Sick Chinchilla Acting Strange After Vet Trip

[lydiamatteoni]

My chinchilla had the sniffles the other day, which is a sign of an upper respiratory infection, so I took him to the vet. The vet gave him an antibiotic (Convenia) and a steroid shot. The vet said he should be feeling better in a few days.

Today his sniffles have gotten better and is eating again and is much more lively. But, he has been sleeping on his side and there are a lot of times where he goes to stand up but he sort of stretches or sprawls out first, and then stands up. It seems almost like he is putting pressure on the area where they gave him a shot to alleviate the pain.

He normally does not sleep on his side, but ever since he got those shots yesterday he has been sleeping on his sides. I put a little fan near his cage that I have been turning on and off throughout the day to try and keep him cool in case the antibiotics are making him a little warm, but he still continues to sleep on his side.

Eating habits seem fine, he's drinking water, and he has been pretty active.

Any suggestions or ideas of why this may be? I am a worried chin mom!

 

[ticklechin]

Steroid use in chinchillas is usually not acceptable unless its either try that or die, it could be the cause of the issue since it can cause paralysis, a non steroidal anti-inflammatory such as metacam is used in chinchillas.