What are the signs of head tilt?

[inkling]

I think I just need someone to tell me to calm down and stop worrying.

Last week, I had to take my chinchilla to the vet for a potential eye infection. They found nothing wrong with him and sent me home with antibiotic eye drops just in case (and because I was so worried). He likely got something in his eye and I got it out prior the vet visit. His feet were also irritated/dried/etc., so the vet told me to watch them.

Through the whole thing, he's acted entirely normal. He chirps and bounces around and even sort of wall-surfed off the side of his cage when my boyfriend came home for the weekend on Friday. He's been peppy and eating and drinking and everything. He gets grumpy with me and very suspicious when I do anything that indicates I'll be grabbing him to administer the eye drops, but there's nothing I can do about that (and I think he realizes it's for his own good, he stops resisting when I have the dropper over his eye).

Then this weekend I got a fever, I have at least one bad infection, I'm going to the doctor's tomorrow, and it's got me worried about everything left and right.

I've noticed him laying down on his side more often, though. Maybe I've just been paying too close attention/being worried with all these health disasters. He lays like that frequently in his hammock but I saw him doing it in new places. That doesn't sound like anything to be worried about, right? If anything, that means he's just more comfortable and enjoying new parts of his cage? Or that he's always done it and I'm just noticing it because I've been home all day this weekend and I'm worried about him.

I also noticed him sitting on a shelf and before he plopped down, he tilted his head towards the floor a couple times, as if measuring how to lay down. It looks a lot like they do when they dust bath. Is that normal?

He's not walking in circles, he's not falling, his head isn't frequently tilted to one side or the other... He took his dust bath without a problem.

I've heard him sneeze maybe four times over the weekend... but I know that could also just be from dust...

Should I calm down? Should I call my vet and make sure they checked for these things? I have to imagine they did from the sounds of it, but I don't know.

Would the antibiotic eye drops take care of anything potentially going on? I'm a biophysicist, so part of me knows that yes, that antibiotic is going into his bloodstream and should take care of any infection... but I'm also not sure about the blood flow in their ears and if the antibiotic would get to any potential issue in his ears and.. I don't know.

I think I'm just freaking out because this has been a rough week, but I could use some reassurance.

Thank you, guys, as usual.

 

[Newt]

The laying down in new places: has the temp at your place changed? Has it gotten any warmer?

The head tilt before laying: he's probs just getting comfy, or "measuring" like you say. Just watch him when he has play out time....you'll know if he's tilting or walking/jumping oddly

The eye drops: have you booked for a re-visit at the vets? He should be reassessed after the course of eye drops. Yes drops are a pain to apply, but keep going...he'll get over it eventually!

The dry feet: get some bag balm for him, apply and keep an eye on him.

The sneezing: is he wheezing? Breathing heavily? Is there mucus coming from his nose? If yes to any of these, then get to the vet fast. If not, then continue to listen out, and mention it to the vet when he goes back for his eye check.

Okay.... now take a deep breath, and RELAX! If he's eating/drinking and pooping normally, then most likely all is well

If you're still stressing, you can always call the vet for a chat. Good vets are usually available for quick calls from worried owners!

 

[inkling]

It has been getting warmer outside (from all those frigid winter temperatures to 40s and 50s), but that's still lower than what we keep the apartment at (68).

Thank you! I figured as much, but my gosh, I'm just on disaster control or something. He definitely runs and laps his cage no problem. Just this last weekend he did a little wall-surf off the side of the cage like it was nothing.

I haven't, and they didn't mention it, probably because they found nothing wrong with him when I brought him in? He hates the drops more and more, every time I do it. And he knows. He kind of glumly accepts it once it's done but waits grumpily for his treat (which has been mostly vine wreaths [his favorite] or just a bit of lavender).

His feet have been looking stupendous. I don't know what happened while I was gone, but they healed up pretty quick. They are practically normal again, and I let him have a dust bath on Sunday. I will keep watching them and look for some balm!

His nose is 100% dry and fine. I played with it a bunch last night to be certain, and he twitched it all over the place and I didn't see anything from any angle. I don't think there's been any wheezing or heavy breathing, though he has made a slightly different noise occasionally when sleeping sometimes. I think it's a very soft chirp-whimper thing? It sounds similar to when he had a bad nightmare some months ago and whimpered in his sleep, but again, softer and quieter. I wouldn't be surprised if the eye drop application has him stressed out enough to be making that sort of noise in his sleep.

Food and water keep going like crazy! He's still chewing up his toys and all of his poop looks fine. I've been cleaning his poop up more than usual so I'm having a harder time gauging whether or not it's the same amount as usual, but I imagine it is.

Gah, thank you so much! He's only got today and tomorrow left for drops and I can't wait to play with him again.

 

[Newt]

It sounds like he might have had a minor corneal scratch, like from a piece of hay or something, and that the vet has prescribed a topical antibiotic just as a prophylactic measure.
Anyways, it sounds like everything is going well with the little guy! I don't think you have any reasons to worry right now! Hurray!!

 

[inkling]

If even that! He had his eye shut and there were goobers. Once I pulled them out of the fur around his eye, his eye immediately started to look better, so I don't know if it even hurt him! But I took him in to be certain nothing else was going on.

Thank you so, so, so much for walking me through everything! I really appreciate it (and he doesn't know it, but Chillermo appreciates it too).