Playtime accident

[Tillygizmo]

During playtime tonight, one of my girls pulled out one our plastic drawers with her teeth as she does from time to time. A little later on she attempted to jump on top of the set of drawers and she missed. On her way back down she caught her leg for a second. This means that her one leg went inside the drawer while the rest of her continued to fall. She was stuck by it for a second. When she landed she hobbled a little. The inside of her leg has a tiny cut from being stuck. She is using her leg, but it seems that it doesnt look quite right. It isnt sticking out or crooked, but when she walks it seems that one is delayed.

I need to knwo if I should bring her to an emergency vet or if I should let her rest. I have a hard time weighing if the stress is worth it in this case...She is super sensitive to changes. Please let me know what you all think

 

[Kansas City Chinchillas]

I would put her in a small cage or carrier for the night. See how it is in the morning and take her to the vet if she needs it.

 

[Tillygizmo]

When she gets into er carrier, she freaks out aat being confined and tugs a lot on the door and gets all riled up. Is it okay to let her be that way in order to keep her in there?

 

[Laurie]

Can you remove the higher shelves in her cage maybe so she doesn't try to jump if she's stressed in the carrier?
If anything is broken I don't think she would be trying to jump at all. When Gordon broke his leg he did nothing but lay down in his carrier until I got him to the vet. If she's this active it seems unlikely she's in a lot of pain and has something broken, of course you can never be sure.
Did she cry out in pain when it happened or did you just see it happens as it did?

 

[Tillygizmo]

She did not cry or stop moving even for more than just a second. It was the imbalance in her hop that told me she had hurt herself from the fall. she happens to be REALLY clumsy though, and when we removed her shelves another time... she kept trying to jump onto them and falling down... I feel like it is lose- lose

 

[Quinley]

Oh my god take her to the vet PRONTO!!!! You need to check for internal injuries and you can't be sure just from looking at her. Better safe than sorry. :cry3:

 

[Tillygizmo]

any admins around ?

 

[AZChins]

What is she acting like right now? Is she still not using the leg properly?

I've had chins sprain their legs badly doing things like that. Normally it takes a few days for them to get back to normal. Taking chins to the vet for a sprain may not be the best idea because it puts them through more stress that may not be necessary.

Poor little girl...

 

[Tillygizmo]

thats what I am thinking about the situation. She is not at all hesitant to hop on it or jump from shelf to shelf.... she is also putting even weight on it when she balances on her back legs...

 

[ABBY W.]

I would say if she is still using the leg she is probably ok, maybe a muscle sprain. Think of it like you twisting your ankle, it hurts and you might limp a bit, but if you rest and baby it a little you are fine. I would try confining her to a smaller cage for tonight, maybe a cat carrier or something of that nature, put lots of toys and things for her to chew, and something for her to hide in. This will keep her from using her leg too much and give her some time to rest it. If she is still limping tomorrow, take her to the vet and have an x-ray done, just to be sure she doesn't have any fractures.

 

[AZChins]

If it were broken, she wouldn't be able to use it at all. Sprains hurt but the chins can still use the leg without it REALLY hurting. If there is a slight fracture, the vet can't do much for it except for ease her pain with maybe some medication. I'd definitely put her in a cage without any place for her to jump up high just so she doesn't hurt herself worse.

A chin will find a way to get hurt if there is any way at all to get hurt.... They are just amazingly good at that!

 

[alli713]

I agree with the others, I'd be inclined to put her in a smaller cage if you have one, or at least take out her wheel and ledges in her cage. Then see how she acts tomorrow. If she's limping tomorrow, take her to the vet.

 

[Tillygizmo]

Thanks everyone.. i fell much less worried. She has been taking hay, food, water, and herb mix that she loves. She isnt hesitant to snatch her apple sticks out of my hand as usual. She seems okay.... I will definitely keep a close watch for tomorrow and then take her to the vet if she isnt mostly back to normal.

I REALLLY appreciate it

 

[ChinchillaSteve]

When I did a bad fall my leg did hurt aswell
so it's normal he's a bit slow on that leg.

Shouldn't be a problem at all

 

[jenjenn2005]

I would just try to keep her as calm as possible and see how she is doing today. I had a chin with an injury sort of like this and she wasn't in pain she just seemed to be a little off but the next day she was fine. As for the scratch you'll want to put some blu kote on it just to make sure it doesn't get infected. A tiny scratch can cause a big infection if not treated. Hope your chin is doing better!