Experience with Head Injuries

Last night my chinchilla accidentally slammed himself into the cage door after playtime because he thought it was open. I was dazed for a tiny bit but otherwise returned to normal activity in the cage. This morning he is not himself. He ALWAYS waits by the food bowl on the second level of the cage around 7am. He is very guarded and keks at me when I try to pet him. He is eating his pellets because I brought the bowl down to him.

When he is hurt, (he has sustained broken toes, and healed from them before) he rolls on his side and closes his eyes. I believe he is alerting me that he is not feeling well when he does this. I am worried he has sustained a brain injury.

I am about to take him to the vet. Has anyone had experience with an injury such as this? What was your experience?

Vet said he is a little slow on his left side. No fractures. Most likely a mild concussion or some bleeding under the skull, but will most likely be fine. He's on meloxicam for one week to reduce inflammation. Chin is acting like himself, but in slow motion. He walks in a circle in the dust bath instead of roll. It has been about 24 hours since the injury. I fear that his slowness won't go away, or that the subdermal bleeding is lethal. Hoping anyone could share their experiences with anything similar to this.

Sorry I don't know anything helpful, but I hope he has a full recovery. Poor little guy!

Did the vet do an xray? Did he send home any medications? Her injuries can lead to tooth problems later in life. Pain meds or anti-inflammatory might be needed to help. Watch his eating/pooping closely. Any changes in those or lack of normal activity is an emergency and you need to get back to the vet

Hello,

One of my chinchillas went through two episodes where somehow she must have hit her head and was pretty dazed for a few days. I was never there to see exactly what happened but each time I just removed all of the ledges and things since her balance was off and had her spend a few days at the bottom of the cage with food and water and their hut that they sleep in so she had somewhere to go and feel safe. Each time it went away gradually after a few days. Fortunately, my chins eat from my hand pretty much whenever food is presented, so I was able to make sure she was eating and just kept a close eye on her.

I hope this helps. Each injury is different, so it's good that you got her to a vet.