Chin's poops changed; Vet said to give him Romaine Lettuce, Apples and Carrots

[mcinnesp]

I am soooo confused.

Chi Chi's poops got small and light brown about a week ago, which concerned me, so I took him to the vet.

She gave him a once over, and said to not give him any grains (which means no more wheat) or raisins, and feed him romaine lettuce, carrots and apples. I was also to monitor how much he was drinking, eating and munching on his hay.

Well, he wouldn't eat carrots or the lettuce, but he is eating his apple (reluctantly). His poop is dark again and long, he is eating 2 tbsp of pellets a day, about a cup of hay and he drinks 50 ml of water.

I took him in today and he lost 10g of weight (he went from 775 g to 765). I suggested that this weight loss was due to him not getting weight and she agreed, but said he needed to be brought in again to be weighed in two weeks. (Keep in mind the weighing doesn't cost me anything.)

My confusion is in what she suggests to feed him. I thought apples and carrots and lettuce were no nos and wheat and raisins in moderation were good for chinchillas.

Can someone help me out here? I don't want to hurt my little guy by continuing to feed him apple, if it's not good for him (even though it did seem to help with his pooping).:hmm:

 

[Laurie]

Do not give any fruits or vegetables no matter what your vet says. They are not good for your chin and could possible give him bloat which is deadly. Raisins in moderation are also not a good idea. 10g of weight is not a huge weight loss. What type of feed are you giving him? What type of hay is he getting and how often?

 

[Remyma0408]

Listen to Laurie. She's smart.

 

[Riven]

The number one thing you need to do is find a new vet.

 

[Essentia]

The number one thing you need to do is find a new vet.

I agree with this 110%.

 

[mcinnesp]

He gets 2 TBSP of oxbow pellets per day and all the Oxbow timothy hay he can eat.

He is used to getting a treat to get him into his cage after his run at night. Can I give him wheat in small quantities?

 

[Ash]

Is he getting enough water intake?

 

[Megan]

Any reason why you are limiting his pellet intake? Have you thought about leaving the pellets free choice, and allowing him to eat as much as he wants?

 

[mcinnesp]

Hi Ash,

He has a 400 ml drinking bottle and he takes about 50 ml of that in a 24 hour period...so is he getting enough water? I don't know. What's enough water?

 

[starleomach]

He should have unlimited pellets and Hay, And I agree, no fruits/veggies and you need a new vet

 

[mcinnesp]

Hi Megan,

I heard (and I think it was in thread here) that pellets are secondary and too many can cause weight gain and take away from the hay they should be eating - that hay is the most important for Chins....

 

[Chinmama]

You can buy a kitchen scale and keep up with his weight on your own. I started out weighing weekly but now only do it once a month unless there is a problem.

 

[mcinnesp]

Hi Ann,

I just might do that.

Can I give him wheat or a cheerio as a treat, or is that maybe what caused him to get constipated last week to begin with?

 

[mishellyshel]

i agree about the pellets & hay....give unlimited. as for the wheat, if you mean mini shredded wheat or a cheerio, i think you will find many members do offer their chins those items as a treat. i give each of my boys 1/2 of a mini shredded wheat each night. you could also try rose hips or rose petals or hibiscus flowers as a different kind of treat.

 

[mcinnesp]

Okay. Thanks, Michelle.

 

[GorillaJTA]

Hi Megan,

I heard (and I think it was in thread here) that pellets are secondary and too many can cause weight gain and take away from the hay they should be eating - that hay is the most important for Chins....

I have never seen that on here. Everyone I have seen on here (barring a couple of disagreements) says that hay and pellets should be unlimited. I have never seen a chin overeat. In fact, mine will take several days to empty a bowl of pellets as long as I keep plenty of hay available.

 

[caiti]

Hi Megan,

I heard (and I think it was in thread here) that pellets are secondary and too many can cause weight gain and take away from the hay they should be eating - that hay is the most important for Chins....

The pellets are made of a lot of hay anyways. Someone on here had a chin on an all hay diet for a period of time and she said she didn't like the effects of it, but other than that I don't know of anyone that didn't or doesn't feed pellets so I don't really know how that works out.

I hope your chin gets better!!

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

I believe the only thing people here have said is if the poops are getting small take out the pellets and feed just hay for a couple days. That is for the roughage. Otherwise most free feed hay and good pellets