How to Tell If a Chinchilla Has a Fracture
📝 Summary
Chinchillas fracture easily because they are born without a fibula, so their limb bones are weaker than other animals', and their lively jumping makes injury likely. This guide covers how to spot a fracture, the three fracture types, and how to prevent them.
1 Signs of a Fracture
A fractured chinchilla keeps the injured paw lifted off the ground and walks with an odd, very slow gait. If the fracture involves the spine, the hindquarters go paralyzed and the animal needs hospital care at once.
2 Types of Fractures
Fractures generally fall into three kinds:
1. Closed fracture: the skin is intact and no bone pierces it — the ordinary type. The vet sets the bone and stabilizes it externally with a splint to keep it from healing crooked.
2. Closed comminuted fracture: the bone is broken into several pieces and usually needs pins to hold the fragments, plus an external splint; the pins come out once the bone heals.
3. Open fracture: the skin is broken by the fracture; treatment is much the same as above.
3 Preventing Fractures
1. Avoid mesh or grid ramps in the cage — a jumping chinchilla can catch a foot in the grid and break it.
2. Owners often add a jumping board for exercise, but if it is not fixed in place the chinchilla can fracture itself on it; secure the board firmly.
3. Some owners try to catch a falling chinchilla by hand; a missed catch can break its fall path and drop it to the floor, also causing fractures — don’t try to catch it, or time the catch well.
Chinchillas love to jump by nature; to protect them, owners must take fracture-prevention measures. For more on chinchilla fractures, browse our other articles.
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