Food Ammounts?

[shubbles]

My food dish is about 2 1/2 inches tall and i usually fill it up all the way, but its kind of a waste of food when i have to dump it out, wash it out, and refill it, so currently im filling it up halfway, is this what you guys do? and how many ounces should he be eating a day? Also should i clean out his dish daily or every other day? Thanks.

 

[tunes]

I free feed all my chins, and there is some waste, but I figure that's the nature of the beast. If you want to have less mess, use a hanging feeder rather than a bowl that they can sit and pee in.

Some people ascribe to the 2 T of feed a day plus plenty of hay. I don't have time to measure. I just fill them to the top and move on.

 

[Essentia]

I just fill them to the top and move on.

Amen.

 

[AZChins]

I fill them up, too. The only time that I have to dump the food is if someone has decided to urinate in the food or there is excessive amounts of poopies in it. Most of the time there will be one or two droppings on the top that I can pick out and put more food into the dish (then I mix the old food left with the new with my fingers, I shouldn't describe the entire OCD process...that's boring.)

Most chins have no problems with being freely fed with it being available all the time. The only time that we have problems here is with particular newly weaned chins that overeat and sometimes with rescue chins that are malnourished and gorge themselves. In general, everyone gets a full bowl. Waste is normal, there's really no way to not have that happen! They will sometimes eat one bite of a pellet and throw the rest down or back in the bowl. OR, with a couple of mine in particular, who shall remain nameless (cough, Blue, Hermes, cough), there is a need to dig a couple pellets out because the identical pellets are not all the same...and only the pellet that is under those few pellets is acceptable.

 

[Kelley]

I free feed all my chins, and there is some waste, but I figure that's the nature of the beast. If you want to have less mess, use a hanging feeder rather than a bowl that they can sit and pee in.

Thank you so much for the out loud laugh this morning :laughitup:

 

[sheltiefan]

hehe mine does that too

 

[caiti]

I just use a 1/4 cup measuring scoop and fill it about half way, eyeballing it. I fill the bowl with that once a day and I don't have much waste with my one chin.

 

[AZChins]

With one chin it's always easier. In the cages with four, five or even six chins I SWEAR they dare each other to do things. "Hey, Lemon, go pee in the food, it makes her so mad...she'll yell but she won't do anything!" "Hey Pammie, eat everything but one crumb of eat pellet and throw it in the bowl! The last 12 years she has thought you have had a dental problem even though you never have and probably never will...hehehehehe."

I don't know if it is just my mental illness(es), but I think they are ganging up on me. One chin doesn't have anyone else to conspire with. I have the least mess in single chin cages. Jeeves, Simon and Boo don't have so much as a stray dropping in their food dishes.

 

[CJR]

I measure out Tia's food (2 heaping tablespoons or so a night) so that I can see how much she eats (she is kind of finicky and I have to make sure that she eats enough)... Bessie gets about 3 tablespoons a night so it stays fresh.

But I mean, whatever system works for you is best. Chins are never black and white...

 

[greychins]

I don't clean all the food bowls out daily. We have several chins in each cage, and the food bowls hold enough food to last them maybe a day and a half, unless someone pees in them. Every day I top off the food in the chins' bowls, and maybe 1-2 times a week I take everything out and scrub them.

 

[ErinsChins]

With one chin it's always easier. In the cages with four, five or even six chins I SWEAR they dare each other to do things. "Hey, Lemon, go pee in the food, it makes her so mad...she'll yell but she won't do anything!" "Hey Pammie, eat everything but one crumb of eat pellet and throw it in the bowl! The last 12 years she has thought you have had a dental problem even though you never have and probably never will...hehehehehe."

I don't know if it is just my mental illness(es), but I think they are ganging up on me. One chin doesn't have anyone else to conspire with. I have the least mess in single chin cages. Jeeves, Simon and Boo don't have so much as a stray dropping in their food dishes.

This post made my night

To the OP, I free feed and don't /usually/ end up wasting too much.

 

[shubbles]

Thanks guys,, haha

 

[starleomach]

I just fill'em up