my chinchilla is ill please help!

Question
hello my chinchilla seems very ill, i have noticed a dramatic change from eating less. i change his cage every week and feed when bowl is empty. i always make sure he has water. he goes to his food bowl and picked up food and throws it behind him.
i have noticed him grinding his teeth alto lately and don't know if he should have his teeth filed?
he is dribbling and his chest is always soaked and his fur looks horrible, now i have noticed fur missing and am very concerned sorry this message is so long but i am very worried please write back thank-you Harriet x x

Answer
Chins dont usally need their teeth filed as long as they have something to chew on like chew toys, wooden blocks, hay ect.

As far as him being ill this needs to be addressed by a vet. Chinchillas, like most rodents, like to hide illness as long as possible so when they show signs it is something that needs to be addressed immediatly. Make sure that a vet you do to is good with rodents and exotics. If there is a problem with his teeth this can make them have a hard time eating and it can be very painful so make sure that he is always got something to chew on like wood, even if its a stick from outside.

Fur missing can be a sign of fungus that makes the fur fall out and messy. It has to be delt with by a vet who gives a fungus bath that is mixed in with the dust bath. Another thing that can cause missing fur is what is called fur barbing. This is from stress and they pull their hair out . What you want to look for is is it red and scally that points toward fungus. Make sure to wash your hand after handeling him so you dont spread it to yourself or other animals. If there is a cage mate then they should be seperated until you go to the vet.

I found this website about Chin teeth that may help:

http://www.chinchillaplanet.com/chinchilla-teeth/

Links about fungus that may help:
http://www.etc-etc.com/fungus.htm

http://members.aol.com/UHChins/UnderhillChinchillas/fungus.htm

http://www.chinchillaparkplace.ca/care08.html (see fur)

http://www.cachins.org/health_sub.html# (see "ring worm" . You can actually e-mail them for more information as well if you need it)

http://www.kessler-chins.com/docs/0.html


http://www.dreamscape.com/kessler/health.htm (down towards the bottom)


http://www.chinbin.com/chinhealth_care.html (Go to the tab on the right labled "Illness" and choose skin fungus)