Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[kieramae]

I have recently got two new chinchillas. The one started to have fits and the vets diagnosed epilepsy. But said there was nothing we could do and was not very helpful with tips to get him to recover faster so he can get up and move about, as it takes a lot out of him.
So does anyone else have any tips or suggestions?

[GrayRodent]

I'm sorry you are having issues with your pet. If you got your pet from a breeder please inform them as they may be interested in your case. Reputable breeders will remove chinchillas from breeding if they produce epileptic pets since it is a genetic problem. Unfortunately seizures can be caused by other things as well.

Did your vet do any blood work? Could it be an issue with diabetes, calcium or electrolyte deficiency, heart or kidney function? Usually seizures have underlying causes along those lines but not always.
Do you notice any patterns or connections between his behavior to try to find what triggers it?
What diet are you feeding?
What is its environmental temperature?
Has your chinchillas ever been exposed to high temperatures over 80F for prolonged periods or have had extreme heat stress in the past? This can cause brain damage that can cause seizures.
Has your chinchilla ever been dropped or received an injury to its head?
With epilepsy the only thing you can do is make sure he has a cool and restful place to go to. (See following post). The seizures will make him very hot and he will have to cool down before he gets back up once the seizure is over. Don't do anything rash just make sure his environment is normally 73F or below.

[kageri]

Reduce stress and light exposure as much as possible.  Stress is a major trigger of seizures in rodents.  Sometimes even fully healthy rodents will have minor seizures when stressed such as intros that don't go well or a day of loud noises.  Lights are the easiest way to set off a seizure.  A calm, quiet, dim lighted environment might reduce the seizures.  At least for now while you come up with what to do about them.

Then I'd find another vet.  There are plenty of seizure medications that were tested on animals first and have been used in cats and dogs.  I'm actually taking 2.  Your vet is either stupid or just assumes a chinchilla is not worth paying for the medication.  You should at least be given the choice of paying for those meds or not.

[kieramae]

Thank you for your replies.
His diet and environmental temperature are fine. I will be having blood work done but as a result of the fits he has now got a chest infection so its get him through this then do blood work.
I will be looking for a more experienced vet.