Scary event. Need some insight.

[Luciole]

Late Friday evening, I was cleaning Ludwig's cage and let him run around my living room while I cleaned. He began chewing on his favorite spot on the wall and I grabbed him to prevent him from ingesting anything toxic. I've needed to quickly grab the little guys hundreds of times over the years to prevent them from hurting themselves, but this time was different.

He did not like the way I grabbed him and seemed to go limp after I held him for a couple minutes. Worried, I put him on the ground to see if he would run off like he normally does. Instead, he was unable to use his right foreleg and scuttled (I don't know how else to describe it) across the floor. He also began pooping profusely (not diarrhea) and raising his rear in the air.

I picked him up an put him in a carrier for observation while I called the vet. During the my conversation with the vet, he began shaking and plopped on his side. The vet said that I could bring him in so I did. On the ride to the emergency clinic, he perked up and was back to his normal self. He was also completely normal during the vet exam :banghead: and :thumbsup: (conflicting emotions, sorry). In the two days since the incident, he has been eating, drinking, running on his wheel, being cuddly, etc basically being his normal self.

The incident was so frightening and I honestly thought he was going to die :cry3:. The vet said that he might have had a seizure, but we couldn't determine why. Might the way that I grabbed him have brought it on??? Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I feel terrible knowing that I may have caused this, but would rather it be my fault than the result of a developing brain lesion.

 

[tunes]

It's possible he had a seizure, but it's also possible that when you grabbed him you had a slight pinch of a nerve in his spine, which is why he went limp and why he was limping. The shaking afterwards could have just been reaction to that. I have seen that in chins that were grabbed too fast, too tight, too whatever around their back and neck area, rather than at the tail. It's odd because it doesn't happen with all chins, just certain chins.

It isn't your fault. You grabbed him for his safety, it just may be that you hit him in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sounds like everything is back to normal now.

ETA: I also saw a chin once go limp from fear. The girl snatched it up and it just scared the snot out of him and down he went. She put him in his cage, panicked, and ran to call the vet. Within a few minutes, he was up and his normal self again.

 

[RDZCRanch]

A good idea would be to use a playpen for future playtimes. Either that or you need to sit with him in a completely chin proofed room the entire time he's out for playtime to monitor fully.

I had a chinchilla I received who had brain damage and regular seizures because a little 8 year old girl grabbed him too hard. They are delicate animals and usually one seizure will lead to another.

 

[Essentia]

To me it also sounds like a seizure. If it was during playtime it could be from low blood sugar or being overheated. I hadn't thought of what Peggy mentioned, but it definitely makes sense.

 

[aznmexaggie]

Perhaps he overheated after running around during playtime and then being held for a couple minutes trapped all the heat to his body. What was the temperature in your house at the time and how long had he been out for play?

Also, the overexertion may possibly have led to a hypoglycemic seizure (since you described the shaking and falling over). At the time of this type of seizure, a bit of Karo syrup on the gums can help bring them out of it. Chins prone to this type of seizure should have shorter playtimes as well as access to food during the playtime to prevent their blood sugar from dropping. A small treat given at playtime may help as well.

 

[Luciole]

Thanks for everyone's replies.

aznmexaggie: I thought of hypoglycemia, too, but he hadn't been playing for very long, less than 20 minutes and had access to his food bowl. I gave him a vitamin C treat (1/4 tablet of vitamin C) after I became alarmed by his strange movements to see if he was well enough to accept a treat and he ate it quite eagerly.

RDZCRanch: Is there a way to make a playpen interesting? The reason that I haven't purchased one is that the chins seem to enjoy climbing over/under furniture, with a lot of space to explore. My living room is as chinchilla "proofed" as it can be, but the little furballs are such chewers by nature, testing everything, that it can never be 100% safe. They both have wheels for exercise, so playtime has always been more about exploration/climbing/jumping for them.

tunes: Thank you for your words of support. Actually, a pinched nerve was one of the other possibilities that the vets mentioned. I take the chins to the vet school's teaching hospital where they first see 4th year vetmed students and are then examined by the vet. Hearing multiple perspectives is always helpful, especially in cases like this.

 

[tunes]

You can have lots of fun with play pens really inexpensively. Your local grocery store and a carpet store can decorate a playpen quite nicely. Get some boxes, cut doors and windows in them. Get the tubes that are in the center of carpet rolls and cut them up into different length tunnels. I used to buy a huge grapevine wreath and throw that in the center and watch the chins try and drag it around while they munched. I'm talking a foot and a half wide. It was hours of mindless entertainment for them.

If you're creative you can make houses and stuff out of wood as well. I just won't get near a saw because I'm sure I'd whack a finger off.

 

[Luciole]

aznmexaggie: The temp in my apartment had risen to ~71 degrees at the time of his "seizure." I try to keep the chin room at no greater than 67-68, but we're in the midst of a heat wave. My AC is going full blast, but it is still about ~72 degrees in my apt right now. Not ideal but the chins don't seem too uncomfortable. No more playtimes until weather gets better, however.

 

[Luciole]

I used to buy a huge grapevine wreath and throw that in the center and watch the chins try and drag it around while they munched. I'm talking a foot and a half wide. It was hours of mindless entertainment for them.

Sounds wonderful. Where do you buy grapevine wreaths? Locally or online? Maybe I could mount one on the wall that Ludwig targets for chewing (still can't figure out how he has managed to chew a flat surface, btw).

I found a website called Binky Bunny which features a ton of play things (houses, toys) that would be appropriate for chinchillas. There is a really cute, but expensive cardboard maze. Maybe I can find a cheaper alternative. Not sure that I want to spend $30 dollars on something that can be destroyed so easily.
http://store.binkybunny.com/shared/...t2=289954781&CategoryID=4&Target=products.asp

 

[tunes]

Now you know why I recommended the grocery store. Much cheaper with free boxes you cut holes in yourself. You can link them together with the carpet tubes too.

I bought my wreaths at Michael's. They always had them in multiple sizes, so I would get tiny ones for single cages, bigger ones for multiple cages, and the monster one for play time.

 

[ann1]

Now you know why I recommended the grocery store. Much cheaper with free boxes you cut holes in yourself. You can link them together with the carpet tubes too.

I bought my wreaths at Michael's. They always had them in multiple sizes, so I would get tiny ones for single cages, bigger ones for multiple cages, and the monster one for play time.

I always wondered if the wreaths from stores were safe. I didnt know if they were treated with something or just plain willow/grapevine

 

[Luciole]

Thanks Tunes, there are two Michael's in my city. I've never been to one but will check it out and get some grape vines.