Normal weight?

[Brittney]

I have a question about my Bryson boy. He is 8 months old, well, actually today is his 9 month birth, how could I forget?? Anyways, I've never felt another chin before, so I'm not sure if this is normal or not :hmm:. He is very bony. I can feel his spine and his ribs, so I took him into work today to use the scale, and he is 680 grams, so I'm not sure why he feels so bony, but he has a bit of a tummy. I let one of the vets give him a look over during lunch break and he said he was a very healthy chin, even looked in his mouth no teeth problems, felt his gut, no compaction no nothing. I'm planning on switching him to Mazuri next week, so hopefully this will add a bit of bulk to him? I'm just a little worried. He eats, drinks, sleeps and poops fine, no soft poops, and is his normal self during play time. I might just be a concerned mom.

 

[tunes]

Every chins weight is different, but he should not feel bony regardless of his size. What kind of food do you currently have him on that you need to switch him? Do you give him lots of hay to munch on? Does his water bottle work? If a chin doesn't drink, he won't eat well.

 

[Brittney]

He is currently on that crappy kaytee pro health stuff, which is why I am switching him to Mazuri. He gets plenty of hay to munch on, and I check his water bottle every morning after i fill it, and it works fine.

 

[addictedtochins]

Over the months there have been a lot of threads on feed. Lots of people posted that their chins gained weight on Purina advanced nutrition rabbit show (PANR show) We had been using Mazuri but I switched to Panr and I really like it. All 3 boys gained weight and size even though 2 of them were adults. Nothing wrong with Mazuri, just giving you my experiences.

 

[Brittney]

Would he still gain weight on Mazuri? I'm getting it brought in on Friday, cause I pretty much live out in the boonies and no feed stored near me carries small animal feed, just cow and horse feed.

 

[addictedtochins]

Well it's certainly better than that Kaytee stuff. You should store it in some gallon ziplock type bags or something, I use a type of those large "space bags" or it will be stale by the time two chins are finished with it (think of stale potato chips opened for 6 months, blech)

 

[Brittney]

Ok, I just want him to bulk up a little, and I'll look around since I live in the country and see if I can find a store that sells the PANR. Maybe just mix the 2 together since I will already have the Mazuri?

 

[addictedtochins]

Maybe just mix the 2 together since I will already have the Mazuri?

Thats too much food to have on hand for 2 chins, even sealed it gets stale. Don't worry, If it were me I would try to get a refund on the Mazuri if you haven't even got it yet, or just use it and see how it goes for you. You could maybe sell the Mazuri on craigs list.

 

[Brittney]

I'll just use it and see how they like it since I'm not 100% sure I can find another feed store.

 

[Godins Chinchillas]

Just keep an eye on his stool. Mazuri, IMO, is too high in protein and can cause diarrhea. Personally I would find a nice quality rabbit feed and your feed stores should be able to carry it. If they sell horse feed than they will sell rabbit feed.

680 grams is good size for an 8 mos old male chin. You should-to some degree be able to feel bones. If you don't feel some ribs then he is too fat.

regardless-you need to switch his diet just because it is poor quality.

 

[AZChins]

Well, I was going to drive the Mazuri up to Phoenix. I have the PANR, but I prefer the Mazuri in my own herd. I like that it has more protein in it, it helps to put on more lean muscle mass. To each her own, I suppose. I've been using it for nearly 12 years and I like it for my chinchillas...

I have PANR, too. If you want that, I can bring it...but, in my opinion and experience, I think that the younger chins would do better on the Mazuri.

 

[chinsNdobermans]

I've used both. My pet only chins did fine on Mazuri. I have no complaints about the PANR either, it has done wonders for my breeders, but probably would have stuck to the Mazuri if I'd stayed a pet person and just had my original trio.

Either one is infinitely better than Kaytee!

 

[Brittney]

Well, I was going to drive the Mazuri up to Phoenix. I have the PANR, but I prefer the Mazuri in my own herd. I like that it has more protein in it, it helps to put on more lean muscle mass. To each her own, I suppose. I've been using it for nearly 12 years and I like it for my chinchillas...

I have PANR, too. If you want that, I can bring it...but, in my opinion and experience, I think that the younger chins would do better on the Mazuri.

Whatever you think he would be better on. I'll take your word on it