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[mojito]

So Dexter just had a seizure about 10 minutes ago. He was napping in my dresser where I have removed a line of drawers for him to run around in. During this time every day hes taking a little bit of a catnap, he always does it in there instead of his cage (if I put him back in he acts like he wants to come back out then will nap there again). He was fed Mazuri pellets and timothy hay not long ago, and was very energetic/normal before his scheduled nap. My boyfriend saw that he started to open his eyes and called out his name very softly. Dexter looked up at Max and then immediately went into a seizure. He didn't curl up very much, more like doubled over. The spasms seemed to occur on his abdomen, legs and face. His eyes were open and his mouth was open with his tongue out. He was on his side and on the edge of the dresser so I held him on his left side and just stroked him and spoke to him until it was over. It took about a minute total. He then seemed a little tired, and wanted to stay cuddling with me and did not want to leave my hand when I tried to set him down (which is unusual for him, he is about 5 months old and loves to play instead of cuddle).  I held him and petted him until he wanted down, he acted a bit dazed for a minute and seemed to scope out his play area again like it was new, but is now acting completely normal. My room was at 72 degrees and it is not humid. I do not think it is head trauma or heat shock, he scales the walls and occasionally runs into the cardboard wall or falls off one of his levels (the cage is 41" high, his highest level is about 36").
The only health problem he has had is a prolapsed penis a few days ago, but after treating it with a small amount of Vaseline and checking for hair rings we have not seen any other problems with that. He has also never had a seizure that we've ever seen, and usually someone is with him in the room (the only times not is during school hours).

I can take him to the vet tomorrow if they will take him and if you think I should. I just want to make sure its okay to take him to the vet the day after, I don't want the stress to be more harm then good.
I have looked on the internet but I think I am freaking out a bit too much to take this all rationally, especially since there are a number of causes that it could be associated with.

Sorry this is so long, any advice would be really appreciated. Thank you.

[GrayRodent]

That would be pretty freaky. As you know there can be several possible causes. I guess you could probably rule things out like nutritional deficiency or head trauma. Only the vet can rule out things like tumors, metabolic, or vascular causes. With it being so young I suppose it could still be congenital and is just now showing up. I think getting it examined by a vet could be worth it especially if it's metabolic. Since it really hasn't been under a lot of stress now is probably the time in case this starts flaring up again and turning into real stress. If it's epilepsy you might want to keep a towel over the cage while travelling to minimize sudden changes in light that can cause a flare-up. That's my two cents anyway.

[AnnieHank]

That sounds really scary. I hope he's okay. Keep us updated.

[mojito]

It was very scary! I talked to a breeder who has done a lot of research with various chin health problems, and has had one chin seizure in the past 2 decades of breeding. Talking to her ab his diet, routine and seizure symptoms she really felt that it was a calcium fit. The only exotic vet that has seen more than a few chinchillas a year around here is in charlotte. She also has spoken a lot to researchers in PA who are studying chinchilla seizures. Although I have no problem taking him up there (its about a 4 hour drive) I figured I would give him some supplements and see how the week is. He has been acting super happy and normal. We are watching carefully for any other signs of anything so I'm hoping he will be okay! I'm going to get his new feed (Im going to switch him to Kline, I think the Mazuri may have lost its nutrition while sitting for a while at petsmart) and supplements this week so I'll definitely let you guys know.

[GrayRodent]

Calcium is a very stable substance. Organic compounds will break down in old food but calcium will not. I can't find any info on the Kline diet but I know Mazuri is .90 percent calcium by mass. If you have a label that will give you something to compare, but I don't think the diet is a problem. Another thing you can do is check the date on the food. I wouldn't use anything older than 6 months. There are certainly benefits to supplementing calcium including reducing the risk of malocclusion caused by osteoporosis.

If it really is calcium deficient there may still be an abnormality that is causing it. Hopefully it's just a freak incident that will never occur again.

[mojito]

Although Calcium will not decay, Calcium Gluconate is the organic compound that is preferred for chinchillas diet, and it can break down (don't know how long it takes however). Even though I do like the Mazuri, the expiration dates are a year after its been milled and it varies how long the nutritional value will be good depending on temperature and other things. Im just switching to this food because I will be able to get it shipped to my house when it will be 2-2 1/2 months at the oldest stored cold. The supplement also has other vitamins and minerals that he could be deficient in like B vitamins. He has been normal with no seizures so far since, eating/drinking/pottying normally so we will see!

[jrod1195]

My Delilah has seizures as well, she's had them since she was a little thing. When she was with the breeder for the first few weeks, she never had a problem that the breeder noticed. She actually just had one last night, I've become accustomed to waking up if I hear them in my sleep. The breeder I got her from recommended I see a vet, but I don't live near any and I'm still searching, although there isn't a lot a vet could do I'd still like to try. My breeder also recommended I give Delilah a raisin or something now and then to maybe offset low blood sugar, which has seemed to have done the trick. The seizures are spreed farther apart, but they still do happen. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here. 

[lilchinchilla]

It can be thiamine deficiency, calcium deficiency, or it could even have to do with low blood sugar levels. Was your chinchilla active or out playing a lot prior to the episode?

Most commonly it has to do with low blood sugar levels in most chinchillas which usually occurs right after they are active (not all chins have this problem when they are out to play, but some do.). Giving a treat with some sugar content prior to play time can sometimes offset this from occurring in chinchillas who are prone to that.

I know of one person who has a chin with thiamine deficiency and they were diagnosed by a blood test done by their vet. Calcium deficiency usually can be noticed quite easily by just looking at their teeth. Pale yellow or white teeth tend to signify calcium deficiency.

[mojito]

Thanks jrod, its good to know I'm not alone and that theres someone calm and a bit more experienced about it to talk to! He hasn't had one since, which is good; really makes me think that it was calcium deficiency. His seizure did happen during play-time but he was actually catnapping for around 15-20 mins prior to the seizure. When he woke up from it is when he had one, so I'm positive it wasn't due to activity levels. He goes pretty hard a lot of times when he's out and it has never happened (other than that one time). We did give him a raisin about 20 minutes after his seizure (he seemed pretty loopy and tired, it helped perked him up). I was really hesitant for a while because for humans, you're not supposed to eat or drink right after a seizure until you're fully recovered. Thanks for all the advice