need advice

momenteller · Oct 18, 2009

When I got Chelsea from a breeder about a month ago, he had her on pellets form an area feed mill, called Bar Ale. http://www.baraleinc.com/index.cfm?show=10&mid=98 Her coat looked great, she seemed to be quite healthy and plump. However after reading all the info on nutrition on here, I became worried because I couldn't find the nutritional ingredient breakdown of my feed anywhere. I decided to switch her to Oxbow just to be safe. Its been about two weeks since I started introducing the Oxbow and I've done it quite gradually. Unfortunately I didn't know about the acidophilus when I started the transition, so I didn't get any until yesterday. I gave her a shredded wheat with some of the acidophilus in it and sprinkled the rest on her pellets.

I'm worried that her poops seem quite a bit smaller. It could be my imagination but she also seems like she's lost weight. (I don't have a scale.) Is this normal after a food transition and should I wait it out, or should I go stop with the Oxbow? Now I'm wondering why I messed with it at all when she seemed perfectly healthy.

Also, could it be that she's had an increase in activity since she's been here and that could contribute to a weight loss? The breeder I bought her from was just a hobby breeder, had maybe 10-15 chins, but I don't know if he was giving her the hour of evening playtime that she's getting now.

cintistatern2005 · Oct 18, 2009

My first advice is get a scale. Start weighing daily at the same time. Some chins dont like certain foods. If after you get the scale and she is consistently losing weight then switch her to something else.

alli713 · Oct 18, 2009

Oxbow's a good food, and I have yet to hear of a chin that didn't like it (but that's not say that it doesn't happen!). Is she eating it? Or do you see a lot of leftovers in the bowl the next day?

Is she getting free fed timothy hay as well?

I agree that the only way for you to tell if she is actually loosing weight is to weigh her on a scale.

If she has a wheel now that she didn't have before and gets playtime that she may not have gotten before, she could be running off some of her weight.

Are the poops significantly smaller? Poop will change based on the feed, but if they are getting tiny then it's not a good sign. If it's just a slight size change and maybe a color change it may not be as big of a deal.

Like was stated though, some chins just don't like a certain food. So I guess I'd want to know if she's eating the Oxbow or just eating the old food.

VolunteerChin22 · Oct 18, 2009

You might want to up her hay in addition to the acidophilous. If she is constipated that should help.

And I agree she may just not like the food and is rebeling lol. When I switched from Tradition to Panr I tried to do a gradual switch but found everyone was picking it out and eating only the panr anyway...

momenteller · Oct 18, 2009

The Oxbow pellets are darker in color and longer than the Bar Ale, and from what I can tell, there are some of each in her bowl the next day. So she doesn't seem to be picking out one type of pellet over the other. She is free fed Oxbow timothy hay, and the amount she eats appears consistant.

I think the poos are significantly smaller, but I don't think the color has changed.

She doesn't have a wheel (yet) but is getting about an hour of free time out of her cage in the evenings. During her playtime she has great energy: wall surfing, popcorning and climbing all over us. So she seems happy and not like she isn't feeling well.

Is there anything else I should do for her besides the acidophilus? Do I need to cut back/cut out treats? She gets a pinch of oats during her playtime and maybe a small shredded wheat or two.

CerLynn · Oct 18, 2009

It's good that it looks like she's eating the food equally. I agree with the others, I'd get a scale and keep an eye on her weight as well - though it could very well be from the extra exercise, especially if she's that energetic. If it's from the exercise, her weight should level out fairly quickly, but if it keeps dropping, then you might need to reevaluate the situation. I would cut down on the treats - if she's eating too many, she won't have as much of an appetite for her food. The general rule is no more than one treat per day (i.e. a pinch of oats or one shredded wheat), and most people don't even give that much - maybe one treat 2-3 times a week. Good luck!

alli713 · Oct 18, 2009

I agree about the treats. One thing you could do is buy a bunch of twigs or small chew toys. These you can give instead of a treat, they like them just as much, and it isn't a food item.