My older chinchilla has a discharge from the eye!?

Question

****I AM BRINGING HIM TO A VET ASAP! DON'T SAY ANYTHING OF THE SORT!******

My chinchilla (5 years old, probably more) has a bit of discharge in his left eye. We know for a fact that he is blind in that eye, and nothing like this has ever happened. I AM freaking out, because I also have a 9 month old in the same cage (his son) and I'm worried about him getting sick. He's showing no signs, but neither was his father THIS MORNING!

What can I do help him?

Answer 1

It's good you're taking him to the vet as soon as possible, as the vet should be able to ascertain the cause and give treatment if one is available. However, if this happened to one of our chinnies the first thing we'd do is quarantine them both (clean both of their cages with bleach/water then rinse with fresh water and dry in the sun several hours, brand new bedding, clean dishes, toys, etc.) and put them in separate rooms until it's determined if the discharge is contagious or not. Also, keep their feed very simple with the best hay you can give (timothy or orchard organic hay) and a high-quality pellet. Don't give treats, just keep their diet simple and only ad what the vet recommends. Clean out the water bottle each day and give filtered water, too. Good luck.