She's not taking to her new food very well - advice?

[jess32247]

My chinnie isn't taking to her new food very well, the stuff I was feeding her before was pellets with a small bit of mix (little bit of seeds, but mostly pellets), and of corse she took to eating the seeds every night instead of the pellets! Big mistake I made getting that food, won't make it again!

So now I've gotten her an all pellet kind, but she hates it. I've been slowly switching her food over for about two weeks, and last night was her first day with only the new pellets. I woke up to check on her and about half the pellets were over spilled out of the bowl.. I guess she was looking for her old kind. I noticed that almost all her hay was gone also.

So what should I do? I do still have some of her old pellets left, but I feel like mixing them together will just reinforce her to eat only what she wants.

Oh one last question! What should I look for in chin food? The stuff I'm feeding her isn't the best, but it's one of the better things they sell at the Petco I go to, and unfortuanlly that's were I have to get it.

Thanks in advice, I hope I can get her to start eatting her new pellets or switch over to a better quailty pellet!

 

[~Alex~]

although it is expensive i know petco sells a brand called oxbrow which is considered a very good brand of food. Perhaps try that? It can be a little expensive though...

 

[kerri101]

oxbow and mazuri are also sold at petco....what are you feeding her now? some chin owners find mazuri makes mushy poops but mine and others was fine on it any food depends on the individual chin .... some chins will be picky when doing a pellet switch.....I had to change feed and did a cold switch after a few days she was fine I was super worried too as long as shes eating hay pooping and peeing ok she should be ok

 

[Cuddlebug]

Around here, the Petcos do not have any good chinchilla feed. Petsmart carries both Oxbow and Mazuri. If you don't have a store where you can buy either one, you can order some from people here on the forum.

 

[jess32247]

I have heard of oxbow and mazuri being really good chin food, but I havn't seen it at my petco before. Just checked online, and they don't have it either.. grr! I'll have to see if I can find it in another store or online. Does anyone buy oxbow or mazuri online?

I just started feeding her food from zu preem, premium chinchilla food.

Here's there website link: http://www.zupreem.com/our-food/small-animals/natures-promise™-premium-chinchilla-food

And the link to the PDF file that has the ingredients listed: http://www.zupreem.com/our-food/small-animals/natures-promise™-premium-chinchilla-food
If you scroll down to the second page, on the right should say chinchilla food, that's what I'm feeding her now!

 

[cindyv3737]

I don't think Zupreem is a good feed. From the quick glance I took, it is filled with veggies. Veggies are not good for chins and can cause digestive issues. AZChins and Essentia both sell Mazuri. I don't think anybody sells Oxbow on the forum. You can also call your local feed supply and see if they carry Oxbow or Mazuri.

As for your chin not eating, she wants her treats. Odds are, she was eating mostly nuts when you were switching feeds. She will start to eat again. Chins are like little kids, they want the treats before anything good. Just keep an eye on her and give plenty of hay. I would also switch to a better feed.

 

[Lillybabe]

Have you looked into local feed stores? I know they don't exist everywhere though. My feed store was able to order Oxbow Chinchilla Essentials for me. They typically only carry Oxbow for rabbits and guinea pigs. They do sell bags of Mazuri though. Because the girls are so young I didn't want to risk the chance of squishy poos though and went with Oxbow even though I can get Mazuri cheaper. However a 10lb bag for $14.99 isn't too bad. Though I can get 25lbs of Mazuri for about the same price... But even with two of them 25lbs will take them a long time to eat.

 

[jess32247]

I just checked on Petsmart and saw they sell Oxbow, guess I'll be getting that since everyone says it's good! It is a little pricey though, but I guess it's worth it for her. Cindy, that's what I was worried about once I got home and looked at it more, that it's filled with veggies. I guess it'll have to do until I can order it, hopefully this week, and until it gets here. Lilybabe, I havn't checked any local feed stores, maybe I should check there first before ordering it off petsmart and compare prices, thanks for the idea

Thanks a bunch everyone, so glad you all could help!

 

[coolbpf]

Lonestarchinchilla.com sells mazuri, not sure about the oxbow... I always mix the green pellets (I think they're mazuri) with a little calf mana from mazuri. Chili seems to like it as long as there's a little seed in there.

The only thing is shipping from lonestar takes forever and it costs a good load. But the product is quality I suppose.

 

[andreya]

I would definitely check a feed store. I switched mine to Oxbow a few months ago and they all love it. I haven't had any "dumping" since I did and they used to love to dump their old food. They also don't pee in it anymore and eat a ton of it. It shouldn't be too expensive with just your one chin. =)

 

[tcraighenry]

I buy most of her food through Amazon. I have a prime account so it's worth it

 

[Lillybabe]

Yeah if you're ordering Oxbow online it's probably better to order from somewhere other than Petsmart. The price will probably be much cheaper. Like I said I'm getting a 10lb bag for $14.99 and I paid $9.99 for the current 5lb bag I got at a store in the city I commute to for school. If you shop around you might be able to find a good deal.

 

[tunes]

coolbpf - You should never mix a treat in with a chins regular feed source. You are just asking for them to ignore their feed and eat the calf manna instead. Also, Mazuri is already plenty high in protein (many people's chins experience diarrhea with it) so adding calf manna is really not a great idea anyway.

There are plenty of people on this forum who sell good quality feed at great prices. Just check the classifieds.

To the OP - Sandi, a member on here, sells Tradition which I think is hands down the best chin food there is, IMO. She ships fast and she's reasonable. Most people on here stopped selling Oxbow because it seems Oxbow decided greed was more important than their customers and will only sell through high priced vendors now. I won't buy any of their products. Also, beware of many food changes. It sounds as though you've already had 2 and are looking at a third. I would find the pellet you want, order it, then only offer hay for a few days until it arrives. When you get it, put the new pellet into the cage with no other options or mixes. I bet your chin will eat it.

 

[jess32247]

Ugh.. I've never seen my chiny act so bad, last night she was "fighting" with her hay rack, like picking it up and trying to throw it. I had to take it out because I was scared she would hurt herself, guess I need a new thing for her hay.

If she doesn't take the food in a week, then I'll buy her the oxbow kind. I'm not the one with a credit card and my mom is being stuborn about her not eatting the new kind, she doesn't really see the importance about this :/

Also, beware of many food changes. It sounds as though you've already had 2 and are looking at a third. I would find the pellet you want, order it, then only offer hay for a few days until it arrives. When you get it, put the new pellet into the cage with no other options or mixes. I bet your chin will eat it.

I know, I feel so bad switching her food around so often! I hope this will be over soon, I feel horrible about it. Thanks for the advice everyone, I'll be sure to keep her hay rack filled up all the way and let her decide what she wants to eat for the next couple of days.