My new chinchilla won't eat food, only hay, and has a bald spot?

Hello, A proper diet for a chinchilla consists about 70-80% hay. The most common reason for an herbivore to stop eating their hay is dental disease. Their back molar teeth can grow sharp hooks and points that grow into their gums, making it very uncomfortable to chew and grind their hay. I would recommend having RoRo seen by a veterinarian that is experienced with chinchillas. They will likely start with sedating her for a dental examination and then advise the next best step for her. I hope this has been helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

If you measure the amount of pellets they get, and feed only what the bag says they should have for their size, instead of leaving unlimited pellets, they'll eat more hay. Don't forget chins love to chew bark off safe sticks like apple branches and this provides needed fiber and roughage for their teeth as well.

Anytime a rodent such as a chinchilla stops eating and drinking for any significant length of time it is a definite problem. I would recommend taking Chilly in to the vet for a physical exam and some preliminary blood work. They will also be able to provide you with some Critical Care, which is a powdered formulation for syringe feeding of rodents and rabbits.

Based on what you are describing it sounds as if your chinchilla is very ill. Because these animals are so small, anorexia for even a few days can be very dangerous. I would recommend taking him in to be evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. He may need a special Critical Care diet and fluids to get back to normal.

Hi and thank you for this question, The eye needs to be examined closely by a vet. It is not uncommon for them to have conjunctivitis but it is not possible to diagnose it from a picture. Please make sure that she only gets her dust bath for an hour every other day and not constantly. As to her eating oats only, it is best no to make sudden changes in their diet. Since you've only had her for a short time, I recommend that at first you offer her some of the things she was used to eating before, and then gradually over a month or so you reduce those that you want to discontinue and replace them with healthier food. You can try two or more types of chinchilla pellets as she might prefer a certain type. Oats I would not give at all, or perhaps only in very small amounts.

Thanks for reaching out about Cita and including photos. Decreased appetite and lethargy are general signs of illness, and not specific for any illness. A veterinary visit is recommend to assist in a diagnostic and treatment plan. Providing water via a syringe might help with dehydration. An ingested foreign body, dental disease, metabolic disorders (liver, renal) are a few of the possibilities. Good luck.

Hi there! Guinea pigs really like their veggies and pellets, so your guy may be starting to want those more often instead of hay. However, Guinea pigs really need to be eating hay as the main staple of their diet. This makes sure their gastrointestinal tract is always active and working. Try to continue to offer your pig hay and very small amounts of the other stuff. He also needs to have a vitamin C supplement in the diet. If your pig isn't eating much though in general, my biggest concern is always checking the teeth (which should be done a couple of times a year anyway by a veterinarian who is skilled at treating Guinea pigs), and also making sure the pig isn't bloated. Guinea pigs can also colic and have issues with the gastrointestinal tract not moving at an appropriate pace. I would monitor your pig for another 12 hours and if he is not improving, I'd take him in to see his veterinarian to insure nothing serious is going on.