Chinchilla fell about 10 feet

[errorunknown]

I had Nacho running around in my room and he escaped out of my room. The center area of the second floor has a barrier on one side overlooking the first floor. He had escaped before and only looked over the edge before. Tonight he ran out and just went over the edge. I ran over on the verge of tears and saw his little body brush up against the wall, rotating him so that he landed on his back I think. I quickly ran down and had walked for a big. I grabbed him and brought him back up to his cage. Before I put him in I felt his legs and paws and did not feel a fracture. Once I put him down in his cage he hopped around and started eating his hay. I gave him a raisin and he ate it as normal. He was a bit reserved at first but I think it was from the shock of the accident. I'm having trouble believing that nothing happened to him. Is it possible for a chin to survive a ~10 foot fall onto tile?? He looks fine now but if he shows any strange signs I will go to the vet right away. I'm worried that he might have internal injuries. I feel terrible and know that I let Nacho down.

 

[tunes]

Hairline fractures will not show up on palpation, nor will internal bleeding. Keep a close eye on him. Chins are the bottom of the food chain. He will hide his pain or illness until it's too late to save him. If you have ANY thoughts that he is in distress, take him to a vet right away.

I would also suggest not letting him run there again. Take him downstairs next time. These little buggers are so FAST, it can be really hard to keep track of them.

 

[errorunknown]

Hairline fractures will not show up on palpation, nor will internal bleeding. Keep a close eye on him. Chins are the bottom of the food chain. He will hide his pain or illness until it's too late to save him. If you have ANY thoughts that he is in distress, take him to a vet right away.

I would also suggest not letting him run there again. Take him downstairs next time. These little buggers are so FAST, it can be really hard to keep track of them.

Thanks, I normally close the door to my bedroom, but someone came in and I forgot to close it. I'm going to sleep soon, but will definitely keep a close eye on him. I'm very worried about internal bleeding so might visit the vet just in case. Is there anything a vet can do for internal bleeding on such a small animal?

 

[vimkgt]

Many years ago, I also had a chin who jumped off a 2nd floor balcony and hit the tiles before I knew better... He broke his back or neck and was paralyzed to the point where his hind legs didn't work at all, and I could see that his front teeth were visibly loose. I had him put down immediately unfortunately. 15 feet is a long way down.

I'd say if your chin hit the wall on the way down that probably helped the impact a bit and probably saved his life. Still, he's most likely been seriously injured somehow but you just can't see it. Falling from that height can not only break arm/leg bones but also can cause serious teeth injuries that you won't see without x-ray and that the chin might hide until it's too late. And as tunes mentioned, there could be internal bleeding that you won't know about until it's too late.

 

[Riven]

There really isn't much to do for internal bleeding for chins. I personally would not take him to the vet unless he's showing any signs of illness, it would just cause more stress.

Hairline fractures will heal on their own with rest, the vet would not reset them anyway. Make sure he's eating and drinking, pooping and peeing. He may be more tired if his body is healing, but if he gets lethargic then you need to be concerned.

 

[AZChins]

I hope he's alright. I probably would have taken him to the vet, but that's because I would have been so worried out of my mind that I would have had to go just to make sure he was alright. Chins can survive falls pretty well sometimes, but 15 feet is a long distance for anything to fall.

Please let us know how he is doing this morning.

 

[InkedupTara]

I hope he's alright. I probably would have taken him to the vet, but that's because I would have been so worried out of my mind that I would have had to go just to make sure he was alright. Chins can survive falls pretty well sometimes, but 15 feet is a long distance for anything to fall.

Please let us know how he is doing this morning.

I think this would have been my frame of mind, too. I hope he is feeling ok and not lethargic today. I will look back for a hopefully happy update.

 

[errorunknown]

Hey all, Nacho is looking good this morning. Hopped around for a bit when I woke him up but is in his normal sleeping spot right now. Breathing seems normal and he ate and drank water. Going to keep a close eye, strongly thinking about a vet check up but don't want to stress him as he hates his carrier.

 

[errorunknown]

Took some pictures of where Nacho fell (he hit the wall on the right first and flipped to his back/side) and how he is right now. Little sleepy but still hopping and eating.

http://i.imgur.com/1V4DC.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/B1cs3.jpg

 

[AZChins]

Thank goodness!! That could have turned out so badly.

One thing that would be worth checking on him would be his teeth. I know that sounds strange, but from such a fall he could have hit the bottom of his mouth on the floor or even the impact could have caused some problems. I've had this happen a few times with customers that have had chins fall...and not fall nearly as far as Mr. Nacho! Have the vet look those over when he goes in just to make sure that he didn't break his teeth. One time a three or four foot fall knocked out the top top incisors in a little female...I remember how freaked out her owner got! Luckily there wasn't too much trauma and the teeth actually grew back.

Other than that...I hope he isn't too bruised up. I am amazed he didn't break a leg!! What a lucky little critter...but I don't think chins have nine lives like cats, maybe two, so make sure that he doesn't engage in any more risky flights from the second floor!

 

[errorunknown]

Thank goodness!! That could have turned out so badly.

One thing that would be worth checking on him would be his teeth. I know that sounds strange, but from such a fall he could have hit the bottom of his mouth on the floor or even the impact could have caused some problems. I've had this happen a few times with customers that have had chins fall...and not fall nearly as far as Mr. Nacho! Have the vet look those over when he goes in just to make sure that he didn't break his teeth. One time a three or four foot fall knocked out the top top incisors in a little female...I remember how freaked out her owner got! Luckily there wasn't too much trauma and the teeth actually grew back.

Other than that...I hope he isn't too bruised up. I am amazed he didn't break a leg!! What a lucky little critter...but I don't think chins have nine lives like cats, maybe two, so make sure that he doesn't engage in any more risky flights from the second floor!

Thanks! Yeah I have to check and make sure he isn't a cat! I checked his teeth and they looked normal as far as I can tell, no chips and no looseness.

 

[InkedupTara]

Far better to stress him out, and find something early, rather than waiting and not being able to have fixed something if caught early. Hope he continues to do well.

 

[Jenn]

Glad to hear that your chin was lucky enough to escape injury! Obviously it could have been so much worse. It's incredible how fast a situation can turn bad and accidents happen. Keep watching your baby the next few days to make sure he continues to seem ok with eating and pooping and moving around.

Also, just a side note, raisins are not good for your chin. There are some healthier treats, like plain cheerios and plain shreddies, oats and chins treats people on here make and sell.

 

[Lillybabe]

I am also glad to hear your little guy seems to be doing well. As others said I'd take him to the vet myself. If for nothing else but my own peace of mind. Also, I'd be sure to not allow anyone to open your door during playtime from now on. And perhaps you could put something up to block the pathway out of your room or the hall way during playtime, just incase. Chinchillas are super curious and master escape artists. Having playtime somewhere on the lower level is also an option. I agree with Jenn who said no more raisins. They are very bad for their health.

 

[mydoublechins]

I hope your little chinny is okay now. I had a similar thing happen with a hamster (smaller fall of course) and he seemed fine but a few days later was not and we lost him. I have spent so much trying to save hamsters I decided to let this one take it's course as he did NOT seem to be in any distress. I was wrong this time.

I am so hoping for a happy ending, and as a new chin owner I am finding myself terrified of something unforseen happening with my new chin babies. I have wanted chins my whole life but have waited until I could offer them the right environment and enough time (I now work for myself and have much more free time).

At the moment we live in a bungalow but next house move (a year or less) will probably have stairs. This is a very good warning for me to ensure they are safe...but please don't beat yourself up....all humans make errors, it is unfortunately a sad fact of life.

The only place outside their current cardboard play pen (outside the cardboard is a metal play pen but the bars are too wide set for babies) that I can think of to play is the hall but it is not carpeted and I am wondering if I should get carpet for a softer landing should their antics get out of hand?

Hoping for good news on your situation.

Kindest Regards,

Mel

 

[errorunknown]

Hey all, thanks for the kind words.

I have good news for everyone. I took Nacho to the vet to make sure that I didn't miss anything. He ran on his wheel all right, ate his food, and pooped as normal. The vet gave him a good lookever and said that everything was ok! No broken bones or fractures, heart, lungs, and GI sounded normal, teeth looked normal, back and spine in good shape too. Someone must've been looking over our shoulder's when this happened, very fortunate indeed and will make sure that nothing like this will happen again. Thanks again everybody!

 

[AZChins]

AWESOME!! I am so glad to hear Nacho is alright.

Lucky lucky little chin. I guess we will know him from here on out as Mr. Nacho, the flying chin. He really had better not try any more stunts like that.

 

[errorunknown]

AWESOME!! I am so glad to hear Nacho is alright.

Lucky lucky little chin. I guess we will know him from here on out as Mr. Nacho, the flying chin. He really had better not try any more stunts like that.

Haha I'll call him that from now on!
Something for you guys to see how he is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Da1KW4QKOY
[youtube]7Da1KW4QKOY[/youtube]

 

[Cuddlebug]

He looks good. By the way, broccoli leaves are not good for chinchillas. They should not have veggies or fruit of ANY kind. Broccoli leaves are just as bad as the part we normally eat and could give him bloat or diarrhea.

 

[Riven]

I don't mean to be a sourpuss but along the lines of what Susan said, a lot of ranchers will mark if a chin every flies out of a cage and takes a hard fall because it can cause issues with their teeth later in life. Chances are the vet didn't look to see if his jaw was out of alignment which might not saw up for several weeks of wear on the teeth, and you can't see internal bone or socket injuries. Although there is no hard research to back this up, I would personally consider him higher risk for malo and monitor him closely from now on.

Glad that everything is good so far! And agreed with the diet changes. The best diet for a chin is a high quality pellet, hay, and clean water. That's all they need, everything else is junk food.