healthy weight gain

[Brittney]

I have my little rescue Andrew (Ande) and he is getting a little porky. When I got him, he was very malnourished and only weighed around 300-400 grams tops. I'm not sure on his age, I'm just guessing around a year old, but he still has his smooshed baby face and is getting lighter in color, so he might be younger. Bryson, who is a little over a year weighs in around 680 grams and hasn't gained or lost any. Ande was around the same weight for a while but then I just weighed him and he is now at 725 grams. I guess my question is, is it healthy for them to keep gaining weight. I don't want to make him fat by any means. Is there an unhealthy weight? I am doing a 1/2 Mazuri 1/2 PANR diet currently trying to see which they prefer. I'm glad he is doing so well; I just don't want him to be unhealthy.

 

[Sesame]

I guess the best way to really tell is to take his weight on a daily schedule and then see how much weight he gains per x amount of days. Also, I guess if the chin is still pretty active, perhaps the weight gain is not adverse, but rather a part of growing up?

I've always wondered when is it too much weight, or how can you tell if the weight gain is starting to get to be excessive. When does a chin usually reaches it's final weight/stops growing?

Sesame has grown a lot since we've gotten her (from 6 months to 2 years) and has gotten noticeably chunkier. I've noticed she's starting to have something similar "man-****s" for a lack of a better term when she sits up. But I feel like she's finally settled on what her body weight should be for her. A guess a daily weighing would only tell if the weight is unhealthy?

 

[Stackie]

A chinchilla should not get overweight as long as it is on a diet of high quality pellets, hay, and water with limited healthy treats. As long as they are on this diet, there should be no cause for concern unless they drastically lose weight.

 

[Brittney]

That make since. Yeah, I have wondered also if they just stop growing at a certain age. Bryson is for sure done growing as he hasn't gained any more weight at all. Ande is just a mystery chin.

I did, however, find out the he is from a breeder. I randomly talked to the person I took him from and I asked where he got him, and he said his girlfriend at the time got him from a breeder and couldn't keep him after having him for a month. I've gotta sit down and do my math and find out how old he is I guess.