Chinchillas can't see in pitch black. They need some sort of light in the room like a night light. Notice they have round pupils like humans. Animals will special night vision, like cats, have the longer pupils. The funny thing about chinchillas is that they run by memory not by sight. You may have noticed that if you let your chinchilla out to play in a room regularly and then move something in the room your chinchilla will slam right into it.
omg, they do too.. i feel so bad, most of the times, when the girls are out, both bottom cage doors are open, and they go in and out, and in and out.. well sometimes when i want to put them away, i will shut one of them, and one of them will come running up, jump and SLAM into the door, i feel horrible.. but if i leave them both open, when i put one in, she'll get back out while i'm trying to get the other..