How early is too early to wean? Mom can't feed all the kits, is losing weight

[Vyxxin]

Not sure what the 25lb bags run, but at Tractor Supply Company MannaPro PRO only runs $17/50lbs. And it IS nutritionally fit for chinchillas. Keeps the health of my animals up to par...nursing, growing, breeding.

 

[Zoaea]

Not sure what the 25lb bags run, but at Tractor Supply Company MannaPro PRO only runs $17/50lbs. And it IS nutritionally fit for chinchillas. Keeps the health of my animals up to par...nursing, growing, breeding.

Buying good quality pellets in bulk to save money seems like a better idea than walmart. Besides, weight issues and nutritional deficiencies in your momma chin should be sending up the red flags anyway. I have read that some breeders also give a chinchilla supplement, I'm sure if you asked some of them what they use you could also pick something up for any of your females that need a boost. I know your post is about weaning age, but I think it is also a good time to evaluate the diet of your herd.

PS the protein in the two feeds is significantly different, and protein is the building block of life.

 

[Godins Chinchillas]

Agreed!! The reason why your female can't handle her kits is because the diet you are feeding them. Nutrena, manna pro, purina, tradition are all better than what you are currently using.

There's a reason why most of us ranchers/breeders have chins well into their teens and twenties. We don't feed the crap that pet or byb feed. You want to be serious about breeding then do more basic research on the needs for them.

 

[ticklechin]

Don't give chins things from the dollar store or rawhide, both items are from china, the rawhide has killed dogs and the wood items are sprayed with pestisides before they come into the country. Walmart food is also stale most of the time.

 

[Cuddlebug]

That poor momma's diet is atrocious! No wonder she can't handle feeding her babies. There is so much junk and plain crap in what you are feeding her. Switch to a good feed and get rid of the junk like rawhide, pitas, stuff from the dollar store, and sticks from outside are all no-nos. Oh and the feed you are giving is horrible. It lacks quite a few things that chinchillas need.

 

[AZChins]

I looked through some emails of mine today to find out what problems the "breeder" here in AZ that used that feed had with her chins. Basically she had chins dying before the age of two years. She had chins having seizures and an inordinate amount of heart problems. The baby chins very often had some shaking disorder, and blindness. The people, who bought her animals, ended up with chins that had issues later on. I had one here that had up with a heart issue that even my vet couldn't understand, and he's seen everything. Everything that happened was a result of the chins not getting what they needed to keep them healthy. None of the chins reached their full potential at all and died much too soon.

Basically it doesn't have enough nutrition to start the chins off right, it doesn't even work as a basic maintenance feed for adult chins. My fear is that someone will read this thread and think that going to Walmart will suffice for all their chins' needs. That is just frightening. No one wants to see their chins slowly succumb to malnutrition that leads to the body breaking down to the point where it shows neurological or heart issues.

I'm not even going to get into dollar store stuff... uggg...

 

[JoAnne]

weaning

49 days? That's an odd number. I've never heard of that, may I ask where you learned it?

Also, we are a forum because we believe in public knowledge and learning. The OP pm-ing you with questions would be of no benefit to others.

Laura you asked where I learned to wean at 49 days. I learned it years ago, 1964 when we purchased our chinchillas, attended our "chinchilla schooling" and later taught the same. If you notice Most of the mothers have basically weaned their young by this time. It also allows you to catch a natural estrus cycle if the female did not breed back. As jags said many ranchers use this. Maybe it is a practice used mostly by "older" or no, I mean experienced ranchers.
Chincerely,

 

[JoAnne]

Weaning too early

I spent several months before purchasing any chins trying to find homo-beige chinchillas for sale. No one had any available. Chinchillas.com, the local breeders, nobody had a homo-beige. I even went to the MCBA show in the neighboring state, trying to find someone who had homo-beige available. Eventually I just broke down a got a few hetero-beiges and decided to breed my own homo-beige chinchillas. Although I remain on the looking for homo-beige chinchillas, I still have yet to see any for sale. It's probably good I started breeding them myself. I now have five homo-beige females, two hetero-beige females, and a hetero-beige male. I hope by this time next year to have bred a homo-beige male that I can use as a stud. My plan is for whichever female gives birth to him to be be paired with Fifel, my white-gray male. It's a breeding scheme I've been working on for almost a full year now, come June. So far I have mostly spent that time learning that hetero-beige cross hetero-beige produces an annoyingly high number of standard gray and hetero-beige. Wah wah waaah. But yeah, if you have a homo-beige male, let me know.

Erica, I have homo-beige for sale. Not just homo-beige, but Blue Ribbon Winning Homo-Beige. These are my breedings but came from the Somovia Herd that took National ECBC Mutation First Place Breeders Award for over 20 years straight. You can also check the show records at the 2013 California State Empress Show, where we took 1st place breeders award for Mutations. We took mostly Beige as our mutes to that show and did not show any Beige Females, so most of the blue ribbons that you see there are Beige Males.
There are probably some closer to your location, but you did ask for anyone with a homo beige male for sale to let you know.
Chincerely,

 

[EricaWieser]

Erica, I have homo-beige for sale. Not just homo-beige, but Blue Ribbon Winning Homo-Beige. These are my breedings but came from the Somovia Herd that took National ECBC Mutation First Place Breeders Award for over 20 years straight. You can also check the show records at the 2013 California State Empress Show, where we took 1st place breeders award for Mutations. We took mostly Beige as our mutes to that show and did not show any Beige Females, so most of the blue ribbons that you see there are Beige Males.
There are probably some closer to your location, but you did ask for anyone with a homo beige male for sale to let you know.
Chincerely,

I am seriously in the market for a homo beige male. Not even kidding here; I have cash.

 

[EricaWieser]

I'm not even going to get into dollar store stuff... uggg...

That poor momma's diet is atrocious! No wonder she can't handle feeding her babies. There is so much junk and plain crap in what you are feeding her. Switch to a good feed and get rid of the junk like rawhide, pitas, stuff from the dollar store, and sticks from outside are all no-nos. Oh and the feed you are giving is horrible. It lacks quite a few things that chinchillas need.

AZChins and Cuddlebug, untreated grape vines, wicker, and willow sticks are good chew toys. I have never had any problems with the sticks from outside. The rawhide, yeah, I think I'm the only one who gives my chinchillas that, but I acknowledge it's a little weird and so far I haven't had any reason to stop. It's pure, dried skin. They like it and I'm pretty sure they probably have access to dried carcass skin in the wild.

I don't know why you two in particular are so rude to me. Please have a civil conversation with me like an adult.

Agreed!! The reason why your female can't handle her kits is because the diet you are feeding them. Nutrena, manna pro, purina, tradition are all better than what you are currently using.

There's a reason why most of us ranchers/breeders have chins well into their teens and twenties. We don't feed the crap that pet or byb feed. You want to be serious about breeding then do more basic research on the needs for them.

Everybody, I really do not see the difference between the Mazuri chin food ingredients and the Small World pellets. One is 20% protein and one is 16% protein; that's so negligible. Three of the first four ingredients are the same for both products.

Small world top four ingredients by mass:
1) Dehydrated alfalfa meal
2) Wheat middlings
3) Roughage products
4) Soybean meal

Mazuri top four ingredients by mass:
1) Dehydrated alfalfa meal
2) Dehulled soybean meal
3) Wheat middlings
4) Ground soybean hulls [hulls = roughage]

...not seeing the difference, except that Mazuri adds "dried beet pulp [sugar], cane molasses [sugar], soybean oil [fat]" all of which I recognize as causing obesity and diabetes in humans. I chose Small World because it didn't have sugar and fat added to it.

 

[tunes]

Erica - First, don't post your phone number. This is a forum. Do you want crazies calling you? Also, please note where the poster is located. Do you plan to pay shipping? It's not cheap.

Second - Please don't self-police. If you have an issue with someone in your thread, hit the (!) button and let the staff know. We will decide if it needs addressed, not you.

Third - I am unsure why you joined a forum if you are not going to listen to any advice that is given to you and if you are going to be offended every time someone offers it. It's a forum. If you post here you will get answers from anybody who cares to post. You get some experienced people, you get some inexperienced people. My advice is to listen to the people with experience who are telling you that feeding raw hides and junk wood from a dollar store is dangerous. I'm willing to bet that those folks have scads more experience with chins than you do. I'm also going to guarantee you that they have your chins best interest at heart, regardless of whether it hurts your feelings or you don't like being told that what you are doing is dangerous.

If you don't want to take that advice, and it's fairly apparent that you don't, then just say thank you and move on.

ETA: I wouldn't feed Mazuri to my chins. I don't like it, they don't like it. I also wouldn't let what you feed into my barn. I don't buy stuff from pet stores, I don't buy feed from Wal-Mart. I bet I can count on one finger reputable breeders who do. I have a lot of money invested in my chins. I prefer to offer them the best that I can.

 

[bchins]

Just an FYI, at least in the midwest area- a few years back almost all breeders who were attending the annual show/seminar discussed recent problems with their herds, and inferred that it could have been the feed- Mazuri. Most breeders switched from that feed (including myself) and went to a high quality Rabbit Pellet. Everyone I heard from saw changes (good ones). I don't recommend Mazuri to my customers just from my experiences with it, and I feel there are better brands out there, like Oxbow, Nutrena Naturewise, Manna Pro, Tradition, and Purina Show Rabbit feed. I feed Manna Pro here and have been more than happy with it. I would suggest you switch to a more reputable feed. Stores like Walmart just carry whatever brand is convenient for them to carry, it isn't a great choice IMO for choosing pet feeds. You should look up some farm supply stores in your area and see what they carry.

 

[ticklechin]

AZchins nor Cuddlebug were not being rude, things from the dollar store come from China, there are several problems with that-one, when the stuff comes into the USA it needs to be treated for pests-from the US Customs website

There are two treatment options for wood and wood products. Heat treatment involves the use of a kiln dryer or dry heat, such as a microwave energy dryer. Chemical treatment involves the use of a surface pesticide, preservative, or methyl bromide fumigation.

its a total guess what is used on Dollar store junk. Second-China has issues with pollution-what grows in the polluted ground is made into a wreath goes into your chins mouth and gut. And Rawhide,

rawhide include arsenic and formaldehyde. Even dog skin is a possibility. An ongoing investigation of the fur trade by Humane Society International, an arm of the HSUS, resulted in this information, as listed on their website: “In a particularly grisly twist, the skins of brutally slaughtered dogs in Thailand are mixed with other bits of skin to produce rawhide chew toys for pet dogs. Manufacturers told investigators that these chew toys are regularly exported to and sold in U.S. stores.”

your carcass in the wild wont have any of those items in it.

 

[Kansas City Chinchillas]

Erica sometimes what people tell you about chin products doesn't make a lot of sense when you are learning about chins. I'm sure you feel the research you have done is sufficient but it isn't. Folks are trying to help you provide healthy products for your chins. Some of these people have been breeding or caring for chins for decades.

Please open your mind to the help you are being offered. These people love chins. They aren't here to argue with or be rude to people. They are here to help you as am I.

Please feed your chins good pellets. Their health depends upon it. You will experience health problems with your chins if you continue to feed the brand you currently use. Even though you can not see the difference in the feed there is a huge difference and your chin's well being is at stake. The balance of nutrients and freshness of the product are critical to good health. Feed loses nutritional value as it ages.

Hope this helps because I care about your chins as do those who have posted on this thread.

 

[EricaWieser]

Update: I weighed them all again today. Since taking the two larger kits from her, the smallest kit has gone up to 153 grams and Daisy herself has gained 21 grams from feeding only one kit instead of three. The kits are now five weeks and four days old and are all above 150 grams. I returned the other two kits to their mom because she stopped losing weight and wanted them back, so I couldn't think of any reason to keep them from her. (they're all girls) I'm still going to hand feed them.

 

[Godins Chinchillas]

if the kits were doing fine without mom why would you put them back? Mom may have already started drying up and now you've introduced them back where they could all start fighting for whatever is left over.

@Joanne- why would you offer this person a chin of yours? I'm dumb founded.

 

[Kansas City Chinchillas]

@Joanne- why would you offer this person a chin of yours? I'm dumb founded.

Since Erica wants a homo beige she might be willing to change feed in order to get one. I'm sure Joanne would require a change in feed before she would sell Erica a chin.

 

[AZChins]

You should strive to not have to handfeed anyone. Handfeeding is not the norm, by the way.... but, I am rude, right?

You really need to take advice from others. Small World rabbit pellets, really? You are going to try to say that that is alright?

ETA: By the way, Joanne is just a nice lady.

 

[jags]

The last thing I am going to say is that what you read on the tag means nothing as far as the quality of the pellet. Its a big misconception that just because the tags may say about the same thing that the feed is about the same thing. When tested there is a huge difference. Believe me I have spent a ton of money testing feeds and comparing them to what tags say should be in the feed. For you and your animals sake do some research into feed, how its made and what the animals can get out of it. People do not realize that protein, fiber and other components all have several types to them and the animal can not utilize all parts of them. A lot depends on how much of the portion is good compared to how much non usable to the animal. Fixed feed formulas are also something that makes a huge difference.

Again remember the feed tags really do not mean much of anything as to quality or even what is really in the feed. To me feed tags mean absolutely nothing.

 

[NiftyKat]

I don't even have my chins yet, but know everything you have said Erica is just wrong, wrong, wrong! I personally would not feed dollar store stuff to even my cats who's systems aren't as delicate as a chinchillas! Chinchillas are not cheap animals to have, especially breed. I'm just getting 3 as pets and have spent so much money on them I don't even want to think about it! If you were looking for something to breed as a get rich quick scheme, well then that is just sad. However, from the sounds of what you feed and give your chinchillas as chew items, you make yourself come off as having a plan such as that.

I learned a TON from this forum! Please listen to what they say!

I do feel a little dumb and sad for myself at the moment as I did purchase Mazuri feed for my chins. :-/ I tried to get tradition but the local feed store could not find that kind. I might have to try a different one next time as a few breeders seem to not like it. :-/