"Nothing beats prevention."
It is better to prevent or reduce the chances of a chinchilla falling sick than to cure a sick one. However, sometimes we may not have been that careful or observant enough to spot an existing signs. For a chinchilla to remain healthy, be sure to keep the cage clean, feed clean and fresh food and water, and keep food free from fungus and insects.
In general, chinchilla is naturally robust and hardy, except it has an extremely sensitive and effective digestive system which is designed to extract the most out of the bare minimum food in its natural habitat. Unless dogs and cats, chinchillas do not have a vomit mechanism. It is not able to expel bad food out of its system, which means illness(es). Keep in mind, if you observe a trend of weight loss, see a vet immediately. First sign of a sick chinchilla is weight loss.
To have a HEALTHY chinchilla:
Let it rest during the daytime.
Ensure food and hay are fresh.
Change water daily - boiled for at least 20 min. or or distilled or purified.
Give hay (Timothy, Alfalfa, etc.) so the animal to provide sufficient roughage .
Check that the poops are dark, smooth, opaque, odorless and hard.
Avoid food rich in fats, sugar, oil, starch.
Give treats in SMALL quantity.
Avoid frequent change of food.
Avoid frequent change of environment.
Clean food dish and water bottle regularly.
Cage is cleaned regularly.
For any of the following injuries, see a vet immediately:
Swallow poisonous substance(s) or indigestible item(s)
Shock or seizure or cramp from sudden fright, infection or bleeding.
Pneumonia (water in lung) causing insufficient breathing, loss of appetite, eye & nose discharge.
Broken bones, limbs, rib cage, tail, etc. from accident or you observe difficulty in movement.
Eye injury from sharp object or infection - watery or lots of eye slugs and swelling eye(s).
Acute diarrhea or constipation.
Chinchilla Health
Below is some health tips and what to look for when you think you have a sick Chinchilla