|
|
Post by jacquie on Jun 7, 2015 22:15:40 GMT
Please advice needed.. My 18 month male chin just started twitching then rolled over. Got him out and his breathing laboured .. Whiskers seem to be down at one side. Can he be having a stroke? What to do? Breathing a little better now
|
|
|
|
Post by saddlers on Jun 7, 2015 22:28:42 GMT
Jacquie I am sorry to hear about your situation, I am afraid like a majority of our forum members I am a degu owner, so can not offer much advice, although we do have some chinchilla owners, hopefully one of them will be along soon to offer some advice.
How is he now?
|
|
|
|
Post by moletteuk on Jun 8, 2015 13:31:40 GMT
Did you get him to the vet? You could try chinformative.com for more help, but I think a vet is the best person to help.
|
|
|
|
Post by polly on Jun 10, 2015 10:31:41 GMT
Does your chinchilla have a history of these symptoms? Had your chin been exercised immediately before this happened, and if so, what was the temperature in the exercise area. What is the current diet and general health status of your chin. Please post more details as as much information as possible may give clues.
|
|
|
|
Post by jacquie on Jun 16, 2015 13:19:06 GMT
Thannks guy's. He had been out both playing and in my arm's. Turn's out it was "stress". Chin's can do this sometimes if over exersised which can cause stress. He had been out a little longer than usaual so that's all we can put it down to. This has'nt happened before nor again so we will just have to minamise his exersise routine. He has been fine ever since. Not sure if this has happened before but will make sure it doesn't happen again lol. Thank you for all your answers. Jacquie X
|
|
|
|
Post by polly on Jun 16, 2015 16:32:18 GMT
Hi Jacquie,
i would not just assume that your chin was suffering stress, Fitting can be serious, and can reoccur quite easily. You mentioned exercise just prior to the initial fit. The best advise is to stop any out of cage exercise, and keep handling your chin to a minimum if the temperature goes over 20 degrees outside.. Chins can Overheat very quickly, and I suspect this was the cause of the fit, rather than stress. I hope this helps.
|
|
|
|
Post by kaliska on Jun 18, 2015 6:14:30 GMT
Mine exercise fine to 75F (23c) but I am finding chins from some breeders are not so durable. The breeder I got most of mine has been breeding them in less strict temps for generations and got them from people breeding them in less strict temps. This is why with rabbits we do not change their breeding conditions (within reason) to get more rabbits. We cut from breeding the rabbits who can't handle the conditions. For example in the south you will find them handling heat easier and in the north you'll find them raising litters through cold better. I think the same applies to other animals like chins. Mine have never had heat or blood sugar issues but I hear about it all the time from others. We have had days of 80F inside when AC malfunctioned and we still didn't lose any. Aika just flopped at the edge of the cage with her belly fur sticking through the bars as if to say "see how hot I am?". Over 75F we do restrict exercise and start taking cooling measures. With our metal pans setting a bottle of ice on them really spreads the coolness and can reduce the cage floor by several degrees.
I suggest keeping a bottle of water in the freezer for emergencies. If a chin starts acting odd in temps that aren't kept really low wrap the bottle in a safe cloth and set the chin near it until you can determine the problem or get to a vet. Fleece is the only completely approved fabric to use but with constant supervision most cloth without loose strings should be fine. Take it away if your chin is active enough to try to chew on it. Make sure your chins have food at all times and do not get them out after they've been sleeping for awhile without getting them to eat something. Some chins will end up with low blood sugar if they exercise suddenly on an empty stomach. If you are exercising multiple chins watch for any aggressive behavior. Seizures can happen in rodents from stressful social interactions. Add exercise in or any of the other factors that risk problems and it can be enough to cause an episode.
|
|
|
|
Post by polly on Jun 18, 2015 16:52:53 GMT
I would still not recommend exercise at temps of above 70 degrees, especially when the humidity is also taken into consideration. The combination can be lethal to chins.
|
|
