Caring for chinchillas

QWe have acquired two four-year-old female chinchillas from a family that was unable to continue caring for them. Can you advise on how long they might live, and any important diseases to look out for?

A

As you have just taken them on, this is a good opportunity to get them checked over by a vet with an interest in chinchillas for any potential problems they may have.

Chinchillas can live for a surprisingly long time – up to 20 years if they are fed and housed correctly.

Correct diet is crucial as many problems are caused by inadequate fibre. Good quality hay should be available at all times, and this can be supplemented by small quantities of nuggets and fresh greens.

For more detail on feeding and housing them, see burgesspetcare.com/ chinchillas.

One common issue is dental disease. Chinchilla teeth grow continuously in life and need to be worn down by chewing a high-fibre diet, such as hay.

Incorrect feeding, particularly muesli type diets, leads to the teeth becoming overgrown, with crooked front teeth, making it difficult to pick up food.

The back (molar) teeth then quickly develop spikes on the sides that cut into the cheek and tongue. This is obviously painful and will stop the chinchilla from eating altogether leading to gut stasis, which is potentially fatal.

Dental disease is difficult to permanently cure once signs are apparent.

Chinchillas, like rabbits, eat partially digested faeces called caecotrophs, before producing pellets. An absence or diminished quantity of pellets is a warning sign that should prompt a veterinary consultation.

Q

My four-year-old male neutered cat is being investigated for an allergic skin disease, with a hypoallergenic diet prescribed by my vet. Is allergy to food common? I am puzzled as there has been no change in the cat’s diet previously.

A

Food allergy has been diagnosed in cats in multiple small studies, but its incidence is difficult to quantify in the absence of larger-scale research.

Most authorities describe it as uncommon, between one to six per cent of skin diseases seen in cats, and these have not been associated with a change of diet. Curiously, instead, affected cats developed an allergic response or intolerance to a specific protein that has always been present in its diet.

Food allergy was first reported in a cat in 1967 and at that time a hypoallergenic food trial of three weeks was considered sufficiently diagnostic.

Commercial hypoallergenic diets were not available and owners had to feed their mog home-cooked food. This is difficult, particularly as it soon became apparent that considerably longer than three weeks was necessary, up to 12 weeks in rare cases.

Now most vets adopt a six to eight week time period to diagnose an allergy, and there are some very well prepared commercial hypoallergenic diets.

These diets contain only one protein source, which is hydrolysed to make the protein molecules too small to trigger an allergic response.

Veterinary prescribed ‘brand’ hypoallergenic diets are recommended as they are additionally balanced, containing all essential nutrients.

It is important to persevere with the food trial, with supervision by your vet, as it may result in a permanent cure of the skin condition.