My New Chinchilla has a Junk Food Addiction

[heh86]

I got my 8-month-old chinchilla, Comet, 5 days ago from a small pet shop. He had been in the pet shop for 3 months, and they had been feeding him Sunseed Sunscription Vita, which is a mixed food that contains raisins and of pieces of dehydrated banana, apple, and papaya. He had been picking out the fruit and leaving the pellets in the bowl. The people at the pet shop had also been giving him lots of treats. As a result of this, he is chubby and will only eat Timothy hay and treats.

I intend to feed him Mazuri pellets, but I also bought a package of the food that he had been eating so I could switch him over to the new food slowly. When I feed him, I pick out all of the fruit and only give him the Sunseed pellets mixed with some Mazuri pellets. He digs through the bowl looking for fruit and treats, but when he sees that there are only pellets in the bowl, he pushes the bowl over and eats Timothy hay then begs for treats.

I have tried hand-feeding the pellets to him, but he still will not eat them. I am very worried about his health. Does anyone have any tips on how to get him to eat his pellets?

 

[lauralynne]

With that unhealthy food, just offer the Mazuri pellets and the timothy hay. I honestly wouldn't bother with a slow switch.

Offer him lots of safe wood chews for treats.

 

[addictedtochins]

Welcome to CnH and congratulations on your new chinchilla. I'm glad you're here, you will learn a lot. I use a plastic zip tie and attach a coffee cup by the handle to the cage so he won't tip it over as easily. Yes, just give him the healthy food.

 

[cindyv3737]

Chins are like children. They will want the sweets over what is good for them. Just feed Mazuri and timothy hay. He will get hungry and eat his food.

Lots of wood chews will kepp him happy.

 

[heh86]

Thanks so much for the fast responses! I will just keep offering him the Mazuri, Timothy hay, and lots of wood chews. Hopefully, he will stop being so stubborn and will start eating it soon. I suppose he just has to be hungry enough to try it. I just wanted to be sure that I was doing what is best for him.
Thanks again!

 

[Isabella Whateva]

Yeah get rid of the old food completely. Keep giving a good supply of pellets and hay. What brand of hay did you get? When I first got my chin, I bought Kaytee and she never touched it. I switched to Oxbow and it was a huge difference, now she goes crazy for it.

Don't worry, your chin won't starve himself. Also it's important that you don't obsess over his eating. He'll sense that you're stressed about the food and it might make him resist eating.

 

[heh86]

I have been giving him Oxbow Western Timothy with a bit of Sweet Meadow Herbs & Timothy. He really loves it.

You're right, he probably does sense that I'm stressed about the food when I offer it to him. I will try to stop obsessing over his eating. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Isabella Whateva]

Yeah, as long as he's eating hay he should be fine. )

 

[Jenn]

Congrats on your new chinnie friend! Hopefully he will stop being so stubborn and will eat the good stuff for you...although I still can't get my 10 year old son to eat the good stuff, lol

 

[abednara]

I had chins that were on that same food and I did a switch and for a while they would not eat pellets, but eventually they got over it and now eat every pellet I put in their cage, along with free choice hay.