Puzzling Weight Loss

[ArmyofChi]

Hi all,

First I'll give you some backstory. We raised Jackson from about 12 hours old. Her mom rejected her so we took her under our wing and handfed her. She's been as healthy as a horse ever since, albiet a little smaller than normal. That was 6 years ago. The other day I noticed she didn't look the same, so I picked her up and she is quite skinny. It is hard to monitor how much she's been eating and drinking lately since she shares her cage with 2 other girls (and has for 4 years).

We starting hand feeding her again 2 nights ago. We've been crushing up pellets and soaking them in warm water and adding a little bit of baby food to add to the mixture and provide some yummy taste. The first night she ate a ton of it. Second night, not so much, but still lots. Tonight, she had less and made a funny face when we gave it to her (recoiled like it tasted bad, could've been the switch from apple to pear baby food, though she had pear last night).

I noticed tonight that she was really licking out hands like mad, so I thought, hey, could it be salt? So I added some salt to a container and let her at it. It wasn't lots, but she licked it all up.

We put her back in the cage (after she refused more mush) and she ate a few raisins from the food bowl. So she can and will eat... I don't understand why she's so skinny. The other girls aren't aggressive towards her, if anything she is the boss of them. I watched tonight and she pushes them away from the food bowl if she wants to. Her teeth look fine, normal length and yellow.

We've taken our Chins to the Vet Hospital before, but they've told us that they can't help us much since they don't know very much about Chinchillas. We know more than them. (I live in the Neverending Dumphole of Ontario and we're lucky to have an Equine Vet 2 hours away).

I don't want to separate her from the other girls because she cuddles with them all the time when they sleep, and I am afraid that it will be more detrimental to her health.

She is bright, chipper, and -most importantly- happy, and I wouldn't know anything was wrong with her if I didn't pick her up and notice how skinny she was.

I am so afraid that because she had a rough beginning it's taken a toll on her health now, and that she won't live to 12-20 years old like most Chi's do.

Anyone have any idea of what this could be? This is my baby girl, and it's been a rough few days!

 

[alli713]

If it were me, I would be wondering about teeth issues. Sure her front teeth look normal and a good color, but how do you know that her molars aren't giving her problems? They could have spurs or the roots could be elongating into her jaw or skull.
Perhaps if you post your exact location one of the Canada members would know of a good vet. It's important to have a vet that you can trust for times like these.
Generally when a chin is refusing to eat, it's not a good sign. Do you have any critical care you could give her? Most chins love critical care.

 

[aznmexaggie]

If you don't have one already, I would get a gram scale so that you can monitor her weight.

Instead of the crushed pellets which is what I would use only in a fix, I would order some Critical Care, a handfeeding supplement for herbivores made by Oxbow. It can be ordered through vets that carry Oxbow products or through menagerie here on CnH who runs a small animal rescue. The Critical Care has added enzymes and probiotics and was formulated for providing nutrition to ill/injured herbivores who may be off feed or unable to eat on their own.

What kind of diet is she on (brand of pellets, types of hay, treats, etc.) and how often does she get these items? Raisins are not a healthy treat for chinchillas as they are extremely high in sugar... you mention that they are in her food bowl. Are her pellets mixed with treats?

As for dental issues, X-rays are a must to identify any dental problems. Examining the surfaces don't tell you anything about the roots and if they are causing pressure or pain.

 

[ArmyofChi]

I live in the Thunder Bay, Ontario area.

I can't, for the life of me, remember what brand of pellets we buy. But we normally buy two and do a 50/50 mix. There are treats mixed in with the pellets, should I take them out? We usually cut up some fresh fruit and add it to their diet, but since I noticed her weight loss we stopped just in case. We added a few raisins to the food bowl last night as a small treat. For hay, we give them Kaytee Natural Timothy Hay.

I will try and get my hands on some Critical Care.

Never thought it could be her molars bugging her, I'll look into that.

Thanks guys.

 

[aznmexaggie]

Any brand of pellets with treats mixed in is not healthy for chinchillas. It is like offering a child a plate with veggies and candy - of course they are going to eat the candy, ruin their appetite, and not eat the veggies. I would highly suggest changing their pellets to a high quality brand such as Oxbow, Mazuri, APD, or a show rabbit pellet such as Purina Advanced Nutrition Rabbit or Manna Pro Sho. For reference, Kaytee, Charlie Chinchilla, Zupreem, are not good brands of chinchilla food. Also, chinchillas do not need fresh foods and especially do not need fruit. Fruit has a lot of sugars and can upset their G.I. tract which can cause diarrhea, bloat, or a shutdown of the G.I. system (stasis).

Is she still eating hay normally? If she is picky about her hay, maybe try mixing in some other types of hays (grain hays such as oat, wheat, barley or other grass hays like bermuda, orchard grass, or brome). Hay is very important in keeping those molars ground down. Chin teeth are designed to chew and grind dry fibrous plant matter. If they are not getting this or do not willingly eat their hay (sometimes because they are getting treats or other foods which they prefer), their teeth can overgrow and the roots can elongate into their eye sockets, sinuses, and the jawbone.

 

[CerLynn]

You should avoid feeds with treats like that - they'll generally learn to pick out what they like. Quality brands are Mazuri, Tradition, Oxbow, and PANR (a rabbit show feed). As a general rule, anything by Kaytee, Superpet, Nutriphase, Charlie Chinchilla, etc is not high quality. Chins should also not receive any fruits or veggies - the sugar in fruits can be dangerous and in general, foods like these can cause digestive issues, including diarrhea or even bloat. While I agree that she should have her teeth checked (xrays, if possible), I would also strongly suggest revamping the diet.

 

[ArmyofChi]

Thanks everyone. I am surprised to hear about Kaytee, I always thought that was a good brand. Sheesh. Goes to show what I know. I'm such a pickler for promoting high quality dog food and I can't even do the same with my Chi's

I'll be changing their diet for sure.. The mound of hay I put in their cage last night is pretty much gone, but I'll add some different hay to the mix as well.

I have 2 horses and we get bales of hay for them. Is is safe for the Chins to get? When we ran out of hay before we gave it to them and honest to god they ate it like they never had hay in their life. They loved it.. but I want to make sure its okay for them to get before I give it to them on a regular basis.

I'll be monitoring her weight also.

 

[stampinchick]

It is hard to do the right thing by your chins when all of the pet store's only carry the Kaytee brand, for the most part. The sad part is that you can get the better brands of Pellets, hey and even dust from many of the people on here for substantially cheaper than what you pay for the Kaytee (which is probably why the pet stores all carry that). So in the long run, it is better for your chins, and might actually save you some money too.

 

[alli713]

What type of hay do you feed your horses? Chances are it's fine for the chins. I buy bales of hay for my chins since it's cheaper than pet store hay.

Are there any feed stores in your area? Many feed stores carry Mazuri, PANR or Manna Pro Sho all of which are good feed. PANR and Manna Pro are for rabbits, but work great for chins.

 

[ArmyofChi]

We buy bales of Timothy. It's high quality. To be honest, I don't know why we even buy the smaller bags of hay when we have a barnful of better stuff..... sigh.

On another note, Jackson seems better today. She was eating pellets and hay on her own, and drinking water. Let's hope it stays this way, at least until I can find a vet that can take a look at her.

 

[ArmyofChi]

Quick update

We talked with the Vet Hospital today and they have Critical Care in stock! Last bottle, and they are putting it aside for us. We also talked with them about Jackson's condition and they agreed that she needs to put on more weight before she can go under general anesthetic to get her jaw x-rayed. I think it is her molars, she is drooling a bit today and pawing at her mouth. She is still eating, though, and drinking, and we're gonna do our damndest to make sure she gets that weight on.