Need some help please.

[AZChins]

AWESOME! Just don't overdo it, he will eat as many as you put in front of him...

 

[newf]

So I should just put a pinch in for him then? Once a day?

 

[MelodyR]

Fortunately, I've never had to CC feed a chin, but I know my GPs and other critters like it a whole lot more when it is warm (not hot). This has worked great for me with guinea pigs, birds, lizards, rats, etc (different handfeeding foods of course).

I have to heat it up frequently (for just a few seconds at a time) throughout the feeding, but they love it that way. I can tell it's getting too cool if they stop eating it, then I reheat and away they go again. BE very very CAREFUL with the microwave, stir it well after to blend in hotspots and make sure you test it like a baby's bottle. But you may see a big change in it -- I think they find it comforting warm.

 

[AZChins]

A tiny pinch twice a day shouldn't hurt...but just a pinch...maybe 10 flakes at a time.

 

[Claire D]

I agree with giving a little extra something to get the appetite going. Papaya (unsugared, in a small amount) is good, but oats seem to be the best so far in getting a chin interested and eating. You can grind up some shredded wheat and sprinkle it on the food...but a pinch of old fashioned oats is the best I have found.

Interesting - I have found that by varying the foods scattered it encourages foraging behaviour which, in turn, stimulates appetite because the foods are "interesting" to the chin.

newf, don't dismiss putting other healthy stuff in the cage for him - you may find he rootals through to find his favourites but anything you can do to get him interested in eating will help. You could even try putting a few oats in with other healthy stuff to spark his interest. Every little helps.

 

[tunes]

So he's already eating a supplement with oats in it and he eats the oats that you gave him separately? Because if he is, that doesn't sound like an issue with appetite. It's been my experience that if a chin won't eat, it won't eat, period. What kind of pellets do you use? I tried scanning back but it's early and my eyes are still blurry, so I gave up!

 

[Claire D]

So he's already eating a supplement with oats in it and he eats the oats that you gave him separately? Because if he is, that doesn't sound like an issue with appetite.

Ooh I missed that - it's a good point.

 

[newf]

tunes he is on Mazuri. The breeder I got him from had him on it, so I have just kept him and the three other chins on it. He is eating the supplement as well. Not alot of it, but most of what I put in there he is eating. He hasn't touched his hay at all. I have two varieties of oxbow hay in the cage.

He ate well this morning. I got almost 35cc's in him before he quit wanting to eat.

I went to the breeder's website and got the ingredients for the supplement. It has the following: whole grain supplement consists, in part, oats, Calf Manna, Animax, Milo and a mixture of other seeds.

Are you thinking that I should change his feed and see if he eats something different?

 

[tunes]

Wow - Calf Manna AND Animax? Talk about protein overload. I personally won't use either of them, let alone both in a supplement. Animax is 28% protein and calf manna is 26%, and if I'm not mistaken, Mazuri is one of the higher protein feeds as well at 20%. A chin should idealy have lower protein, I was told 15% would be great by a breeder who is also a vet, as well as others. I can't imagine why you would put both of these in a supplement.

And yes, I was thinking of a food switch to try and spark his appetite. If he is absolutely refusing to eat, then you don't have much to lose by trying a different feed.

 

[newf]

Oh man, I didn't know that the supplement was that bad. I won't feed it to them anymore. I don't give it to them daily like they say, just maybe once a week if that as a small treat.

I'll go by Petsmart and get a bag of Oxbow and see if he will eat that.

Geez, there is so much information to learn. Even if you THINK you have read everything, there is always more to learn. Thank you tunes.

 

[tunes]

I'm glad you were only feeding it once a week. I know people just feel the need to stuff all this crap in their supplements, but I don't understand why. Has anybody ever bothered to test the long-term effects of the "everything but the kitchen sink" mentality that they have when it comes to supplements? That's one of the main reasons I recommend Ryerson's supplement when someone asks. They have been using their supplement for a LOT of years and have the results to show for it.

 

[newf]

I will check out the Ryerson's supplements. Which brings up another question, do we really need supplements on a regular basis?

 

[Stackie]

I will check out the Ryerson's supplements. Which brings up another question, do we really need supplements on a regular basis?

I don't feel suppliments are necessary unless the chin is nursing, in breeding, etc. For pet chins I feel that good quality pellets, hay, and water is all they need.

 

[tunes]

I used it when I first got into chins, but then my herd grew and frankly I couldn't afford it for 250 chins. I've seen no difference at all in my chins since stopping the supplement. They enjoy it, and it's a treat for them, but IMO, that's about it.

 

[mishellyshel]

when you get the oxbox, maybe put 1/2 mazuri & 1/2 oxbow in the bowl OR two differnt bowls and see which one he goes for.
other than oxbow you probably wont find any good feed at petsmart but members here sell a few differnt varieties if you are looking to try a few.

personally i dont use any supplements, only cause i didnt really know too much about them..........i do make my own little mix of organic herbs & flowers & hay and things that are safe and they just get a little pinch each night. sometimes i will add a bit of lifeline in there. if the boys dont eat it i know there is something wrong. all my boys have been steadily and slowly gaining a little bit of weight. all of them get PANR and 2 of them get Mazuri mixed in with that but once that stash runs out they will all be on straight PANR or the new one that Purina came out with.

 

[newf]

I agree with you on the Petsmart thing. They carry alot of junk food for animals, and not alot of food that is good for them. We do have feed stores here, and I am wondering if they carry any chin food. I went to the feedstores when I first got my chins, but no one carried the food here, and to order it, I would have to order a large shipment for them to do that for me.

I see what else I can find for him to try.

 

[tunes]

Do a search for Nutrena or the new Purina rabbit food in your area. There are store locator buttons on their sites. I am very pleased with the Nutrena Naturewise 16% and it's $11.00 for a 50 pound bag. You'll probably never use up the 50 pounds before it expires, but for that price you could donate the excess to a shelter and help them out a bit.

 

[newf]

Is the nutrena a rabbit food? I can seem to find a chinchilla food

 

[newf]

Well, I did the store locator thing, and no one around here carries it. Figures.

 

[mishellyshel]

maybe you could post where you are and perhaps someone here knows of a source??
nutrena and the PANR (purina advanced nutrition for rabbits), which has since changed their formula are both rabbit feed, however; many members here use it for their chins.

also i am not sure how many chins you have, if you just have the one it would be cost effective to order from someone here. when i only had 2 it was easier to do that and then i could get them other supplies.......now that i have 7 it is more cost effective to get feed from the feed store in bulk. but pretty much everything else i use for them (except shavings) i have bought from reputable members here.
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