Chin vison/eyesight?

[frisky860]

Hi guys, so I brought my chinchilla home tonight and we took him into the bathroom for some free time. We have a gold springy type door stop behind the door. Izzy would run around the bathroom and he would come up to the door stop and run right into it everytim? Is his vison bad or is it just at a blind spot or bad angle/hight for him? He did it once and I just ignored it, but then he continued to run into it (right at eye level. His left eye actually) everytime he went to run past it. Do you think I have anything to worry about or is he just so over stimulated and everything being in a new place that he just didn't notice it... at all...?

 

[chin-nw]

Well it's possible that he doesn't see it. Chins are nocturnal and so see better in the dark. With the lights on in your bathroom and possibly the color and shape of the doorstop, he doesn't see it. It's hard to say for sure. Does he have any clouding of that eye? Scratches or anything else that might indicate something else?

 

[frisky860]

His eye is fine. I think it was just the fact that it was his first time in the bathroom so it was all new to him and because its all white in there. So with the light on, it's super bright. He's been fine ever since. Has yet to run into the door stop again. He does now try to jump up the white wall! There is nothing there, he just tries jumping. Strange little guy. Thanx for the help tho!

 

[corneliuschins]

Yes, actually I just read the other posting about chin eyes and it says that because the chin pupil can completely close itself off they can see well in bright light as well as dark dark. I notice that mine run into things if I move them, and maybe at his previous home the door didn't have anything behind it. I don't remember where I read this but I thought it was really interesting. Chinchillas do things by memory, meaning that they'll start out at one point (usually safety or a dust bath that you move them in) and then slowly test a little farther each time until they know a room completely. I've seen it with my own, and it cracks me up every time. It dosen't take much to throw them off either, just putting something where it dosen't belong can make them run into it. When they are learning a new home they take a while to not only feel comfortable running around, but to know the area. I'm betting he's just having fun, they like to play games, run into things, jump off of things, just in general go nuts. My favorite is when they run alongside the wall and then jump sideways and launch off the wall. Too funny. Anyhow, as long as the eyes look o.k., not weepy or painful for them, i'm willing to bet that he's just being a nut. Good luck. - Jessica

 

[frisky860]

Thanx! I believe that. Izzy has his own routine down where he runs laps around me and the room then darts into the bathroom to run behind the toilet then runs back out. If we stick a ball in his path he usually runs right into it!

 

[MyFuzzies]

...My favorite is when they run alongside the wall and then jump sideways and launch off the wall. Too funny. Anyhow, as long as the eyes look o.k., not weepy or painful for them, i'm willing to bet that he's just being a nut. Good luck. - Jessica

That's called wall-surfing and they LOVE to do that!! Mine will start at the top of the stairs and wall-surf all the way down!

As far as their eyesight goes, I've read several different things and am so confused about it myself LOL.

 

[ChipNOreo]

One of mine seems to have poor depth perception and will actually jump into ledges on his cage. This was more of a problem when the cage was new. The ledges are only about 8 inches above each other and he can jump 3 feet up onto my bed with no problem....However, that has stopped now that he knows his cage better.

Also, all 4 of mine will just face around the room. If I move something or someone is in their usual path, they will just run right into them. They really love to sprint across my room and jump onto the door and fly back. I really wonder if i left the door open if they would even notice :S One of mine will even wall surf in his cage. His cage is very large and the wire is 1/2 inch. He will start on one shelf and just literally bounce off the walls and up to the next shelf.

Anyway, I would not worry about your chin, unless he is acting weird or something looks wrong with his eye(s), nothing weird in the eye, no discharge, etc.