very skinny chin

[jencraig]

What does everyone do if your chin starts loosing weight?? I have a rescue chin that is skin and bones her teeth are fine no rattling or discharge wet paws or nose
The pellets she just pushes around but loves the timothy hay and raisens...I was told she wouldn't eat pellets by her previous family all she was eating was gerbil diet...ive tried everything but making a slurry and syringe feeding her.
She craves attention but is lethargic her poo is wet/sticky

 

[Stackie]

Has she had an actual tooth exam? Not just looking into the mouth, but x-rays? The roots of the teeth can overgrow and cause problems. This can only be indicated by x-rays. Chins will not starve themselves unless there is some underlying issue.

Secondly, stop the raisins. Despite some information that's out there, raisins are actually very bad for them.

Has she ever had an intestinal parasite exam to check for parasitic infections?

The best way to get weight on a chinchilla is high quality pellets and hay. Oxbow, Mazuri,Tradition, Nutrena Naturewise Rabbit Pellets and Manna Pro Sho are all good nutritional pellets to try.

 

[Brittany]

What does everyone do if your chin starts loosing weight?? I have a rescue chin that is skin and bones her teeth are fine no rattling or discharge wet paws or nose
The pellets she just pushes around but loves the timothy hay and raisens...I was told she wouldn't eat pellets by her previous family all she was eating was gerbil diet...ive tried everything but making a slurry and syringe feeding her.
She craves attention but is lethargic her poo is wet/sticky

This chin needs to see a vet. Several things could be causing these issues, none of them are something that a pet owner should self-diagnose and treat without the guidance of a vet.

 

[smhluvsmh]

First and foremost, stop the raisins. Slow gradual weight gain on the proper diet is best.

 

[jencraig]

This particular chin was just given to me saturday evening....no answers by the previous owner just a skinny chin and a bag of gerbil food
I feed mazuri chin diet to all and unlimited hay. i have her a appt tomorrow morning

 

[Chinchilla63]

I also have a super skinny rescue girl.
She should definitely see a vet...you do need to rule out all the possible health issues.
I've been feeding Oxbow alfalfa hay mixed with the timothy. She eats a TON of hay! The alfalfa hay has lots of very fine alfalfa hay that's almost a powder - she loves that. I sprinkle it over the hay. Also, as a treat, I'm giving Forever Feisty's herbal mixture. Fuzzy's Kingdom makes one as well. It's supposed to help their appetite.
Rocky hardly touches her pellets. I've switched her to Oxbow but she still won't eat more than a few a day...I'm hoping that the alfalfa hay is a decent alternative, since the pellets are alfalfa based. The hay doesn't have the concentrated nutrition of the pellets, but I can't force her to eat them.
She's definitely gaining weight, although I haven't had her on the scale in a few weeks. I can't feel her shoulder blades when I pick her up now.
Try plain shredded wheat cereal for a snack, or rolled oats. Rocky won't even eat raisins anymore. I think it reminds her of her previous life. She glares at me when I try to offer her one!
Good luck, and congratulations on being a rescue parent!

 

[Cuddlebug]

I would stop ALL treats and feed a quality feed and hay only. the chinchilla is not going to eat what is good for her if she is given access to things she should not be eating. This chin needs a thorough evaluation by an exotics vet. As mentioned there are several things that could be wrong and the only way to be sure is to get the little one evaluated. Please let us know what the vet says.