area, they are all different, not just from county to county but even within a few miles. Somebody could say what they pay but that maybe be twice what local Vets will charge you

Doom_and_Gloom

Well we live in Kent but a few that we've asked don't treat chinchillas - including the one we go to for our rat.This is because chinchillas come under exotic more so than rats do. Apparently the nearest vet that does treat chincillas and is good is in Maidstone and is called Trinity. I guess my question is does anyone use this vets for their chinchillas really and how much are they?

I'll ask my partner to phone to ask on Monday if no one responds on here by then - unfortunatly me using a phone to call someone I don't know is not going to happen.

Aputsiaq

Doom_and_Gloom wrote: »

Hello. Just a simple question I am hoping someone could help me with.

We want to take the chinchillas we rescused a about a month ago to the vets just for a check up - as they have never been to a vets in their 3 years alive - and so the vet knows them. What I am wondering is how much does a vet usually charge to do a check up on two chinchillas?

This would really be helpful to know. We like to know what a vet is like and by doing a check up visit first this allows us to see how they interact with the animal and how much they know about them as well.

Thank you in advance for your help.

D&G

What the hell did you get chinchillas for if you dont know where to take them in an emergency???
Even asking how much a visit costs...well, its a bit late isnt it?
Arent those questions you needed to ask before you got them?
No doubt they will be in a cage too small for them too.....it should be at least 10ft by 5ft, but Im almost positive it wont be anywhere near.
Poor beggers.
I would so love to campaign for a ban on caged animals in this country.

dontone

Aputsiaq wrote: »

What the hell did you get chinchillas for if you dont know where to take them in an emergency???
Even asking how much a visit costs...well, its a bit late isnt it?
Arent those questions you needed to ask before you got them?
No doubt they will be in a cage too small for them too.....it should be at least 10ft by 5ft, but Im almost positive it wont be anywhere near.
Poor beggers.
I would so love to campaign for a ban on caged animals in this country.

Sorry, but I think that this comment is a little harsh. The OP has stated that they have rescued these chinnies, we don't know what the circumstances are - so for you to post a comment like this is a little unhelpful.
OP. First of all may I ask what sex your chinnies are? If you are keeping them all together and they are all males - then I'm afraid you must seperate them. They reach their maturity around 3 - 4 years old and they will start fighting over who is the dominant one. Me and DH had twin brothers who quite happily lived together until that age and then started to violently fight.
You must consider that if that is the case. If they are in pairs M & F and are neutered then that's ok.
On the health/vet issue - Chinchillas are quite robust lil critters, very easy to care for. You have to watch for the following issues.
They are chewers as their teeth grow constantly, the main point is that if they suffer from running eyes then it is more likely their teeth that is the problem.
I speak from experience with this as one of mine chinnies passed away due to teeth issues. He had a running eye with turned out to be his teeth growing inwards into his tongue - he had lost his appitite a few days before - took him to the vet who operated on his teeth and his body just gave up and his organs failed - all within 2 weeks.
Always provide chewies like willow sticks, chew blocks etc.
Sometimes dust baths can cause irritation to they eyes, but those can be wiped down with a cotton wool pad and water. Don't bath them in water - leads to pnuemonia - always give them a dust bath.
Runny poop is a sign of too may treats like raisins. Small poop means need more fibre.
PLEASE do not give them Charlie Chinchilla food or those horrible Pets at Home pellets - far too rich for a chinnie and fatty. Would be like you eating 3 helpings of chips at time for breakfast lunch and dinner iyswim.
Get proper chinnie pellets from places like Jolleys or small pet stores near you. Lots of places do them.
In regards to vets. Lots of places do give them check ups, but they class them as small rabbits due to not many people keeping them. As I have said, teeth issues are the main issue. As well as fur rings in males.
Is there a Pets at home superstore near you that has a vet part to it? They should be able to give them a check up.
Other than that I'm going to give you a couple of links that you may find helpful -

http://www.chinchillas2home.co.uk/ good for toys, treats and general info - includes health advice.

http://www.chinworld.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT (it's American) but has useful bits

http://www.chinchillaworld.com/forums/index.php?showforum=93 It's a forum but lots of U.K based peeps on here. Someone should be able to recommend a vet in your area.

Sorry I can't help anymore. Hope you find this lot useful though.

Doom_and_Gloom

Aputsiaq wrote: »

What the hell did you get chinchillas for if you dont know where to take them in an emergency???
Even asking how much a visit costs...well, its a bit late isnt it?
Arent those questions you needed to ask before you got them?
No doubt they will be in a cage too small for them too.....it should be at least 10ft by 5ft, but Im almost positive it wont be anywhere near.
Poor beggers.
I would so love to campaign for a ban on caged animals in this country.

If you look at my second post I know exactly what vet to take them to thank you very much as we did a bit of asking before we got tham as we knew we would be taking them. We just want to see the vets first with them for a check up to make sure they are as good as they are supposed to be and that the vets know the chinchillas. We would much rather a vet get to know what they are like before something happens than because something has. It shows that we actually care and are responsible as we don't want to go to the vets the first time due to an emergency. Also as pointed out by another poster we rescued them so it's not like I went out of my way to get them they landed in my 'lap' 3 days after we found out about them.

I don't have a problem with the money - I never said we can't afford them did I, we budget very well with what we have and as such we are able to help rescue small animals when possible. We have a seporate budget just for vets, I was just hoping someone could tell me how much a vet check up could be because I have always chosen to put the cost of a visit away each month and I want to know if what we have budgeted is enough (example - the rat(s) are around £10 for a visit so that's what we put away each month, we have found this is enough for check ups and operations). This is what we did for the rats and it always kept us okay.

As for the cage we have a big enough cage that they came with and they get a lot of time out of their cage as well - believe me I'm a person who really hates people who keeps any animal in a home too small for them. However the size you quoted is not the 'at least size'. I do know that most places sell cages too small for most small animals though. "Generally a cage that is around 18 inches long, 36 inches wide and 30 inches high should be sufficient enough to accommodate at least two chinchillas" obviously though bigger is better but it sounds like you have no idea really and plucked dimentions out of nowhere. I do want to get them a bigger cage even though the one they are in is perfectly okay but it's picking one I like. The other option is getting my old rat a smaller and one level cage and giving the chinchillas the Explorer cage she is in.

You also didn't notice I was vegan. Also my partner and I love animals so we wouldn't want to do something wrong to an animal. We happen to rescue animals when we can - all the rats we have had were rescused/adopted - and we also offer to foster rats. We do live in rented accomidation in a flat (ground floor) so caged animals are all we can offer to rescue/adopt or foster at the moment. You commented without thinking it through because it is obvious I was asking to actually help the chinchillas as I want to make sure with a check up visit that the vets is right for the chinchillas. The fact that I asked how much this could cost is for good reason for when I go - too cheap and I'd be worrid about their practice, too expencive and I'd want to know why. This is a money saving expert site so I don't think asking how much a check up at a vet for chinchillas is out of order. I know it can vary but it would be nice to know I'm not going to be taken for a ride price wise.

dontone I have already done all the reading to do with chinchillas so that's not a worry. They are male and female - another reason I want to go to the vets but they have been together for nearly all their lives (they are not brother and sister) and have never had kits - the person we got them off believes they are still intact but as one of them came from a breeder that may not be the case anyway. I have read that if they don't by 2 or 3 years old they are unlikely to reproduce but I'd rather get them 'fixed'if we need to as soon as possible (I know this will cost around £100 or so and this will come out of savings). If they are both intact and she is already pregnant we'll keep the kit(s) (we have room so that's not a worry) but will make sure that it is impossible after that!

They are looked after very well. The day after we got them we went out and bought a load of things for them with my savings - hay ball, a metal dust bath (they had a plastic one which I didn't like as I know chinchillas shouldn't really have plastic), a carrier for the vets (cat size so plenty big for a visit when needed. I didn't even buy the small animal carry for the rats as I think they are too small really), treats, sticks (apple for these and won't buy any other type of wood), food etc. The only thing I'd say we do need are some scales to keep a check on their weight.

I know not to get them bath in water due to the likelyhood of their fur getting mold if not dried properly. I know that water is a last resort tactict and that if they do get wet to dry them fully no matter what!

We don't feed them that mix or those pellets no. We get the pellets from the same independent pet store we get the dust (60p/kg and good dust). They are good pellets they like and are only 89p/kg which I think is very good. We also give them timothy hay which is always available for them and we rarely give them treats. Obviously water is always available for them as well.

Ah thank you for giving me an idea of wht the price could be -although I've never had rabbits I know the kind of costs for them to see a vet due to friends with them.

No the PAH near us don't do a vets part and to be honest I would rather take them to a vet centre I wish to contiue to use anyway so wouldn't take them there even if they did. For our rats we always used the same vets and this ment they had their full history. We believe going to the same vets all the time so that a history of the animal can be logged is very important. It means the vet is more likely to pick up on anything wrong with the animal.

Your post was very helpful dontone unlike someone else who didn't think before posting.

dontone

Hiya

Glad you found it useful. TBH I posted all the advice because some people get chinnies and don't realise that they are different from other rodents like hamsters, gerbils etc and don't take their needs into consideration. I'm glad that you did what we did and read up about them before taking the plunge. It's nice to know :T
I was just trying to remember how much the treatment for my poor chinnie was and I think it came to £180 - £200. When you go to the vet and they are trying to find a price try and haggle with them as they will try to class your chinnie as a large rabbit (no way)
I comprimised with ours between medium size rabbit and guinea pig.
I forgot to say that you can buy special chinchllia cookies from some pets stores and online that my chinne loves. Also banana pieces (from the weigh shop) now and again.
Alafafa hay is popular too. As is cuttlefish and those coloured mineral blocks you can buy that attach to the cage and willow (already mentioned) - although the scraping sound is annoying lol. The first link I gave you is brill for all stuff like that.
Also do you have a marble plate for them? PAH sell them. It's a rectangle plate that cools them down it they get hot. About £5 but worth it.
HTH some more

Aputsiaq

I commented because as it so often the case people "rescue" animals they havent thought anything about.....and they end up in a worse situation then when they started.

18inch x 36 inch x 30 inch is totally inadequate for chincillas. These animals need space to move, exercise, explore, hide...and they cannot do that in a tiny cage like that.

You might think its ok....because some person told you it was, or thats the cage you got them with....but it isnt and far too many people stick them in cages such as these.

I fail to see what being a Vegan has to do with anything.....other than you think that makes you more 'caring' than those 'nasty meat eaters'.

Poor little things.

pink_princess

I lost my chin months ago:( He was really old bless him and was his time but we paid £39 for a check up (took 5 mins ) every 12 months .It is hard to find a vet that will deal with them ,our vet said its due to the fact their from the porcupine family ? Just do lots of ringing round and make sure they get their calcium.

dontone

Aputsiaq wrote: »

I commented because as it so often the case people "rescue" animals they havent thought anything about.....and they end up in a worse situation then when they started.

18inch x 36 inch x 30 inch is totally inadequate for chincillas. These animals need space to move, exercise, explore, hide...and they cannot do that in a tiny cage like that.

You might think its ok....because some person told you it was, or thats the cage you got them with....but it isnt and far too many people stick them in cages such as these.

I fail to see what being a Vegan has to do with anything.....other than you think that makes you more 'caring' than those 'nasty meat eaters'.

Poor little things.

I'm not being funny but if you read what the OP said in response to your post before this one, then they have stated that they want to get a bigger cage.
The one they have is not that much smaller than the one my chinnie lives in (although mine is a little taller and is on wheels and has a pull out tray for easy removal of litter etc). In fact we downsized from the one we had due to having to seperate our two males due to fighting. The ones we got in place of the supersize one came highly recommended by a chinchilla forum where lots of experts and breeders can give opinions.
My chinnie who I have left isn't interested in running about outside his cage, he's quite shy and reserved, so he's quite happy perched on his ledges watching what we are doing. He has plenty of toys to keep him occupied, as long as they have something to do that's fine.
They all have their own quirky traits and personalities, like any other animal.
What they have said is that their chinnies are let out and run about - I'm assuming that they have lots of toys to gnaw on whilst out playing. That is perfectly fine. Plus chinnies are a nocturnal animal and sleep all day anyway. As long as they have a hidey hole where they can kip in peace they are perfectly happy. So they are not completely stuck in a cage as you seem to suggest.
In fact I think that you should read what the OP has written first before being unfairly judgemental towards them. They should get a pat on the back for being willing to take these little ones on.

~Chameleon~

Doom_and_Gloom wrote: »

I do know that most places sell cages too small for most small animals though. "Generally a cage that is around 18 inches long, 36 inches wide and 30 inches high should be sufficient enough to accommodate at least two chinchillas" obviously though bigger is better...

I'm not sure where you're quoting those figures from but I'm afraid a cage of those dimensions is far too small for a single chinchilla, let alone a pair. My daughter's hamster lives in a bigger enclosure than that!

The bare minimum size you'd need would be 6ft x 6ft x 3ft with several inter-linked levels for them to climb and exercise. They are very active little creatures and would soon become quite depressed in a small enclosure, just like the poor wee things you see in PAH