Tonka is almost 6 months old!

I can’t believe it is nearly 6 months since I was at the vets with Bear and a still soggy from birth, small furry with a badly damaged paw. He has done remarkably well considering his bad start in life and he’s as cheeky as can be. 

Here is my gorgeous little (not-so-little?) trooper.

Just thought I’d update this thread ……………….. Tonka went back to see Jade (my vet) yesterday and we’re all really pleased with his progress.
He weighed a whopping 78g yesterday and his front paw looks excellent - it is almost completely healed and he is not going to need any surgery unless there is bone infection present (which does not seem to be the case at the moment).
He was very popular at the vets and Jade and the veterinary nurse had good long cuddles with him - Tonka, of course, thoroughly enjoyed the attention - at one point he was clambering over Jade peeping softly to her all the while - I  think Jade could have stayed there with him all evening

So here he is ………………

and here is his amazing paw

Here are a few photos of Bear’s kit - he’s not easy to photograph because he does not sit still for long - chinchilla kits are remarkably resilient.

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Not that Bear’s fed up at all

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Having a damaged paw is not stopping him.

Having a scratch can prove a little tricky on the balance

Hiding under Mummy.

Hello? Am I cute or what?

And finally ……….. in his usual position! He certainly knows how to feed.

The little beige male is still hanging on in there. It really is touch and go with him - although he is very feisty his foot is a real mess and there is a huge risk of infection and septicaemia.
My vet is being superb as usual and is discussing possible antibiotic therapy with an exotics specialist. She was not there yesterday unfortunately and the little chap had an injection of Engemycin to cover until tomorrow - we need to decide which course of action is best. He is far too small to be given pain relief but he has surprised us all today by trying to use his paw despite the damage. Eventually I think he will lose his front left leg - but that’s a long way down the road yet and we have to get him through the next couple of days or so first. He is certainly a determined little character.

Here he is with his very grumpy mum - she has just been belly shaved at the vets because the little chap cannot use his paws to part her fur and, therefore, could not find a nipple easily for feeds. She is being very good with him though and is keeping him warm and clean - she is still not bothering his wounds either which is good.

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The outcome is far from certain for this little chap - this is one of the challenges that comes with breeding chinchillas - it does not always go smoothly and there is always a risk of losing mother and/or kit(s). I deliberately took this week off work in order to be at home when Bear was due to deliver - it is a good job I did - I am topping up his feeds round the clock and carefully monitoring his wounds for signs of infection. He needs intensive TLC for now. No sleep for me for a while.

For those of you who are interested I have taken a photo of the kit’s foot - it is not for the faint-hearted - please don’t look if squeamish.
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It was not easy to photograph due to the small size of the kit and the fact he was wriggling in my vet’s hand! The small white bits visible at the front left of the photo are what is left of the kit’s digits (toes) and the green bit in the middle of the top wound looks like a bit of readigrass. Even if the massive injury somehow heals he will be left with a toes-less paw with probable limited movement. However it is so severely damaged that I suspect it will need to be amputated when he is strong enough to survive the anaesthetic and surgery.

Please keep this little chap in your thoughts - we have a long road ahead of us.

Bear is a pastel female chinchilla who I paired with a very nice, blue, award-winning male I had been lent, called Tomsk. When I knew her due date I decided to take a week off work so that I could keep an eye on her - just as well I did really. This is her first (and possibly last!) litter.

She went into labour and everything was going fine - except there was no kit appearing. Finally, after a good couple of hours, a nose appeared and then everything stopped. Bear was beginning to struggle a little and although I could see she was pushing quite well, the kit’s nose was not budging. 4 hours is the maximum time any female chinchilla should be allowed to strain without a kit being born. Time to go and visit the vets……..

My regular vet was not on duty today so I rang ahead and warned the receptionists that I was coming with a possible emergency. It was lunch time but they would get the on-call vet to pop out of surgery when I got there. Three quarters of the way to the vets I heard small, distressed squeaks coming from the carry cage - the motion of being picked up, gently examined, and popped into a carrier and driven in the car must have helped Bear give birth. Unfortunately, the kit must have been stuck because when I pulled the car over to check, it has blood on what was left of it’s front paw. I decided to keep going to the vets to get both mother and kit checked out, especially since I was not sure if Bear still had another kit inside her or had passed the placenta. I also wanted the kit assessed.

When we arrived I asked for a towel to dry the kit and asked to see the vet as well. The kit had considerable damage to his (I checked!) left front paw and Bear had bitten his back right toes and nipped his ear - poor lad, what a welcome into the world.

The vet came out and we checked Bear out - no more kits left - and she had some oxytocin to ensure she passed the placenta. The kit had an antibiotic injection to prevent any infection but he could not have any pain relief because of his size/age (nothing is really suitable for such a teeny, young kit). I took the kit and his mother home, set up a “hospital” cage in my bedroom and have been sitting quietly watching them.

Bear is being remarkably good with the little chap and is not attempting to over clean is front foot which is good. I have seen him attempting to feed but he is struggling to part the fur around Bear’s nipples because he cannot use his left paw or balance on it to use his right. He’s one determined little furry though because he is managing, despite everything. It is touch and go whether he lives or dies and whether he loses that front leg or gets septicaemia but so far, so good.