engleski

Stress-induced Cushing's syndrome in fur-chewing chinchillas

One of the most serious problems in the chinchilla industry is 'fur-chewing', when the chinchillla bites areas of its own or some other animal's fur. The condition generally develops in both genders at the age of 6-8 months. In chinchilla farms in Croatia an incidence of 15-20% has been observed. A pathomorphological, microbiological and parasitological investigation was conducted on eleven 6 to 11-month-old chinchillas of bothe sexes with clinical symptoms of 'fur-chewing' and three chinchillas without such signs. Histopathology of the adrenal glands and of the chewed skin revealed changes typical of Cushing's syndrome in 'fur-chewing' chinchillas, such as hyperkeratinisation of the epidermis, epidermal atrophy, pronounced follicular and sebaceous gland atrophy, hyperkeratinisation of the follicles with comed formations and the presence of calcium salts in subcutis.

chinchilla; fur-chewing; histopathology; skin; hyperadrenocorticism; hypercortisolism; Cushing's syndrome

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