Chinchilla health

Question
Hello!
Over the summer, my chinchilla began to pull out the fur under her chin and on her front legs.  We originally thought that this was because our pet sitter accidentally gave her a different brand of food than we normally give her.  We switched the food back and it seemed as if everything was fine.  Recently, our chinchilla began to pull her fur out again in the same spot.  Nothing had changed, so we did some research and found that there is no specific reason for her to be doing this.  Now, the fur around her face and chest has taken on a molted appearance, as if the fur there is wet.  Today I found some watery diarrhea in the bottom of her cage.  It appears as if the fur around her eye has stuck together, keeping her eye closed.  We are taking her to a vet as soon as we can find an exotic animal vet in our vicinity.  While we are looking, I was wondering if you could shed some light on her problem.  She is young, about 2-3 years old.  She has not had any problems before this and there are no new stresses in her environment that I can think of.  She is still very energetic, and I have not noticed any behavior or stool changes until the diarrhea today.  She has a large cage and it is cleaned regularly.  There is one other animal in the room; a guinea pig, but they are kept separate.  I would appreciate any information you could give me until we find a vet.  Thanks!

Answer
Hi there Melissa!

Sorry for the delay in answering your question. It was sent to my bulk folder.

I would really try to look for an exotic vet as soon as you can. If she has something you are better to catch it earlier on reather than later which could prove fatal.

Your chinchilla may be a fur chewer. Fur chewing is genetic and usually caused by stress too. Was your chinchilla living with someone else before you got him/her or did you get him/her from a rescue? If so, your chinchilla could have been through trauma from previous owners. However, this could not be the case.
Missing fur in place could also be ring worm.

Chinchillas can also catch parasites from tap water (Bottled water should only be given OR boiled water which sould be boiled several times.). The can catch giardia which simply eats and eats.
Signs of Giardia: Increase of appetite, decreased activity, constipation or diarrhoea.

The eye problem sounds like an eye infection but this could be coming from something else. You really need to see a vet. It is not healthy at all for a chinchilla to have that many systoms. Don't let te little one suffer...She will really thank you for lookin for and finding a vet to see about her.

My only helpful advice is that - to find a vet.

Mae.