Chinchilla castration

Castration

Oliver

From Selena

I've had Oliver about 15 months - I got him as a rescue at about 7 months old. In all the time he's been with me, I've been aware he misses the company of other chins, and part of my aim in putting some weight on that wee frame of his was to one day have him castrated, in order for him to have a wee girlfriend.

Its always worrying, the prospect of an anaesthetic and an operation, but the day finally arrived. Right up to the last minute I worried “Was it worth the risk?” I knew the odds were against anything going wrong, but you know how it is… I pressed ahead - yes it was worth the risk in the hope he wouldn't have to spend the rest of his life lonely and needing a friend (A male friend wasn't an option - I worried they'd fight over the nearby girls)

Always so hard, isn't it? - dropping your pet off at the vets, and going home to wait. And wait. And worry, and wait some more.

I called in the afternoon and the nurse said Oli was just fine. He'd come round very quickly and was doing well. When I collected him I must admit he looked a sorry state, very subdued. Only to be expected, I guessed.

I knew to keep him warm and away from drafts - Id heard infections and pneumonia are risks to be aware of after an operation. He did feel very cold, so I moved his cage nearer to the radiator (on low) and rotated warm towels on the floor of his cage to keep him snug.

The castration wounds, right from the start, began to heal nicely, and he was a good boy, not touching his stitches (dissolving ones). He began to move around more easily and comfortably with every passing day. Alas, he fell foul of a chest infection within a few days (he began to sneeze a lot), but it was easily and quickly treated with antibiotics from the vet. It did take him a couple of weeks to get his appetite back, but with some supplemented feeding to help him along, he soon began to regain the weight he'd lost after the operation and the infection that followed. It's true what they say, the weight comes off quickly enough, but it's not so quick to go back on!

So all in all? A few weeks on, I've absolutely no regrets. No operation is without SOME element of risk. And we can now look forward to finding a life-long friend for Oliver!

Webmaster of 'Keeping chinchillas as pets - A guide'

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