Has my chin had some sort of fit?

[Vulcans memory]

Hi, recently adopted two chins, keep them in a cool room, with a three tier cage, we have been getting to know each other slowly and at their place.
I have made a run for them out of card board boxes so they can come out of their cage in their own t time while i sit and wait. This seems to be going down well.
Today though, as if out of nowhere my one chin seemed to be hugging the floor and appeared to have lost her balance! I helped her back into her home where she stumbled about looking dazed, at one point i was talking gently to her when she even let me strike her for a good 30 seconds, doesn't usually like that. I sat with her by the cage for some time, fanned her in case she was hot, although the room was not at all heated, and i was fine with a jumper on.
I have left her quietly in her cage now after half a raisin in case of low blood sugar levels.
I guess as a fairly new owner, i am asking if anyone else has had a similar experience? I cant see where she would have found anything nasty to eat as i was sat with them, and didn't appear to be any large jump which could have injured her.

Any support of feedback would be appreciated, i shall check on her frequently...

 

[Smidgeyy]

While I have never had that happen, I wouldn't give them anymore raisins.
Chins can't process sugar so raisins are not healthy treats for them.

She could have been spooked by something, but otherwise I have no clue.

 

[Vulcans memory]

She seems back to her old self today, i wondered if she might have got too excited and blacked out, she was popcorning lots...

And i had heard raisins in moderation (1/2 - 1, 1-2 Times a week) were okay, and i have seen some books say yes, some say no, it is always a tiny bit, and i very often nibble a bit off myself to make sure it is a small piece. You would advise against this?

Thanks for the reply, had she not recovered so darn quick id have been straight to the vets. My sister has epilepsy, so have seen a fair few fits in my time, i wonder if epilepsy is possible?

 

[Amethyst]

It sounds like a possible seizure, in chins it's not like the violent jerking like you get in humans, they mostly kind of go into a trance like state and can loose balance. As said raisins are not good, chins should not have any fruits or vegetables, fresh or dry. It's easiest to think of chinchillas like a diabetic, they don't have the ability to digest sugars properly and that can lead to kidney failure and diabetes (with all the issues that go along with it) over time.
I read an article a few years back (I can't find it now ) about a study on raisins in the chin's diet, and they found the average lifespan of chins fed raisins on a regular basis was only 7 years (normal lifespan for a chin is 15-20). Unfortunately raisin have been the go to snack suggested for chins for awhile now, so you are going to find a lot of sources saying they are fine, but that info is now outdated and wrong.

Possible caused for seizures are;
Over exertion especially if the chin is young, chins under 6 months should have very limited playtime/out of cage time if at all. Some chins even when older need to have their playtime limited since they don't seem know when to stop.
Over heating, the temp should be low, below 75F (24C), ideally lower if the chin is out playing and low humidity, below 50%.
High or low sugar, as said they can't process sugars, their natural diet is very bland, and most pellet foods already contain all the sugar the chin needs/can handle. The pellet food you feed should also be pellets only, no added junk, once again that just adds more sugars.
Those are most likely (if it was a seizure) based on the description of it occurring during playtime out of the cage.
A more scary cause is a brain tumor or infection (though the symptoms wouldn't just go away as you described). It can also be genetic, something could be wrong with the brain wiring, showing up now that chin is grown, or if still young as it's growing or when the chin gets over excited. There is one people on here who's male chin can't even see females without getting so worked up he seizes. Also epilepsy is possible in chinchillas, if a similar thing happens again you should get the chin check out by a vet.

 

[Vulcans memory]

Thank you for such a great reply