Chinchilla Leg Muscle Problems: Chinchilla leg problems are prevalent and one of the most common problems in chinchillas. Every chinchilla has to face the leg problems once in a lifetime. It happens when chinchillas grow older. Illness and distressing injury can also soar these issues. The wear and tear of Chinchilla muscles and bones are not the only concern. If not treated well, it can lead to paralysis in Chinchillas.
A common reason for Chinchilla leg weakness is the joint problem. Make sure that your Chinchilla’s leg is not wrenched or fractured. Spinal problems, such as distended discs or dislocated bones, are also a significant risk. Regular vet checkups can prevent such problems. A Chinchilla that is not able to use its hind legs needs regular support. The loss of Chinchilla legs will have a disastrous impact on your Chinchilla life span. It can also affect their mental health condition. This guide will go through various potential explanations for loss of mobility in your Chinchillas.
Please note that we are not medical experts. We have created this guide for educating our readers. For any medical emergency, you should consult a professional veterinarian immediately.
How does a Chinchilla use their hind legs?
Hind legs are the most important part of Chinchillas anatomy. Chinchillas use their hind legs to perform a variety of day-to-day activities in their daily life. Back legs are the Chinchillas most essential mode of movement. Hind legs of Chinchillas help them to move at speed. That is the most significant part of the wild Chinchillas life. Wild Chinchillas face their predators in their everyday life. They have to flee fast, and without hind legs, Chinchillas have to struggle a lot for moving at speed.
Chinchillas also use their hind legs to stand in search of predators or for begging. Naturally, hind legs must support the bodyweight of the Chinchilla. Chinchillas also use their hind legs to groom themselves. They use their hind legs to get relieved from itching and smooth over their messed-up fur.
Chinchilla hind legs anatomy
A Chinchilla or any other small pets hind legs are divided into three essential parts.
- The foot
- The leg
- The thigh
Chinchilla thighs
Thighs are the most critical part of the Chinchilla’s body as it holds the muscles needed for movement. Their thigh muscles contain much power to help Chinchilla accelerate their speed.
Chinchilla feet
Chinchilla uses its feet to walk. They have 3 toes in their hind feet.
Chinchilla legs
Legs are situated beneath the thigh and up above the foot. The bones within them are brittle.
Chinchillas legs are fragile, so it can be a critical issue if your Chinchilla goes through a fracture.
My Chinchilla back leg injury
There are many ways in which chinchilla pets can harm their back legs.
Some of the major ways are:
- Falling from height
- Mishandle by the owner
A chinchilla can hurt themselves by falling from a height. Also, when owners don’t pick their chinchilla pet in the right manner, chinchilla jumps off their owner’s arms in such cases and hurts themselves.
An owner should ensure that they provide their Chinchilla a cage with enough space to relax as a Chinchilla can twiddle its legs into abnormal positions. That can cause the dislocation of their leg from the spine of your Chinchilla. That is known as luxation. Luxation leads to paralysis in your Chinchilla rear legs. It can be restricted or complete. That depends on how serious the dislocation has occurred.
It takes time to recover and get your Chinchillas its old self. It can take months to get your Chinchilla full recovery. The treatment for such issues is rest and patience. Your Chinchilla may need some medication to get some relief from pain. For overcoming the swelling, Flunixin meglumine will be helpful. For proper rest, your Chinchilla has to be in its cage for a month. This can make your Chinchilla irritated and bored. You can help them by spending as much time as you can with them. Being bored and feeling lonely can lead to stress and depression in Chinchillas.
Your Chinchillas may never get to their old self if they suffer from the leg’s complete dislocation from the spine. Take your Chinchilla pets to the vet immediately in such a case.
My Chinchilla has a broken back leg
A broken leg of a Chinchilla can be less or more problematic than the leg’s dislocation. The cleanliness and the area of the break play a role in deciding that. Being prey animals, Chinchillas are very much talented at hiding their pain. You have to observe your Chinchilla’s movement very carefully to detect their pain. If your Chinchilla is not giving weight to their back leg while walking, get your Chinchilla to the vet for X-rays. Treatment for this cause will include a brace or pins. This treatment can be expensive. You can make a homemade brace.
- Wrap the leg from the gauze or bleached cotton cloth of plain weave.
- Apply popsicle sticks or any splint. It will work as a brace.
- Make sure you don’t wrap the leg too tight as it can stop the blood flow.
Your Chinchilla will need a proper rest for weeks after this. While they rest in their cage, you can offer them some willow bark.
That will work as a painkiller as well as a distraction for your Chinchilla.
My Chinchilla legs are shaking
Chinchillas hind leg shaking can be a reaction to overheating, or it can also be a sign of impending paralysis.
In case of overheating, you can take such measures to overcome that.
- Remove your Chinchillas from the heat source. Avoid direct sunlight and take them to a cool location.
- Don’t douche your Chinchillas in cold water. That can get your Chinchilla in shock.
- Mist their ears. Their ear helps them in heat exchange that cools down their body.
- Provide your Chinchillas cold water.
- Comb your Chinchillas to remove the extra fur.
- Place your Chinchilla in cool tiles if you have it on your home.
Red ears, out of breath, lethargy, drooling, confusion in the movement are signs of overheating. If your Chinchilla is not overheated, then the reason for a shaky leg could be a warning sign of impending paralysis. The weakening of the Chinchilla back leg could be a gradual process.
My Chinchilla back leg not moving
If the back leg of your Chinchilla is not moving, then there can be a lot of factors behind the same. Some of the common causes include:
- Regular wear and tear of muscles and bones
- Fracture or dislocation
- Toxicity leading to severe health problems
This problem arises with the increase in the age of Chinchillas. That is common in older Chinchilla pets.
During their life, Chichillas go through a notable amount of wear and tear by which their muscles start to weaken. And at a point, it starts to give away. Fracture or some other disease can also be a reason for such a problem. The owner should make sure that their Chichillas is not going through any fracture or dislocation. Getting your Chichillas to the vet will help you determine the cause by performing X-rays of your Chichilla pets.
Performing a blood test of your Chinchilla can also let you know if there is any disease of toxicity.
Chinchilla Bumblefoot
Bumblefoot is a where the natural calluses on your chinchilla’s feet become too thick. Fluid develops underneath them and can rupture the skin, or the skin can crack when dry. If the wound becomes infected, it becomes a painful open abscess. This stops your chinchilla walking. The infection can spread, and can kill, so take your chinchilla to the vet.
My Chinchilla is limping
Limping of your Chinchilla shows you the symptoms of your Chinchilla having a fracture. They usually limp when they are not able to carry their weight. In such a case, first look at your Chinchilla’s hock. Hock is the part of a hind leg that rests on the ground. Your Chinchilla has a bacterial infection if their hock has been reddened, inflamed, or covered with sores. Bumblefoot is also known as plantar pododermatitis. The introduction of staphylococcus bacteria causes it. It can be found on the toes and hock of your Chinchilla.
My Chinchilla can’t stand up
The most common reason for your Chinchillas not being able to stand up can be obesity. Illness or other injuries can also be the reason they are overweight as their hind legs cannot take their weight. Hence your chinchilla struggles to stand up. Before coming to any decision and getting panic, first confirm that your chinchilla is not overweight.
Will a massage help my Chinchilla hind legs?
Yes, A massage can benefit your Chinchilla hind legs; you can help them by giving them a gentle massage. Except for getting it healed and feeling relaxed, your guinea pig will find it delightful. That will also help you to generate a secure connection with your Chinchilla.
Will my Chinchillas need their hind leg amputated?
Sometimes amputation is the only option for Chinchillas after examining the paralyzed Chinchillas. This decision can’t be taken lightly. The most common reason for amputation is leg fractures. Amputation is not necessitated for leg fractures, only for those Chinchillas who cannot heal independently. The owner needs to take some action if the bones are not able to heal by themselves. Otherwise, it will create serious issues for them if the owner ignores this. Amputation in the leg may be needed in case of a spread of disease. It should be cut off so that the infection shouldn’t spread all over the body. The likeliest example for the same would be cancer and tumors. Amputation is condoned for most of the Chinchilla pets. Most of the Chinchillas recover very quickly and will never need an amputation.
Are chinchillas hypoallergenic pets
Final Words:
From all the information above, we learned that back leg problems in the Chinchilla are widespread. Their hind legs get weak as they get older and older. Also, illness and physical injury or some other trauma can lead to this kind of issue. It can also lead to paralysis if not treated well. The common reason for leg weakness is joint problems.
There is something about which the owner should be concerned.
- Make sure that your chinchilla leg is not fractured.
- There can be a risk of bacteria on your chinchilla legs or feet. Thus, a test for the same must be done.
- Be assured that your chinchilla is not overheating.Â
- Get your chinchilla to the vet for medical concerns such as stroke or cancer.
Going from such issues will make it difficult for your chinchilla to groom their back rear, and they will also suffer from pain.
An owner should take good care of such a case. Regularly groom your chinchilla and spend as much time as possible while your chinchilla has proper rest. You can also help your chinchilla by giving them a massage.
