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[ohio chinny]

i have had velvet for about 10 years, and have fed her a variety of pellet foods, as well as compressed bricks of hay, she has allways been a picky eater, however, recently she has become increasingly picky, and i have had to switch from a multi-food (looks like it has treats in the with the pellets) and pellet mix back to a plain pellets formula (again), however, she has slowly been backing off her hay for the past few months, she now allmost completely refuses to eat any. her poos have been consistant as ever, for a chin, she has an iron stomach... the only hay i can really get her to eat are a product i buy, called hay cookies, when i read the ingredients list, they are primarily hay, wheat flour, with rolled oat flakes, and a small amount of beet sugar molasses to bind it together. I'm not sure, but i don't think that this is really the best for her, she has been regaining the weight that she lost with the gradual refusal of her previous food (she was eating everything but the pellets, which i didn't notice at first because those she began hiding in her bedding, and refused to eat when presented with only the pellets) i used to switch her food slowly , but she immediately would eat all of the new, and NONE of the old, so switching is now done with minimal change time because ANY food is better than refusing all food. oddly enough , she only has had diarrhea once, when my brother unknowingly fed her WAY too many treats (he left the bag on top of the cage while i was away for the weekend and she chewed a hole in it and gorged) she will often after a few months (3-4, sometimes up to 6) of a food, simply get tired of it, and refuse to eat it, this has been going on for a few years now, and i have been rotating through 3-4 different brands, depending on what i can get, its allways a challenge making sure each change covers all nutritional requirements. it has been slow, but she now consumes allmost no hay but the mentioned cookies, its not a freshness issue, i have allready addressed that, but maybe she will become more interested if it looks different? her current pellets contain ground hay as the first ingredient, but i am unsure if this is enough, she does eat a bit off of her house occasionally (compressed hay bound with a little honey). i am simply at a loss at how to address this, i know its that she's overly picky, but it is to the point that she would rather starve herself than eat something she has gotten tired of i have tried everything i can think of, but she isn't losing weight, actually gaining back (slowly), yet hay is supposed to be the primary component of her diet, what can i do? if she's fine should I just keep on as is? even with little to no straight hay consumed? I may switch to loose hay and see if that helps, even though i would have to make a bin to hold it, as i have never used loose hay before, what else should i do? i know this is long, but maybe, with knowing all of the details, i shall get a usefull responce sooner...

[lilchinchilla]

What kind of pellets are you feeding her? Most commonly, mazuri, tradition or oxbow are the ones I know of used most often in the States. If she is on one of those kind of pellet diets, she should be fine to eat her hay too. If you are feeding her a diet with treats in it, this may be why she refuses hay or pellets. You have to consider chinchillas like children...
If you have a five year old and you hand them a plate with veggies on it or hand them a plate with a big slice of chocolate cake with ice cream on it - which one will they go for? The cake with ice cream... Is it healthy to raise a human child on junk food? Most likely not... I'd assume it would not be good for chinchillas either, since they have even tinier digestive systems than humans do.

If you want her to eat healthier, just get her a good diet (like the ones mentioned above), and give her hay with it. As always, just like with human children, they may refuse the healthier diet for a little while, but after they realize you aren't going to keep giving them the treat filled diet, they will eat the hay and pellets only. It usually takes a couple days to see the change.

APD hay is the one I most often tell people about, since it is such a good hay. My chins love it and you never hear of any troubles with it. It is quite consistent for hay products.

[ohio chinny]

yeah, I'm back on the plain pellet diet, she is eating again, but even with plain pellets, i still have to switch brands every few months, she once refused to eat for allmost a week, the only reason i let it go that long is because usually, when a spoiled animal gets hungry enough, it WILL eat whats good for it... that was much too long, she got so thin i cant let that happen again... all the brands i get are nutritionally compleat, i allways check that, as well as the freshness. i have had problems with the treat thing before, but that i can manage by switching foods as she gets bored, my main problem is hay, she will eat pellets but not hay,

are there any benefits that loose hay has over brick?

what is, and where can i find APD hay?

[GrayRodent]

Sometimes tooth problems can cause these kinds of symptoms. If it is tooth problems it can be accelerated because chins need hay to keep their teeth from overgrowing.

[Lori Ramsey Earle]

When a chin deviates from their normal behavior(like not eating for a week), they're trying to tell you something...They're not being stubborn - something's wrong. Try to think like a chinchilla, not a human. Are the pellets fresh? Chinchilla food bought from a pet store, or even a feed store can often be rancid. If you know of a breeder in your area, see if you can purchase chow from them. Or order online from a reputable chinchilla store(Lonestar Chinchillas or Arizona Chins comes to mind, but I'm sure other folks here could give suggestions. A reputable seller will be paying attention to the mill date on the bag). Your chin also could have had some gut problems that week that she didn't eat. Did you listen to her stomach? The point here is that a chin owner has to be proactive when their chin is acting differently.Not all chins could have survived without eating for such a long time. You were lucky.
Fresh hay is usually relished by chins. Hay cubes are more processed - probably more fun for them to chew on but not as tasty as the real thing. I agree that ordering your hay from American Pet Diner(APD) would be your best choice for fresh hay for your chin. Pet store hay is usually in pitiful shape, and not worth buying. Give your chin some really fresh hay and see what she thinks. It is extremely important for her intestinal health.
Good luck! Once you get used to ordering supplies online, I think you'll find it's easier that way to source better chow and hay for your chin. The higher quality of hay will amaze you for sure.
Lori