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[AnnieHank]

I came home from work to find Pixie with her head stuck in the hay ball. The poor thing, I was gone all day. It makes me sick to think how long she could have been stuck like that. I really thought she was dead the way she was hanging.
My boyfriend took her out of it carefully and she immediately went for a really big wee then ran over to her hay and started eating. It took about five minutes for her ears to come back up and her tail to curl up. I immediately let her out into the hall where she plays to have a look at her. I gave her a pile of hay and she was eating loads and making her quacking noise. She still looks a bit shell shocked and her poo isn't great, it's a bit softer than nomal and it's big round pooh balls. I'm going to give her a little dyne (chinchilla probiotic) to ensure her stomach stays working properly but I'm unsure whether I should wash her or not? She soiled herself very badly. She is grooming herself so maybe she has that sorted? She also doesn't like being handled so I don't want to cause her more stress than I need to.
I'm going to monitor her for the night and if I need to, I'll bring her to the vet when it opens tomorrow. Hopefully this is just me over-reacting again, I'm looking at her now and she's bopping around her cage as usual.
If any of you reading this have hay balls, throw them out!

[GrayRodent]

I am very sorry to hear this happened and frustrated too because this kind of thing is very common with wire hay holders. These ball shaped holders are available at most stores too and are known for killing chinchillas.

I don't think you are overreacting. I'm not sure how much the vet can do though unless you suspect a bone fracture or dislocation. As long as she wasn't suffocating or limping I would not suspect internal damage. But I always say if in doubt get a veterinarian who can examine your pet first hand.

If it were my chin I'd be looking carefully at how she moves and look for anything unusual that can signify muscle or joint injuries from attempting to escape. The fact that she is eating is a very good sign and may indicate that there is nothing too serious. This is the big thing to monitor since severe pain usually causes anorexia and with the feces already being soft this can snowball into bigger gut problems. For those kinds of muscle injuries you would probably know by now.

If there is no improvement in the feces by tomorrow further treatment may be necessary to prevent diarrhea. Sometimes stress events like these can cause pathogenic bacteria or parasites (like giardia) to take hold and may require antibiotics but only if it becomes an ongoing or worsening problem.

You can wipe the soiled area with a damp washcloth. I recommend you do this if anything is caked on but wouldn't worry if it's just a stain. It will grow out in time. You can do this quickly with two people to minimize the stress of being handled and offer a dust bath later.

And yes - throw those hay balls out! Some hay bins can be dangerous too. Anything that makes an opening that a chinchilla can get its head inside of and trapped if it rotates its skull inside is a potential threat.

[ABC Chinchillas]

I would not give a chinchilla with loose poop dyne dune is not a probiotic dune is liquid calories. I would just watch her and give her time

[AnnieHank]

Guys thanks for the quick response. She is acting 100% normal. We have picked her up to examine her for cuts, she has none and she has been bouncing around the levels of her cage the way she normally does. If she is carrying an injury, she really doesn't seem it. I get confused with the lifeline and the dyne, is the lifeline the probiotic? Is this okay to give her? I haven't given her anything yet, just watched her and she has access to her pellets, hay and water as usual which she is attacking with her usual gusto!

Both hay balls in her cage and in Buddy's cage were in the bin withing about 0.5 seconds of the incident. I sent a message to the internet shop I bought it from to let them know that this is not safe. Hopefully they can put a warnign on it and might prevent further unecessary chinchilla injuries.

I shudder to think what may have happened. So so glad she's okay as it could have been worse. She was at the edge of her shelf, could have been very bad.

[TokiDokiWartooth]

Toki loves her hay ball, but after seeing this, I think it's got to go!

[AnnieHank]

She's still okay and her poohs are coming back to normal. It's been a nasty 24-odd hours checking on her and worrying.
I mentioned I contacted the internet shop I bought the ball from and suggested they add chinchillas to their warning of animals that it is unsafe for. I got a very clipped response that they would not entertain a refund as the 14 day money back time had passed. I never even mentioned a refund, only warned them of the possible dangers! Very cross with them 

[TokiDokiWartooth]

 :flames:if you didn't even make mention of a refund, then why would they bring it up?  I would send them a messagr saying you did not even entertain that notion, that you were simply thinking of the safty of other pets.  I eoukd then tell them I was going to report them to the better business bureau.

[GrayRodent]

I am very glad to hear everything is well with Pixie. Shame on them for showing no compassion for their customers or even taking the time to listen!

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Shame is being to nice Yes money is the first thing to come into their minds, never mind the safty of the animals.

I am so glad there was a good out come.       I have heard horror stories about those balls.