running into things

[xphile]

So I have only had my chinchilla, Queequg (Q for short), for about a month. Last week she had issue with something in her eye. I flushed it with a saline solution and she was fine after that. Today when I let her out for playtime, I noticed that she is randomly running into things. Not hard, but it's almost like she is having trouble stopping or her depth perception is off. It's not all the time and only happened about 4 or 5 times in an hour.

Any ideas on what this could be? Is it a vet worthy situation? If so, does anyone now of any good vets in the Pittsburgh area? Thanks in advance for any help!

Big Al

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

She could have scratched her eye on something and may be having trouble seeing out of that eye. I, personally, would go to the vet just to make sure. But maybe someone with more experience could shed a bit more light on this, for you.

 

[caiti]

I would say bring her to the vet. She could be having vision problems (maybe from the irritated eye if it was damaged) or neurological problems or something else, I am not an expert on these things.

My chin sometimes bumps into things every once in a while if she's running real fast. I read somewhere that they don't have great depth perception. Is this a new thing? Have you had her long or is it something you didn't notice before? If it isn't normal for her and she's doing it inconsistently I would worry that something is going on.

There's a list of vets people on here have found and recommend somewhere on the site. I think under health and hygiene maybe, up at the top of the page.

EDIT: just saw your post Bostongirl, oops--similar sentiments we posted anyways.

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

Not a problem, Caiti! Great chin minds and all that jazz! Maybe seeing two people who would take their chin to the vet will help make the decision to take his to the vet, a little easier!

 

[xphile]

Before I had let her out for play time I had taken her to the vet to have her eye checked and there wasn't a scratch. I haven't let her really run around the room yet until this week because I was chin proofing the room. I will keep an eye on her. She seems to only run into things that are reflective like mirrors and shiny metal. I wonder is the fact that it looks like there is still room to run affecting her?

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

She could very well think there is another chin in the room and and is trying to get to it. Try covering up these surfaces and see what happens!

 

[greychins]

I would say it's possible that she thinks the room keeps going on... I've seen many well-placed mirrors that make a room look much bigger... and I know what a "mirror" is, versus a chin which can't understand that it's just a reflection... I agree, try covering those surfaces and see if your chin still runs into stuff...

 

[Chub_Chub]

I have a floor length mirror in my room and all the chins were a little freaked out by their reflection the first few times. And yes, a couple ran into it thinking it was another chin in the mirror. :thumbsup: Silly boys.