Administering Medicine and Hand Feeding
If your chinchilla is unwell, not eating properly or losing weight (which is a definite sign of illness) then you will need to hand feed critical care, as well as administer any medicines prescribed by the vet.
If you are not used to restraining and administering medicine to rodents, then the prospect of hand feeding a chinchilla can be daunting - particularly as they are renowned for being especially wriggly as a species!
However using the well tried and tested chinchilla burrito method, as well as administering food or medicine to reluctant chinchillas via the side of the mouth behind the front teeth, means hand feeding chinchillas does not need to be difficult or stressful. The ear hold method is also another alternative for chinchillas who can be more difficult to restrain.
This guide is for adult chinchillas, for hand feeding baby chinchillas (kits) under 8 weeks, please take a look at Caring for a Pregnant Chinchilla.
If you are not used to restraining and administering medicine to rodents, then the prospect of hand feeding a chinchilla can be daunting - particularly as they are renowned for being especially wriggly as a species!
However using the well tried and tested chinchilla burrito method, as well as administering food or medicine to reluctant chinchillas via the side of the mouth behind the front teeth, means hand feeding chinchillas does not need to be difficult or stressful. The ear hold method is also another alternative for chinchillas who can be more difficult to restrain.
This guide is for adult chinchillas, for hand feeding baby chinchillas (kits) under 8 weeks, please take a look at Caring for a Pregnant Chinchilla.
Please remember that when your chinchilla is unwell and not eating, it is absolutely vital you hand feed them and fully administer any medicine your chinchilla is prescribed.
Simply put, if your chinchilla is not getting the full dose of medicine, or is not eating sufficient quantities of critical care (60ml daily for a chinchilla not eating at all, 30ml for a chinchilla eating some independently) then it can quickly become fatal.
This guide should make it easier for you to hand feed and administer medicine to your chinchilla, however if you are struggling, please take your chinchilla back to your vet so they can assist with this.
Simply put, if your chinchilla is not getting the full dose of medicine, or is not eating sufficient quantities of critical care (60ml daily for a chinchilla not eating at all, 30ml for a chinchilla eating some independently) then it can quickly become fatal.
This guide should make it easier for you to hand feed and administer medicine to your chinchilla, however if you are struggling, please take your chinchilla back to your vet so they can assist with this.
Restraining a chinchilla - the burrito method
Before trying this, it is worth checking if your chinchilla will take critical care or medicine from a syringe willingly first (see syringe feeding guide below). Some chinchillas will happily bite on a syringe which makes the process simpler.
Offer your chinchilla the syringe either on your lap or in their cage to see if they will accept this. If your chinchilla does not willingly take the syringe and is difficult to handle, do not worry - you can use this simple burrito method to hand feed them.
Offer your chinchilla the syringe either on your lap or in their cage to see if they will accept this. If your chinchilla does not willingly take the syringe and is difficult to handle, do not worry - you can use this simple burrito method to hand feed them.
Step 1. Pick up your chinchillaLift your chinchilla from the cage. If your chinchilla is not used to being handled, you may need to gently guide them to an area of their cage where it’s easy to scoop them up and they can’t run off.
You do not want to be chasing your chinchilla around with your hands as this will scare them further. You can try putting their sandbath in, covering the hole once they are inside and lifting them out in this to make it easier to catch them. If your chinchilla is very wriggly you can hold the very base of their tail (not the tip) to secure them. Never squeeze your chinchilla around the middle, they are very delicate and ribs can easily break. |
If your chinchilla is a biter then try wearing thick gloves to protect yourself. More tips can be found in the handling chinchillas guide.
Step 2. Wrap in a towel
Place a large towel or blanket out flat on the floor. Ensure this is done in a secure, safe, area so that if your chinchilla does manage to escape they will not hurt themselves. You can do this within their playpen if you don’t have a chinchilla proof room.
Place your chinchilla in the middle of the towel or blanket and then wrap this around their body and paws, leaving only their head visible. It may take a few attempts to hold your chinchilla still enough on the towel to be able to wrap it around them, chinchillas typically struggle initially but will give in and become more still with perseverance.
It can be helpful to have an extra pair of hands, so that one person can hold the chinchilla on the towel whilst the other person wraps it around them. Practice makes perfect and after a few attempts you’ll soon find a way that works well for both you and your chinchilla.
Place your chinchilla in the middle of the towel or blanket and then wrap this around their body and paws, leaving only their head visible. It may take a few attempts to hold your chinchilla still enough on the towel to be able to wrap it around them, chinchillas typically struggle initially but will give in and become more still with perseverance.
It can be helpful to have an extra pair of hands, so that one person can hold the chinchilla on the towel whilst the other person wraps it around them. Practice makes perfect and after a few attempts you’ll soon find a way that works well for both you and your chinchilla.
Step 3. Administer medicine to your chinchilla burrito
Once you have your very own chinchilla burrito, you should now be able to hold them in your arms without wriggling, ready to administer any medicine or critical care following the guides below.
Syringe Feeding Critical Care
Making up Critical Care
Mix up the critical care as required, the rough guide is 1 part of critical care to 3 parts of water. However in order to be able to suck it up the syringe, you may find that making up a more liquid solution is easier. The critical care mixture can be used for 24 hours once it’s been made up, then you will need to discard whatever is left and make up a new mix or mold will start to grow. With this in mind, it’s better to start with smaller quantities and make up more as you need it.
*Oxbow Critical Care can be bought from most Vets and also online from retailers such as Amazon. It is important to always to keep a packet of this at home as you never know when you might need it. Should you be without critical care for whatever reason, you can create a liquid solution from your chinchilla’s current pellets by mixing with hot water. Wait until this is fully cooled before feeding to your chinchilla and get some critical care ASAP, it has added ingredients your chinchilla needs when they’re ill and not eating normally.
*Oxbow Critical Care can be bought from most Vets and also online from retailers such as Amazon. It is important to always to keep a packet of this at home as you never know when you might need it. Should you be without critical care for whatever reason, you can create a liquid solution from your chinchilla’s current pellets by mixing with hot water. Wait until this is fully cooled before feeding to your chinchilla and get some critical care ASAP, it has added ingredients your chinchilla needs when they’re ill and not eating normally.
Loading the Syringe and Syringe Size
Once you’ve made your mixture, load this into your syringe, taking care not to suck up air whilst you do this.
Syringes come in a variety of sizes but for very sick chinchillas you may find a 1ml size syringe is all they can manage. You can feed this either through the built in tip or by cutting this off to make sucking up the mixture easier. |
For more willing chinchillas, or those who are less poorly, you can try administering critical care through a larger syringe such as a 3ml, 5ml or even 10ml. However you will need to ensure you are not feeding this faster than the chinchilla can chew or they can choke.
Feed to the side of the mouth
Hold your chinchilla securely and offer the syringe, if they do not take this themselves you will need to insert this into their mouth. Place the syringe in the side of the mouth, slightly further back so it’s behind their front teeth, which the reluctant chinchilla will use to block the syringe otherwise.
Once the tip of the syringe is in the mouth, slowly administer the critical care, allowing the chinchilla to chew what is in their mouth before giving more. Avoid the temptation to force down as much as quickly as possible. Your chinchilla needs time to chew and swallow the amount you are feeding or they can choke. |
Small, regular sessions
You want to be aiming for smaller quantities of critical care in regular sessions, rather than trying to force it all down at once as chinchillas need time to digest this.
Aim to feed 60ml of critical care for a chinchilla who’s not eating at all and 30ml for a chinchilla who’s eating some independently.
This might sound like a lot, but with plenty of regular sessions it’s certainly achievable. Even if you don’t quite hit that target, every bit of hand feeding helps improve the chinchilla’s chance of survival.
Aim to feed 60ml of critical care for a chinchilla who’s not eating at all and 30ml for a chinchilla who’s eating some independently.
This might sound like a lot, but with plenty of regular sessions it’s certainly achievable. Even if you don’t quite hit that target, every bit of hand feeding helps improve the chinchilla’s chance of survival.
Supplement with gas drops
It’s a good idea to give gas drops when your chinchilla isn’t eating properly to avoid GI Statis (bloat) occurring.
Your vet may have already prescribed medicine for this, if not, sugar free infant gas drops such as 0.5ml of Infacol Sugar Free (UK) every 8-12hrs, or 0.3ml of Simethicone dye free drops such as Major Infants Gas Relief or Mylicon Gas Relief: every 8-12 hours (US & Canada) help to relieve bloat. |
Whilst being hand fed, you should weigh your chinchilla daily to monitor their weight and report any weight loss to your vet.
Administering Medicine
Oral medicine for chinchillas is often prescribed in liquid form which you will need to load into a syringe and administer to your chinchilla.
You will need to use a 1ml syringe as doses are typically small and you need to be able to measure it accurately. Once you have loaded the dose into your syringe, taking care not to suck up any air as well, insert the syringe into the side of the chinchilla’s mouth behind the front teeth and administer the medicine.
You will need to use a 1ml syringe as doses are typically small and you need to be able to measure it accurately. Once you have loaded the dose into your syringe, taking care not to suck up any air as well, insert the syringe into the side of the chinchilla’s mouth behind the front teeth and administer the medicine.
The Ear Hold Method
If your chinchilla will not keep their head still, you can support their jaw by placing your fingers either side, or by gently holding both ears back together with one hand, whilst ensuring both the neck and body are supported.
For most chinchillas though, the burrito method described above is sufficient for administering medicine and further restraint is not needed.
For most chinchillas though, the burrito method described above is sufficient for administering medicine and further restraint is not needed.
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