Ever have one of those days!

When I woke up this morning I came into my kitchen to find a very "blue" mess. My 2 blind mastiff's Morganna a bull mastiff 14 years old and Moose a Blind 2 year old English mastiff decided that it would be fun to knock my Tide laundry detergent down off the counter looking for cookie crumbs. The top came loose and needless to say blue laundry soap was spread on my dogs coats, floor, rugs, cabinets, and my 2 other dogs, Herman a Dane boxer cross, and Alex a neo mastiff.  Thank goodness it was warm today so I could wash all 4 dogs outside to get the soap encrusted on their coats off. It was 1 foamy mess, and Herman was less than pleased with his bath, He avoids water at all cost!!! After all the baths I spent the next 6 hours scrubbing the floors, cabinets, washer, dryer, fridge, washing rugs and beds that the soap came in contact with, ICKY, ICKY!!! I still feel the ickyness on my fingers. Not a fun day but now I have a really clean kitchen so I guess it was productive, except all the other chores are lagging. Such is life living with pets!!!     

Mariah the tarantula a story of healing, survival, and education

Mariah is a rose hair tarantula I got from a family who had no idea how to care for her and never learn anything about her. She managed to survive 3 years with little or no care. While I was visiting a school one day a student came up to me and said she knew someone that had a tarantula that needed help, she asked if she could have them call me. That evening the mother called, she explained that her children had brought home this tarantula 3 years ago and she was terrified of spiders.  They kept it in a 1 gallon glass jar with a lid punched with holes and fed it one every 2 month. she said her children picked it up every once in a while and they told her it was " shrinking". I agreed to come and take a look. When they brought the jar out for me to see, this poor little tarantula had a body only about the size of  quarter and to my amazement not one leg! I swallowed hard and said what happen to her legs. The youngest child who seemed to be the most talkative said, "we will only pick her up by her legs, but now the legs are all gone and we don't want it any more". I was stunned into silence, which doesn't happen often, After I regained my voice I calmly but strongly explained to this family what they had done to this tarantula was wrong and caused her alot of harm. No one seem to care, as it was only a spider, which was not suprising but I had to try. I picked up the jar and left. I name this poor little tarantula Mariah. Nature has amazing ways of protecting these creatures and there was  hope that I might be able to bring Mariah back.  I picked her up and allowed her to drink from a small wet sponge. She was very thirsty and drank for a long time. I fixed a small enclosure for her to be safe in and let her rest for the night. The next day she looked fully hydrated. I decide to try to hand feed her, not sure if it would work. I very carefull picked her up and held a cricket under her fangs and to my amazement her fangs pierced the cricket and held on injecting venom liquefing her prey. I held her for 2 hrs. so she was able to eat. After her first feeding I knew I had to design a very small platform for her to eat more easily. It took several trys but I finally created the right design allowing her to eat and drink. Mariah started to eat and drink every 7 days and was gaining weight. I was hoping for a molt as I wanted to see if she would be able to regenerate any of her legs. She stopped feeding about 5 months after I got her but by this time she was plump and well fed. Spiders usually stop feeding for a while before a molt to prepare for that molt. I built her a spot with a little higher humidity so the molt would be easier. Within 2 weeks all the signs were there and I placed her in the little humidity spot and kept watched. It took her 1 long day to molt it was done with sucess and I was elated as I saw some very small appendages, the legs were trying to regenerate. The process continued for over 4 years and when the fourth molt happened Mariah legs were all there and as she took her first steps after drying from the molt I just cried. Nature just has so many miracle out there that humans will never understand. Mariah is now a very important  part of the Kruisin' Kritters program as her survival story takes away that fear that many people have about spiders and many of those people have been able to touch her and feel the very soft cat like hair that covers them and make them understand that spiders play a very important part in nature. A few interesting spider facts: Spiders exoskeleton is very thin and a small drop even a few inches can break it causeing the spider to die. Spiders eat 1600x's their weight in bugs each year they are here. Spider webbing is the strongest natural material on this earth. A web that is 6 layers deep is nearly impossible to pierce with your finger. A female tarantula can live 25 years or more. Tarantula's fangs come off with the molt with new ones appearing with the new exxoskeleton.  If you are thinking of getting a tarantula as a pet please do your research on what trantula works for you. tarantulas or any spider should never be handled by children without adult supervision.         

Winkie and Derrick the wrecking crew

8 years ago on new year eve I was coming home from a program and was driving up my dirt road when I heard a horrible high pitch squealing noise just off the road. It sounded like a animal in trouble. When I went to investigate I found 2 dogs chasing a very scared small pot belly pig with a injured ear. I manage to chase the dogs off and after several attempts to catch the pig using trusty Cherrios that I carry in my car for a snack, (no matter how scared a pig is there is something about the smell of Cherrios that will even get a potbelly pig to take note and start to munch away. This little guy looked to be about 10-12 weeks old and had a severely injured ear hanging by just a small piece of skin. I manage to get him in a crate. I always carry crates with me as I never know when a injured or stray animal will cross my path. I drove straight to the emergency clinic to have this little guy checked out. It was decided that the ear was so bad that it had to be removed. My vet also suggested that we neuter him at the same time which I agreed to. My vet named him Winkie as every time they hand fed he would wink one eye at them before taking a treat.  Winkie spent 2 days at the vet charming everyone that came in touch with him. During  the surgery it was discovered that he had a heart problem. My vet explained that his weak heart would probably make his life much shorter than most pot bellies, I understood this and decided to give him the best he could have with the time he had. My vet started a protocol that would give him a good quality of life for time he would be with me I tried to find his owner with no luck, I figured he had be dumped on the road. Where I live it is very rural and  some people think it is ok to dump a animal in the country. This is never ok as that poor animal most likely will never survive!!!! Winkie loved my cats and like to run around with them in the cat run. He took to litter box training and grew very quickly to his full size of 125 lbs.  He was very smart and clean. I taught him how to sit, stand up, lay down ,and place on command. When Winkie was 4 years old (3 years older than my vet thought he would live) Derrick came in to both of our lives. Derrick is a raccoon. I got the call to go rescue Derrick when he was 12 weeks old. The people who had him had found him on the road clinging to his mom who was dead from being hit by a car. They thought it would be great to have a raccoon as a pet. Within 4 weeks they found otherwise Derrick was into everything, kitchen cabinets, food , toilets, drywall etc. I have worked with these busy creatures for over 30 years and I am always amazed at what they can find to entertain themselves! When I picked up Derrick he was so imprinted on humans that I was not sure if we could introduce back into the wild. I took him to a center were he was introduce to wild babies his age to see if he might learn from them and the imprinting might lessen. All he did for 4 weeks was set in the corner and make his baby cries every time a human would walk by. It was decide to sent him back to me. As my last imprinted raccoon had passed away at 16 years old 10 years before.  I introduced Derrick to Winkie and my kitties. My kitties and Derrick became instant friends, as there had been a cat at the other peoples house. Winkie wanted to be friends but Derrick wasn't very sure of the giant black snorting thing. 3 weeks passed with Winkie trying to be Derrick's friend and Derrick still not sure.  One Evening I was setting on the porch steps petting Winkie's tummy and Derrick decided he had to get close to Winkie. He walk slowly up to Winkie and started to feel the bristles on his back picking at his hooves and trying to hold onto his tail. Winkie just layed there letting Derrick explore.  Winkie then stood up startling Derrick but he didn't move away. The next thing was a camera moment, but of course my camera wasn't anywhere close. Winkie let Derrick climb on his back to my surprise and Derrick stood up on his hind legs while Winkie walked around. Derrick thought this was great fun and Winkie didn't seem to mind. This action cemented their friendship. Derrick's and Winkie friendship grew so strong that the were always looking for new and interesting things to explore. On my back porch I have a large commerical refrigerator that is 4' wide and 6' tall. All my animal food is kept in there. I thought that I had Derrick and Winkie proofed the door so they could not open them. I had installed 3 locks to keep the doors closed. One afternoon when I was gone Derrick and Winkie decided they need to gain access the inside of the refrigerator and not be deterred by the 3 locks. Working together Winkie was able to lift the door up wards just enough to let Derricks magic little paws pull the pin out of the door. Together they must of worked to move the door just enough for Derrick to gain access inside. When I got home What I saw would of probably made me laugh if it had happen to anyone else. Laying on the floor was Winkie in a pile of food and he had eaten so much that he had barfed some up UGH!!!.  The next thing I saw and heard was Derrick climbing to the top shelf to pitch more food out to a very stuffed pig. He was making his happy chortling sounds as he was having a wonderful time 3/4 of my animal food layed on the floor scattered everywhere mixed with barf and water (Derrick had figure out how to open 12 bottles of water and pour them all over the food) how nice!!! I ran in the house and grab a crayfish, Derrick's favorite as that was the only way I was going to be able to move him from the refrigerator. Thank goodness it worked. I spent the next 8 hour cleaning up a incredible mess and giving Winkie medicine to help his tummy ache. Derrick sat on his perch watching after his crayfish treat I think enjoying the mess he had created. I now have different locks, hopefully raccoon and pig proof. Derrick and Winkie had many adventures during their friendship however this was probably their best  and most messy that they threw at me. Sadly Winkie's heart gave out last Aug.  He lived 8 years and 8 months much longer than my vet thought and I think part of that was because of his unique friendship with Derrick. Derrick mourned his friend for 2 weeks not wanting to come out of his house except for food or water. I could not even engage him in his favorite game of Raccoon Bowling which he loves, I will explain in future posts. He truly was mourning the loss of his best friend. 2 weeks after Winkie's passing Derrick came out of his house and walked up to me and wanted to set on my lap. When he sat down he started to make a strange crying sound that I had never heard before. He did so for 45 mins holding my hand in his 2 front paws. When he stopped he licked my hand looked at me and walked off. That evening Derrick was out playing with my cats. I will never know what that 45 mins was about but I suspect it was his way of telling me he missed Winkie. Derrick is still with me doing what raccoons do finding new and different way to get into trouble. Winkie will forever be in my heart. As a footnote Pot belly pigs make great pets but they are not for everyone to  many end up at shelters  as that cute little pig reaches 125-175lbs small for a pig but not small for the average household. They have to be spayed or neutered to be a house pet and they require food made especially for them not dog or cat food. they are very sensitive they can develop ulcers if yelled at or exposed to a catotic living situation. They require regular check ups and hoof trimming. If you are considering one as a pet please please do you research first. They are long lived my oldest "Elmo" lived 35 years. Raccoons do not belong in the hands of some one who thinks that they are going to be like a cute puppy or cat. They are wild animals and will always be. They are destructive. Just check out animal planet's Bad Animal Feature. There is a raccoon featured that did $10,000 damage to just one house because he wanted back in. I have had 3 raccoons come thru my rescue as they were imprints and could not be released into the wild each one posed unique problems. I have had over 30 years experience dealing with wild life and they still gave me a run for my money. If  they are returned to the wild after imprintation they will most likely perish in the wild. Wildlife does not make good pets!!!                    

"Gulliver" The dog who thought like a human

Back in the 80's I lived in a country town of Descanso in San Diego county. One day on my way home I noticed a very thin very large 6-8 month puppy sitting at the door of the general store for the town. I had seen him on several previous occasions also. I asked around and found out he had been dumped at the store when he was 8 weeks old and had manage to survive off the kindness of strangers for  that period of time. I was told if I wanted him to take him as the store was going to call the animal shelter to take him. When I convinced this rather large happy go lucky pup to get in my car the connection was instant. I named him "Gulliver" after all the travels he had done in his short life. Gulliver and I went straight to my vet for a check up, shots, parasite testing and to get a appointment for a neuter.  Gulliver met my dog Charlotte a Irish setter who was not the brightest bulb on this earth but very loyal and loved me to death. Their  bond was instant and Gulliver figured out right away that he had to keep a eye on Charlotte. They would roam my fenced 5 acres several times a day to investigate for anything that look interesting, bugs, flowers, weeds, and old animal poop (Gulliver's favorite to roll in). Gulliver turned out to be a very large brown brindle English Mastiff great Dane cross weighing in at over 200 lbs. The best way to describe his personally was a cross between Goofy and  Pluto of Disney fame with a touch of human intelligence that I will never understand. Gulliver always knew what I wanted and how to make it happen. One example was when I moved to Lakeside in San Diego county in the late 80's. It was a beautiful home with over 2 fenced acre of avocados groves.  Gulliver  loved the avocados to eat. Charlotte had passed to the rainbow bridge 2 years earlier.  My best friend Emily became my roommate.  Gulliver was always our ever present companion. Gulliver had one really bad habit he would jump my fence and steal 1 of my neighbors chickens to bring it into our yard being very careful not to hurt it. At 2:30 a.m I heard Gulliver hit the fence and woke Emily to let her know that Gulliver had stolen a chicken and we had to get it back to my neighbor's coop. We went down to find the chicken in the yard. I put Gulliver in the house and asked  Emily to pick the hen up but she did not have her contacts in and could not tell back from front. After we manage to get the chicken Emily decided we could not return her to the coop with out giving her a bath to clean off  Gulliver's slobber, so off to the bathroom we went . Shampooing a chicken was a first for me, but the hen thought it was pretty cool especially the blow dry to make sure her feathers were dry and she would not catch a cold. After the hen's morning at the chicken spa I climbed the fence and placed her back in her coop safely. When I returned home Gulliver was setting on the door step to the kitchen wagging his tail. I was in no mood to be pleasant  at 4:30 a.m. I shook my finger at him and said next time you bring a chicken home I want it plucked and ready to cook!!!  Emily and I had been unemployed for over 6 months and things were very tight. Gulliver bounced up and down like he understood  and layed down on the porch. Emily and I went to bed with no other thought of the evening. At 7:00 a.m. the next morning I heard Gulliver scratching at the door to come in and bouncing around like Tigger. He had some thing in his mouth. When I let him in he set the thing in his mouth down very gently not breaking the cellophane that it was wrapped in, and begin to bounce on all 4 feet. I could not believe my eyes, the package contained  2 Cornish game hens, slightly thawed, and were ready to cook. After months of eating peanut butter souffles and too many "mystery" rice dishes Gulliver brought a real meal!!!! To this day I do not know where those Cornish game hens came from, or how Gulliver understood me, but they were a a total gift from Gulliver and he knew it. I never will understand the special connection that Gulliver and I had to this day but it lasted his whole life with me. When Cassidy my pup that I wrote about on Jan 1 came into my life much like Gulliver had, I noticed that they had much of the same personalities and actions and the connection between us was exactly the same. I can't help to think that maybe Gulliver had something to do with it. In the world of animals there is a saying, "when we lose a pet the lost one will pick the time and place to send a new best friend", and so far my experience has played this out. Coincidence, perhaps,wishful hoping, maybe, or maybe there is a small piece of truth in it, I chose the last as I have seen it played out many times.      

My fear of snakes and how I overcame it

Looking around at the collection of snakes I have rescued makes me wonder how I was ever afraid of snakes, however the truth is I never touched a snake until I was 42 years old. Truth be told I was terrified of snakes since the age of 5 years old. I had 2 older boys chase me and when I fell into a hole they threw 2 baby gopher snakes on top of me. That set a path of fear when it came to snakes, I never went into the reptile house at the zoo, I had nightmares of snakes coming after me, If there was a snake in a home as a pet I would not go in, and if I saw someone in public with a snake I would turn the other way and run. When I was in high school my friends took me to see Raiders of the Lost Ark, not telling me about the snake scene. When that came on screen I climbed under my chair and closed my eyes. If I could of escaped from the crowded theater without trampling people I would of. One day when I was 38 years old a friend brought a small rosy boa that he had caught into the house without telling me. When he pulled it from his pocket I jumped up on my kitchen counter and climbed in to one of my cabinets spilling the contents out and squeeze in slamming the door and screaming for him to get the snake out of the house. Looking back on how I reacted seems silly now but when I take my emotions back there it seemed quite normal. Kruisin' Kritters was snake less for several years until a friend named Brandon ask me if I could help give his pet snake shots that the vet had sent home. Brandon had several snakes, but I never had been in the same house with them. Brandon knew that I had training on giving reptile shots all though I had never given a real snake one. I told him I just could not do it thinking it was a small snake. Then he threw me a ringer and told me it was his anaconda "Joe" who was 16' long and big enough to have me as a snack. I said no way!!!! Brandon  explained that Joe had a upper respiratory infection and if he didn't get the shots he might die, he knew how to suck me in. I relucently agreed. So we worked out a plan. He and a friend would bring Joe over and stretch him down my hallway and I would come out of my bedroom just long enough to administer the shot and run back in closing the door never touching Joe with my fingers and they would take Joe home. After 13 days of the routine I finally sucked it up and realized I had to overcome this fear that had encompassed me for so many years. On the 14th day when I came out of my room I gave Joe his shot and proceeded to touch him. My hands shook so badly I thought they were going to fall off. Ever so slowly I lower my hand breathing as as calmly as I could. When hand and scales met I was surprised at the smooth cool feel of his skin it was not what I expected as I stroked his skin I felt a calm come over me that I had never experienced. I think it was the anxiety that had held me for so long being lifted from my body. I owe my love of snakes to my experience with Joe. However would I ever own a snake that size NO!!! anything that looks at me as lunch will never cross my front door. The reason I tell this story is there are many people out there that are not comfortable around reptiles and snakes. If you are a owner of said creatures please always be aware of this and always check with a person before approaching them with your pet to make sure they are ok with it. I now teach classes for people that want to overcome their fear of snakes. In one of my classes I had a grandmother and her granddaughter come together. As I asked around the class what brought them there the little girl said her grandmother was afraid of snakes and she wanted to help her over come this fear.  As I brought out each snake and talked about the the makeup of a snake, moving, sensing, scales, eating, etc. I kept my eye watching her. Her reaction was not quite like mine but very close she held her granddaughters hand trying to stay calm. I recognized all the symptoms. As I asked for volunteers to come up and pet the snake her granddaugther raised her hand.When I asked her to come up she grabbed her grandmother's hand and wanted her to come up. Grandma hesitated slightly  then stood up, when they got on stage grandma stood off to the side, as I explained the process I would take each volunteer thru to touch their first snake. I had 5 volunteers as the first 4 completed the task with good results it was the grandmother and granddaughter's turn. They came up to me about 3' away. The granddaughter tried first and was amazed how smooth the skin was. Granddaughter turned to her grandma and said it's not so bad.  Now it was grandma's turn. I had her take 3 deep breaths and slowly walk forward to me as close as she felt comfortable. She made it within 18' I had her reach her hand out slowly it was shaking and clammy. I gently moved the back end of my snake under her hand and just held it below her hand for about 30 seconds. I asked her to slowly lower her middle finger to touch the tip of the tail. She took another deep breath and said I am doing this for my granddaughter as she touched the tail and made a slight weak sigh. She said it felt cool and soft. next I had her hold her hand out so she could feel the movement of the muscles of the snake. Her hand shook slightly as she did it, to my surprise she did not flinch as the back end of the snake moved across her hand. The next part is the hardest I told her, it was to let the snake sense her with it's tongue. I had her hold her hand flat palm up and took my fingers and tapped her palm lightly to show her how it would feel and she decided to try it.  When my snake flicked it's tongue on her finger tip she shook every so slightly, but did not pull her hand away. There was not a movement or noise in the audience. I felt that everyone could feel her anxiety lessen with each step and they were rooting silently for her. Next I asked her to hold the snake while I held it's head. I slowly and gently placed the back half of my snake on the palm of her hand. I had her curl her hand lightly around my snakes body while it slowly slithered through her hand. A small smile was on her lips and the fear that I saw in her eyes moments before had lessen a great bit. As the snake slithered into my hand I told her that now she had the chance to pick up my snake and hold it on her own. She asked if it would  be ok if her granddaughter helped her. I smiled and nodded my head yes. Her granddaughter picked up the front of the snake off the table and grandma picked up the tail. As I  took a question from the audience I noticed that the granddaughter had gently let the snake go completely to grandma's hand and she seemed quite ok with it. As I took the snake from her I gave her a hug and told her how brave she was. She whispered in my ear, it was for my granddaughter but a great deal for me, Thank you!!!! As a footnote granddaughter and grandma now own  a corn snake and have for 6 years. Please never try to do what I did with grandma and grandaughter as I  have been working with people and their fear of snakes for over 25 years, and the snakes I use in this program are specially picked for their calm manner.  

Yazzi the speckled king snake

"Yazzi" has been with me since he was 5 years old. He is now 26 years old and still going strong. 5' long and about 2 inches round. He is a active participant in the Kruisin' Kritters program. I got "Yazzi" 21 years ago from a gentleman named Tom who was 80 years old. Tom had brought "Yazzi" to my vet as he had to give him up because he was going blind and he was afraid that he would not be able to care for "Yazzi". My vet called me and asked if I would take him. When I saw him he was beautiful and very well cared for. I asked my vet if I could talk to the owner about "Yazzi". Tom called me and explained that he had always wanted a snake as a pet but told me that he had to take care of his disabled mother for most of his life and she was terrified of snakes. When he was 75 years old his mother was no longer with him so he at decided to purchase "Yazzi". Tom really loved "Yazzi" and held him often making him comfortable in a humans hands. When Tom turned 79 he found out he was loosing his eye sight and knew he would not be able to care for "Yazzi" any longer, so "Yazzi" end up with me.  Before Tom and I hung up I had to ask him where he found the name "Yazzi", He chuckled every so softly and told me "Yazzi" was the word for his name Tom in his native language. "Yazzi"  has interacted many people old and young  and is one of my favorite snakes.  He did have one big adventure during the cedar fires in san diego in 2003.  I had packed up all the animals to evacuate as the fire was heading east and they were being moved by volunteers to safer places. After it was safe to return home everyone was returning the animals and some one accidental loosened the lid on "Yazzi" enclosure. With all the commotion I never saw "Yazzi" slither out of his enclosure. I was heartsick when I discover the escape. I looked every where with no success. I continued to look for more than a month and finally decided he was gone forever.  He disappeared in the first week of November. One morning on a sunny May morning I was watering my roses next to my house. I noticed that there appeared to be some small black and yellow flowers that I did not recognize. All of sudden the small flowers started to move. I realize it was a snake and then took a closer look and realized it was my "Yazzi" I screamed with delight. When I picked him up I notice he had grown and weighed more and then I realized that he had gone under my house and been feeding on wood rats that scurried under the house on occasion. Since that escape "Yazzi" has been with me and has a home that has special locks so no accidental escapes could every happen again. In closing I want to share a few important things about owning snakes as pets. Reptiles will always be wild animals no matter how tame they seem to be.always be aware when handling your pet. NEVER put a snake around your neck for 2 reasons, most snakes eat warn blooded rodents (There are exceptions though), but most snake that we keep as pets do. A snake could mistake your warn neck as a possible treat. Also if a younger person sees you do that they will think it is ok and try to emulate you and it could cause them harm. It is our duty as a snake owner to set the the standard for the younger owners of the world. Never feed your snake in it enclosure that is their home it will cause a strike response when ever the enclosure is opened causing a possible unwanted bite. Always  feed in another enclosure just set up for feeding. Never hold your snake out to someone you don't know as there are many people who are very uncomfortable with snakes. If you want to share your snake with someone always ask the person before you approach them. This is for the safety of the person and the safety of your snake, you don't someone to drop your pet. In my next posting I will tell you about my fear of snakes for 42 years, how it came about and how I over came it and used that fear to help others.      

"Grandma" the chinchilla

Many people often think is is great to get a chinchilla as a pet without  much thought to the environment, care,  vet care, genetic problems, food, longevity, etc. this is a sad mistake as many of these wonderful little ones end up in homes left unattended with no interaction from their owners.  The following is a story of my chin "Grandma" who was with me for 19 years and was 29 years old when she went to the rainbow bridge to wait for me. "Grandma" was bought as a young chin for a family as the newness wore off the family decided to pass her off to some one who said they would take care of her. From there the story got very murky as to how many homes she had been thru. I got a call one evening from a parent of a child who had seen Kruisin' Kritters at a school assembly. She explained that some one in her neighborhood had a chin that they no longer was taking care of and she was being kept in a garage. She gave me the address and the next day I knocked on the door. A man answered very gruffly. What do you want, he asked. I explained in my softest voice that I  understood that he had a chin that he no longer wanted and told him who I was. He just grumbled something and pointed to the garage and said take her. I was not prepared for what I found. In the dark hot garage it was 85 outside laided a almost dead velvet black chin barely breathing without food and water. I wanted to run back to the man and start to scream, but I knew I had not time to waste as the little one was critical and maybe beyond help. I gently pick her up feeling every bone in her body and feeling the limpness of a animal also gone. I rushed her to my vet. The prognosis was very critical. I left her over night and called several times to check on her there was not much change from when I left her. The next morning I dreaded making the call about her as I thought the news would be awful. My vet came on the phone as she spoke I was surprised, "were not out of the wood yet but she is sitting up and trying to eat", My heart jumped with joy. My vet cautioned we had to monitor her very closely and get a complete blood and chem panel.  As "Grandma" progressed I  went back to the neighborhood where I got her and asked around about the man and how long he had the chin. Everyone told me it was his wife's pet and she had owned her for 9 years. She moved out and left her chin behind in his care or better, lack of care. so we put her age around 10 years or older. "Grandma" stayed at my vet for 6 day getting stronger each day. Finally on the 7th day she went home with me eating and drinking a little on her own but really liked to be  fed  with the food on my finger so she could lick it off. The techs at the vet had really spoiled her!!! "Grandmas" health returned much faster than anyone thought and she soon started to eat and drink on her own and ran on her wheel  for long periods of time. When I was at home she would get to run all over my bedroom chasing and playing with my 2 cats. She also was very comfortable be held and petted so she became a ambassador for all the chins of the world to teach people about the care of all her buddies out there. "Grandma" was with me for 19 years enjoying her second chance at life and and educating future chin owners of the world. The many lives she touched and educated about her fellow chins will always be her legacy.. If you are thinking about getting a chinchilla as a pet please do your research and check out chinchilla rescues, they are filled to the brim with little ones  looking for educated, committed, long term owners. I work with Cutters Critters in San Diego, Ca. She currently has several beautiful chins available for adoption. Please rescue and adopt if you want to become a chin owner.