Hi all,
I have four chinchillas - a standard gray male (9 months old), a black velvet male (9 months old), and two white ladies (8 months old). I've had the boys for nearly half a year but the ladies for only a little over two months.
As all the chins are quite young, they've been eating a lot and growing fast. When we got the black velvet, we joked that his nickname was Fatty because he was so rotund. We got him from a reputable hobby breeder, but found that he may have been bit by a cat or small animal at a young age (bite-shaped scar tissue under the fur) - but it was fully healed and no possible treatment for it. He looked so healthy, too. We doted over him for a while, making sure he was comfortable and happy.
Fatty was doing great, eating well (high quality pellets and timothy/various hays) and looking strong! But then we got the two ladies, and everything changed. The boys and girls are in separate cages and interact through the cages (mostly the cages are kept apart because Fatty will cry too much if they're close). Fatty looooved the ladies! He would squeal and squeek and cry quick repetitive short little calls all through the day and night, and became aggressive towards the other male (we had to separate them).
Since then, he has stopped eating pellets and stopped showing interest in hay. We have not weighed him but he is roughly half the size of his male compadre and has definitely lost weight since he arrived with us. He is still pooping, so he must be eating something, but they're much smaller. He is fidgety all the time, and much more anxious.
We have tried to feed him rolled oats to get his weight up, but he hardly has an interest in those either. When he's out of the cage, he's very active and also a very active lady stalker. He will sit on their cage or whisper sweet nothings around their cage. He also chases the other male if they are out at the same time.
I'm really worried that he isn't getting the fiber and nutrition that he needs to grow. I can see everyone else growing quickly but he seems to be falling quickly and seriously behind.
I am wondering a few things:
- Is it possible that he is simply lovesick and it has caused a change in his priorities and personality?
- What kind of supplement can I safely give him while he is going through this (hopefully just a) phase? I've read calcium or cranberry juice?
- What kind of food will help him gain back some of the weight he's lost?
- Is it possible that blockage can occur partially and this could be part of the reason why he is eating and pooping less?
I have four chinchillas - a standard gray male (9 months old), a black velvet male (9 months old), and two white ladies (8 months old). I've had the boys for nearly half a year but the ladies for only a little over two months.
As all the chins are quite young, they've been eating a lot and growing fast. When we got the black velvet, we joked that his nickname was Fatty because he was so rotund. We got him from a reputable hobby breeder, but found that he may have been bit by a cat or small animal at a young age (bite-shaped scar tissue under the fur) - but it was fully healed and no possible treatment for it. He looked so healthy, too. We doted over him for a while, making sure he was comfortable and happy.
Fatty was doing great, eating well (high quality pellets and timothy/various hays) and looking strong! But then we got the two ladies, and everything changed. The boys and girls are in separate cages and interact through the cages (mostly the cages are kept apart because Fatty will cry too much if they're close). Fatty looooved the ladies! He would squeal and squeek and cry quick repetitive short little calls all through the day and night, and became aggressive towards the other male (we had to separate them).
Since then, he has stopped eating pellets and stopped showing interest in hay. We have not weighed him but he is roughly half the size of his male compadre and has definitely lost weight since he arrived with us. He is still pooping, so he must be eating something, but they're much smaller. He is fidgety all the time, and much more anxious.
We have tried to feed him rolled oats to get his weight up, but he hardly has an interest in those either. When he's out of the cage, he's very active and also a very active lady stalker. He will sit on their cage or whisper sweet nothings around their cage. He also chases the other male if they are out at the same time.
I'm really worried that he isn't getting the fiber and nutrition that he needs to grow. I can see everyone else growing quickly but he seems to be falling quickly and seriously behind.
I am wondering a few things:
- Is it possible that he is simply lovesick and it has caused a change in his priorities and personality?
- What kind of supplement can I safely give him while he is going through this (hopefully just a) phase? I've read calcium or cranberry juice?
- What kind of food will help him gain back some of the weight he's lost?
- Is it possible that blockage can occur partially and this could be part of the reason why he is eating and pooping less?
