My chin doesn't like pellets...?

[PorscheChin]

Hey all, I'm new to the site and have been looking through the posts. I found one thread that sounded familiar to what I'm going through with my chin - but it was a bit old, and I have a bit more specifics with mine.

I have had my chin (unsure of exact age, as Petsmart was completely useless and uneducated when it came to any information about her) since November of last year. We bought her the Kaytee Forti-Diet ProHealth Chin food first, which is all pellets. She barely ate anything. She would dump her food and poo on top of the bowl (which I took to her saying, umm, mom, something else, please?) So we changed it to Fiesta Max, as I was trying to find food with something besides just pellets. She seemed to like it okay, but there were only a few things in that bag that she would eat, pellets not being one of them.

We then tried (I do know that switching food on them is not good, but I have been so desperate to find something that she will enjoy all of...) Charlie Chin Food. That seemed to be the best, as the pellets were bigger, although, she still did not eat them, it was just easier to clean them up out of her cage.

I have researched foods and it seems like all the 'good' brands just have pellets, which throws up red flags to me, that maybeeeee, my chin is supposed to have pellets. (duh, right?? )

So my question(s) is/are - is okay that she enjoys throwing the pellets at the cats, rather than eating them? Does she need the pellets to be healthy? She does have Timothy Hay accessable at all times. And what is the best food for her, if she doesn't like pellets to eat? I don't mind spending money on good food for her, I just can't seem to find anyone in the area (including at the PetSmarts) who know much, or anything, about Chins.

Thanks for your help!!!

 

[Sdo9396]

Hi and welcome to the forum! The brands that you have mentioned are not considered "good" feeds. Mazuri, Oxbow, Manna Pro, Purina Rabbit Show Chow (yes, these are rabbit feeds but widely recommended and used by many people and even chin breeders) are just some of the better feeds that you can provide to your chin. You can try ordering a small amount of one of these and seeing if they like it. Oxbow and Mazuri are sometimes sold at Petsmart so if you have one nearby, you can try one of these rather than the other pet store brands.

 

[Encantadora]

I agree with changing her food to a brand mentioned above.

As for throwing food, all chins waste some. Some chins just waste more than others. Sometimes they dig in their bowl, tip it over, or try to find supplements or unhealthy tidbits in mixes. They hold a pellet to eat it, knaw down to their fist, and drop the rest. It makes for a lot of waste. Right now she is probably eating the treats and not the pellets in the food you bought.

I would just transition to a quality brand and put a few tablespoons in at a time-- about a days ration. That should cut down on waste.

You should also try keeping the cats away. They sound like they're stressing her out and may be keeping her from eating.

 

[PorscheChin]

I know the brands that I have chosen haven't been "good" - thats why I am here. I don't mind spending the money, it's just she has not been eating any, not even half or so of the pellets like they do. From what I had seen, most of the good brands have just pellets and I have been worried about her not eating them.

She just picks out what she wants and dumps the rest. How long do I give her the pellet food if she doesn't eat it? I know she needs to eat it, but I don't want her to get sick because she's not eating.

And when I mentioned throwing the pellets at the cats, I was kidding around. Some pellets do hit the cats when shes just throwing them from her cage, but she isn't aiming or anything Actually, the cats are her friends. She climbs on one of them and actually goes as far as cuddling up with her. My cats have been raised around small animals, so they don't have the same love for eating / chasing them as others do.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

She is picking out the treats. If a kid is offered veg. and candy, guess which one they would take and refuse the other. Give her a good chin pellet and hay (only that) She will eventually eat her food. She is 'holding' out for the treats in the food - stop giving her the junk food. I would not even transition the food - the food you are giving is such junk that it is better to just switch her immediately

 

[Sandi]

She is picking out the treats. If a kid is offered veg. and candy, guess which one they would take and refuse the other. Give her a good chin pellet and hay (only that) She will eventually eat her food. She is 'holding' out for the treats in the food - stop giving her the junk food. I would not even transition the food - the food you are giving is such junk that it is better to just switch her immediately

I agree with this ^^ as well. Also, your chin should NOT be interacting with your cats at all. One cat swipe/scratch can be very detrimental to your chin. It isn't worth it to have them play together even if you think your cats are docile, they are and always will be a predator to your chinchilla.

 

[Stackie]

Like others have said, stop feeding the pellets with the junk mixed in. Give her a good quality pellet feed and lots of hay. Chins can live off of just hay for awhile, so if she refuses the new pellets at first, she will have hay to eat. However healthy chins will not starve themselves. She will eventually eat.

Your cats may be docile but they carry a bacteria in their saliva called pasteurella that is not harmful to them but is deadly to your chinchilla. So much as one lick could transfer this bacteria to your chin and cause her to get very sick and die.

 

[GuinChin]

Try switching to Mazuri. My chin would never eat the pellets in Kaytee Fiesta food either....but he loves Mazuri and you can smell the difference in quality when you open the bag. It even smells delicious to me.

 

[liewwan]

All my chins love Mazuri, however one of them does have soft poop from eating it. Petco does not carry mazuri nor oxbow from what I've seen. Try to find a local small pet store near you and see if they carry any of the above mentioned brand.
There are food dishes that can be bolted on your cage to avoid your chin tipping it over. Theory goes when an animal is hungry eventually they'll eat what's available. So till you see your chin eating the pellets, NO TREATS.
I agree with others on the cat and chin play time. They may cuddle and it looks cute, but cats love to hunt! It can be deadly down the road.