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[GrayRodent]

My new chinchilla (Blue) has recently started allowing me to pet him and get under his chest and has learned he likes to be massaged.

I was surprised how bony his chest was down there because I can really feel all his ribs when I rub against them. I don't notice this near as much on his back ribs. I was wondering if this is normal or if there's supposed to be more meat down there? He seems to be eating okay although his diet may not have been all that great when I first got him. I weaned him off of the deluxe chinchilla food recently and he is eating okay-quality chinchilla pellets now (for about 5 days) that he came home with. I'm thinking about putting him on Mazuri in a couple of days.

He looks pretty healthy to me. His fur is changing and getting darker since I've got him and is in really good condition. I have weighed him fairly regularly now and his weight seems to be very stable. His eating habits also seem very consistent. It was more variable at first but lately if he has a downward or upward trend one day it's always offset the next by the same amount. I've had him for about 2 weeks now.

[Marip]

hi it's normal to notice his bones there how old is he and how much is his weight?

[GrayRodent]

I don't know how old he is for sure. I bought him second hand from someone who purchased him at a pet store about 5 weeks ago. So I'm guessing between 6-8 months. I was told he was a female but very obviously he is not. He weighs about 460 grams. I'm glad to know it is normal to feel the ribs.

[Marip]

Is normal to feel something but not too much like i have a chinchilla that is recovering that you can feel everything i think that is not the case but the weight is normal if she eats you can also check their poo if it's long and a bit thin that is not good it should be more "oval" but you must know that. you can wait for other comments just to be sure

[GrayRodent]

I've seen some minor variations in the poo the two weeks I've had him but it seems to be a good healthy color and texture. It's kind of oval shaped like you describe and dry to the touch. He excretes it at a fairly constant rate that increases initially when I let him out of the cage. Without having access to other chinchillas I'm having to make some educated guesses. I don't think he's having digestive issues now but he was the day I got him. It corrected itself the following day after he had access to fresh hay overnight.

[Marip]

If you can and you want you can go see a vet like a routine "appointment"(don't now if this is the right word) but i guess that's not necessary just pay attention to the faeces and his weight and give him a lot of hay and i think he will be fine.

[GrayRodent]

I think he's fine. He is eating very consistently has normal poos and his weight has almost no variation. The last three days was 0 grams of difference. Over the last 14 days there has been a slight upwards trend.

[Marip]

that's great