need some info

chinny · Mar 4, 2011

I had posted about my chinchilla running an awful lot and though I figured it was normal I wanted to make sure. Well, I have been informed that chins under 6 months shouldn't be running a lot. (I am sure most of ya'll know)
I wasn't for sure on her age, just that she is a couple months old. I was asked her weight to help figure it out to see if I need to take the wheel out. I don't have a gram scale but she is around one pound. SO what weights are roughly what age? I was wondering if there is a chart or something like this that outlines what they should roughly be as they grow?

RDZCRanch · Mar 5, 2011

Kits should gain about 100g per month, though some chins grow a little slower. The main concern is not weight for your young chinchilla getting too much exercise but the fact that her digestive system cannot process enough food to maintain her blood sugar levels with excessive exercise. If she goes hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) she can go into seizures resulting in neurological damage or even death, or she can go into shock which will also lead to death.

Since you don't know her exact age, it would be hard to say if she is small for her age or the right size. A pound is roughly 450g, which would be a normal weight for a four month old but a bit low for a five month old.

chinny · Mar 5, 2011

So would it be best to take the wheel out of her cage and limit her use of it to a couple of hours a day and see if she gains weight during this period to get an idea? Then if it doesn't fluctuate dramatically then I can put it back in?

RDZCRanch · Mar 5, 2011

No wheel or out of cage exercise until they are at least six months of age. They really shouldn't be getting THAT much exercise at that young of an age. What kind of wheel do you have?

chinny · Mar 5, 2011

It is a super pet silent spinner. She doesn't run in the day but she sure gets going at night. I just don't know what would be best for her.

RDZCRanch · Mar 5, 2011

Super pet silent spinners are not chinchilla safe wheels. The diameter is too small and your girl will quickly outgrow it.

The best thing for her is to NOT get too much exercise at her young age. You need to remove the wheel and not give playtime until she is at least six months of age.