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[shadowborne]

Ok I find this to be a little strange. We got amy about 3 weeks ago as a sort of rescue and she is sweet, when she isn't pissing on my father who she HATES for some reason, and she was eating the food we gave her. She was on a mostly mauri diet with a charlie chinchilla mix since the owner was trying to switch her. She has fully switched to mauri which she just loved eating a good bit of it but now it seems like she is refusing to eat it. If we get the large pieces from the charlie chinchilla food, it's either alfalfa or a similiar, she snatch's it and eats it like she is starving. Any suggestions on maybe being able to tell easily or to find out if she is eating what she needs? I am very worried about her as she isn't doing much of anything like my little silver is doing.

Thank you and sorry for all the questions lol.

[ChillinChinchillas]

The Charlie Chinchilla food that I have seen is loaded with treats. Now that she is strictly on pellets, she might just be pouting. Make sure she has plenty of hay to munch on. As long as she is eating plenty of hay, she is fine. Also moniter how much she is drinking. A loss of appetite can be a sign of something more serious. Serious diseases such as giardia are hard to spot, but one of the signs is a decrease in appetite and thirst. If the problem persists, I would get her to the vet. I would also put a hold on treats until she starts eating her food. You don't want her entire diet to consist of treats, because she is holding out for them. Good luck and keep us posted!

[shadowborne]

Alright thanks, I just need to convince my dad to stop giving her treats. She drinks plenty of water, I took her into the vet who looked her over last week and said she was fine. I catch her drinking a good but of water from time to time so I don't think she is sick.

[ChillinChinchillas]

It is very important that you limit the treats to about one a day. Too many treats can cause seizures and various other health problems. Just make sure you are very careful, even more so with a rescued chin. Sometimes they take a little longer to warm up because sometimes they haven't had the greatest experiences with humans. With her being even more fearful of your father, she could have had a bad experience with men. Instead of giving her treats to win her over, just have him sit and talk to her in a soothing tone daily. Eventually she will see that ya'll will not harm her and she will hopefully get a little more comfy. I love all of my chins, but it is a very rewarding experience when you take a chin that is fearful of humans and watch them progress into a loving pet!

[Asikovsek]

If chins are used to food like charlie then when they eat that food you will notice that they eat everything but the pellets out of it.  Chins love treats and will put it before a proper diet.  It will take a while for your chin to adjust to eatting pellets.  I suggest not giving any treats at all until she starts eatting the pellets.  This is because when you give her the treats then she'll think that you will give her the food that she is used to and will still refuse the pellets.  If you dont give her any treats until she adjust to the pellets then she will start eatting a proper diet and then you can give her a treat here or there.  It takes conditioning to make adjustments when it comes to changing the behavior of chinchillas and it takes a lot of time.  I wish manufacturers of that unhealthy chin food would realize it tears up a chins digestive system.  I would also try giving her live bacteria yogurt to try to fix her digestive system.  How is her poop? is it small and hard or is it rather large and healthy looking, If it is small and hard then it is crucial to try to fix her digestive system, also look at her teeth see what color they are if they are a darker orange color then she is getting enough calcium, if not if they are more white then your chin is in great need of calcium.  A cuddle bone or a half tums will help give your chin the calcium it needs.  That charlie food can be harmful to a chinchilla and you have to try to help her get healthier the best you can.  Good Luck

[shadowborne]

Alright, here is an update. She has started to eat the pellets and the treats I finally convinced my father that more then 1 treat a day is really bad. Had to show him why it is bad and vet info about it. She gets 1, maybe 2 pieces of papaya a day or a raisin. Only started giving her treats again when she was eating the pellets and the hay/alfalfa again. She actually has warmed up ALOT since we brought her home, she was actually a little fearful of women when we got her and when I opened the cage at the owners house she came right over and climbed on me. She is doing that again and has taking a liking to my mom, she rings the bell in her cage for my mom to come in and give her scritch's and she really gets into them to the point of rolling onto her side and showing her belly to get it scratched, actually a cute/funny sight. She loves everyone and everything but for some reason she just hated my dad from the beginning but now that I have him backing off a bit and only talking to her unless she comes to the front of the cage she has stopped barking at him when he gets near the cage. She still hates to be picked up but I expect that, I only pick her up when she literally leans out and puts her paws up my chest and sniffs my chin. Sorry for so much with little spacing but working on a few final papers, homework I missed, and trying to watch and talk to both chinchilla's so I know they arn't pissing all over eachother in there cages, to the point where the cages are close so they can sniff but not bite.

Thank you for the responses.

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Try giving her large flaked/ old fashioned oatmeal or loose alfalfa as a treat. It will take her longer to eat a pinch or either out of your hand.I find it much more fun, bet your Dad will too,  ;)and it's a healthier treat.
This will also make her very curious over what's in your hands rather than how fast she can snatch and run with it, if she is one of those.
So funny to watch and feel them with thier little hands pulling at yours looking for a treat.

You've already been given the best advice on the feed and hay above.
And it seems to be working.