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[Mandy4g]

Last night my AC went out while I was away from home, my chinchilla was in a room that went up to 86 degrees for several hours without me even knowing. By the time I got home he was very lethargic and would not even respond when I picked him up, so I immediately took him to a cool room that was about 72 degrees and gave him cool water and some cold granite tiles. I stayed with him all night and he seemed to be much better this morning, he is capable of running around and barking when I try to pick him up, however he is mostly keeping to himself resting in a cozy corner. My main concern at this point is that he hasn't been eating or drinking since last night, I'm not sure if he just isn't thirsty or if this is a side effect of the heat. I can't take him to a vet, as I am too young to drive and unable to afford the fee at the moment. I was hoping maybe someone could give me advise as to how to make sure he is properly hydrated and maybe inform me as to any other health issues the heat may have caused that may be harder to notice or diagnose.

[GrayRodent]

I'm very sorry to hear you're having such trouble. The health issues for heat stroke will be primarily neurological but can also be internal. I'm very sad to say this but there could be severe permanent brain damage. It is too early to tell at this point. I'm not saying this to make you upset but I want to have realistic expectations. If your pet does survive it may be more susceptible to heat stroke and seizures but if the exposure was short enough you may still be okay.

It's possible you're not observing your pet eating and drinking. What you need to do is get a gram scale and weigh your pet. Unfortunately without a good baseline weight to compare it to it's not going to be very useful unless your pets condition worsens significantly.

If it really is true your pet is NOT eating or drinking then aggressive intervention will be required to save it. I recommend first checking the waterer and make sure it is dispensing properly. It's good to do this every day as routine. Wrap a rubber band around the bottle where the water level is and compare the level tomorrow morning. If there is no drop then you can confirm there has been no water intake.

One way to confirm food intake and digestive function is to observe its fecal output. If your chinchilla is defecating normally and the consistency of the feces is normal I would not worry much. If that is abnormal and you cannot get access to the proper equipment please let us know. We are not veterinarians and cannot guarantee the accuracy of any advice. Management of a sick chinchilla should be done under the covering a local experienced veterinarian. They can provide with instructions and supplies required for syringe feeding. If your pet is truly anorexic and and you do not start syringe feed by the end of today you may experience serious digestive complications that can be far worse than the heat stroke itself. A chinchilla never go more than 24 hours with food and water. They have extremely sensitive bowels and they can stop working and clog up which starves them and may result in permanent bowel obstruction.

Whatever the case you should have a plan and I recommend getting those supplies tonight if possible.

[Mandy4g]

Thank you very much for the advice, I was worried no one would respond. I have kept a close watch on him today, and he seems to be doing alright. I already have his water bottle marked so I can measure his water intake on a regular basis, and although I have not visibly seen him drinking, it shows that he has drank a little since the incident. Behavior wise he seems to be normal and quite content, however I'm not certain how to tell if there was any major neurological damage. Are there any specific signs I should be looking for as time goes by?

[GrayRodent]

Basically eating and drinking and pooping are your big markers of health. If you got that then everything else is incidental. I'm very glad to hear he's doing well. Neurological problems are usually very dramatic including choking on water and food, loss of coordination, inability to walk, head tilt, drooling, no bowel movement, inability to eat or drink from a syringe, seizures, that kind of thing. If everything is normal today I don't expect anything terrible is going to happen. These things tend to get better not worse over time. Be very careful because the next exposure to heat may not be as tolerated.

[Mandy4g]

Thank you so very much! I was so worried and stressed that he may have ended up in serious condition and may not have survived, but he seems just as happy and chipper as ever! I truly do appreciate your assistance, as it was a great help at getting my chinnie and I through this stressful experience. I will be sure to keep a closer eye on the little guy and maybe convince my parents to invest in a back up Ac unit in case of future issues.

[GrayRodent]

Awesome. I'm so glad to hear that.