Chinchillas and Food/Water...getting concerned

[proudmom25]

I just brought my chin home on Tuesday (as many of you know ).

I am concerned that she is not getting enough to eat/drink. I give her 2 tablespoons of pellets (same food type as what previous owner gave) and also a big handful of timothy hay. I change it daily. I also fill her water bottle daily too. The thing is...it looks like she isn't eating any of the pellets or drinking any of the water. I see that she is eating some hay and also chewing on her hidey hut (made with hay). I also give her 1 raisin and one apple type treat daily. Remember the previous owner was giving her 10-15/day?

Anyways, I do see poops in the cage (not much though). I had her out for about 2-3 hrs last night and there were only about 4 poops. I really doubt this is enough is it??? When I take her out to play she is pretty active. As for her water...it looks barely touched. I think this is what concerns me the most.

How much do they usually drink in a day???

What can I do for my little girl?

 

[brekai722]

Weigh Her

Do you have a scale to weigh her? I would suggest getting a scale and get a weight on her and weigh her in a couple of days to see if she is losing weight. Also, even though the previous person gave her raisins, I would change her treat to either oats, cheerios, or unfrosted mini wheats. Apple stick work really great as a treat also. These are all healthier treats and you want her to eat healthy. What type of pellets is she getting? If she is eating her hay, she will be fine and chins don't drink much water but you should notice a slight move of water. If you aren't seeing a change at all on water level, add a second bottle with half apple juice and half water and see if she drinks this. You don't want to do it for very long but that will help her stay hydrated. If her poops are well formed and not mushy, then just give her a little more time to adjust.

Again weighing her and watching her poops are the best indicator if something is wrong. I 'm sure you will get more informative info, but I hope this will help a little.

Sonia

 

[Megan]

I would personally cut out ALL raisins/treats for the time being. If she was getting 10/15 a day, she was mostly eating JUST the treats, and not eating much pellet anyway.

Cut out ALL raisins,and treats... and she'll eventually figure out that she's not getting any treats and is left with just the "yucky" pellets. I'm betting she's not eating her pellets, because she is expecting more treats to come. When she figures out they aren't coming, she'll get hungry and want to eat.

The other thing to keep in mind though, she came from what sounds like not a great condition. Watch to make sure she remains active, etc so she isn't actually sick.

I would also free-feed her pellets instead of limiting how much she's able to eat once she starts eating like she should.

Also, as mentioned above she'll need time to adjust as well. Try not to handle her or bother her for the time being, until she adjusts.

 

[tunes]

I still think you should wean her off the raisins. If she was getting that much sugar every day, suddenly yanking it away could cause her to have health issues. As discussed in your other thread, cut back to a couple a week, then less, then less. If you pull them all away, that could be a massive shock to her system. Who knows how long she has been eating them.

Keep providing the hay and good pellets, only hand her the raisins when you do give them, never put them in the food dish. What kind of pellets are being offered?

I agree, don't measure the food. Free feed her.

 

[eroomlorac]

Sonia had a very good suggestion........weigh her. Whenever I get a new animal, I weigh it even before putting it in it's cage for the first time. Then I weigh daily for a week or so. Fortunately, that's how I knew I had acquired a sick guinea pig off Craigslist. Your chin will probably eat a little less while she adjusts to her new home but you want to keep on eye on her weight to monitor her for any weight loss that might be of concern.

 

[Ziora]

We haven't had our chin very long either. I was really worried about her not drinking enough water at first, but she finally started to drink. I am following the advice I got on here and don't give any treats for now (hard to resist wanting too, though.) She was getting a supplement every day that included sunflower seeds, but doesn't seem to miss it. I hope your chin's appetite picks up.

I'm wondering if someone can suggest where to get scales.

 

[Chinmama]

You can find them at Target, Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, eBay, etc. You are just looking for a kitchen scale that weighs in grams.

 

[Rebecca]

You can find them at Target, Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, eBay, etc. You are just looking for a kitchen scale that weighs in grams.

How accurate should the scale be? Two decimal places? Three?

 

[SexySadie]

I would definately keep an eye on her to see if she is eating. When they eat they are more than likely drinking, they have to. When i first got my two the one wasnt eating, the vet helped me out with that one and we used Critical Care which helped and he's looking a lot healthier and a lot more happy.

 

[mishellyshel]

you can also weigh the food. sometimes it looks like they are not eating it because they might nibble the top off and drop the rest, so you have a bowl full of 1/2 pieces and it looks almost untouched.
maybe back the raisin down to 1/2 a day and then 1 every other day, etc... and start to introduce some of the less sugary snacks, like an unsugared shredded wheat or cheerio, rosehip, pinch of oats. also if they were giving her that many raisins I would be concerned what type of pellet they were feeding her. make sure it is good quality with no add ins.