Miscellaneous

I lost my first chinchilla, Barney, on Christmas day 2½ years ago to what I believe was a stroke. It was completely by surprise and I was totally distraught. I went in to feed Barney on Christmas morning and was immediately aware something was not right as he always greeted me at the cage door.

When I examined him I could see that one side of his body seemed to be paralyzed.

I removed him from the cage and massaged his body down the side where the paralysis was and kept him in a warm quiet place to see whether his condition would improve. Throughout the day he continued to take water but no food.

His condition did not deteriorate any further until about 5.00 pm that evening when he suffered another serious fit or stroke and died in my arms. He was just over five years old.

I phoned a chinchilla expert to see what she thought the cause was and she advised that chinchillas of poor breeding can often have strokes around that age (Barney was five). I bought Barney from a dubious looking pet shop which has thankfully shut down and I am convinced his parents were brother and sister.

I am now the proud owner of Jazz, a gorgeous black velvet, who I bought a few weeks after Barney's death as my home was not the same without a little chintas. I bought privately this time and met both his parents first and asked lots of questions about their breeding and history.

I would like to make other chinchilla lovers/owners aware of the importance of checking your potential pets background as to see a beloved animal die in this way was both traumatic and distressing.

I have been keeping chinchillas as pets for about 7½ years now and I am about to take on a female companion for Jazz. I don't plan to breed them as there are enough furry little critters about looking for homes without adding any more.

This was in the UK 1999

Received by email 26th March 2002