Food issues & barking in sleep

[cprcheetah]

We got a bin feeder as they were just sitting on and pooping on their food dish, I only give them like 1/4 cup per day in their bin feeder, but Pepper will go and dig all the food out of the bin feeder. Before I got them they were on a craptastic diet that was treats w/a few pellets added for good measure, I'm pretty sure it was Kaytee as it was in a ziploc bag. I am switching them to Oxbow they did not have a lot of pellets left when I got them so I mixed what I had left with the Oxbow, I am thinking that they are so used to having treats with occassional pellets that it will take some time for them to get used to eating the pellets. They do eat them but Pepper will sit and throw out a lot of pellets out of the feeder. Is this normal? It's been 6 years since my last chinchilla and I don't remember any of them doing this. Should I switch them back to the ceramic dish? It was constantly filled with poopies.

Also Salt seems to have times when he makes a barking sound (I heard them online) while he is sleeping, is this normal? At first I thought he might have had a respiratory or something although nose is clean. Isn't barking supposed to be a warning? My hubby thinks maybe he's having a bad dream or something.

Heather
Salt & Pepper

 

[tunes]

You're probably right. They are looking for the junk food in the feeder. Hopefully this will improve with time, but for now you might try feeding them several times a day with smaller amounts, rather than once a day with a huge scoop. Hopefully Pepper will figure out that no matter how far he digs, he won't find the prize. On the other hand, some chins just do this. It's annoying as heck, especially when I hear them doing it immediately after I fill the feeder, but it happens. They then turn around then and pick up the pellets they threw on the cage floor and eat them. ????

The barking is a warning. He's warning "the herd" that there's something either alarming him, or to keep an eye out, or that he senses something in the area. That too is normal and should cut down as he gets used to your household. There are some chins who just like to bark for whatever reason, and others never do. Usually when I travel with chins there is one barker in the bunch who insists on eeking it up all night in the hotel room. Thankfully, I've become selectively deaf when it comes to those guys.

 

[alli713]

I agree with Peggy, he's trying to find the treats most likely.

As far as poop in their food, well, that doesn't really affect them as they eat their poop. It's healthy for them to eat their poop, so I wouldn't worry if they're pooping in their dish.

 

[Cuddlebug]

I have one chin that not matter what I do, she will still pellet dig. Now, I just place a terracotta dish under the feeder and that has helped save a lot of food.