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Author Topic: Chinchilla doesn't like yogurt  (Read 2154 times)

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GrayRodent

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Chinchilla doesn't like yogurt
« on: November 21, 2012, 07:58:51 PM »

We recently moved to a new house with my new chinchilla (a single chin) and it has been horrendously more difficult than expected. It's been about 6 weeks now and my chinchilla's weight is down most likely due to the stress of relocation and my incredibly inconsistent schedule. My own weight is also down which is not a good thing either since I have a problem keeping weight on myself! His eating and drinking habits are consistent (I also measure his water level) and he doesn't otherwise show signs of any health problems.

His behavior has changed since I've had him. When I first hot him two months ago he seemed to be oddly indifferent to me and everything else. He is responding well to being trained and is becoming tamer and more socialized each day. This week he has suddenly changed and has become much more sociable and way more physically active during play times where before he was pretty much indifferent to the world around him. I am not sure why it was so sudden. It's like having a different animal and I have to guard the cage door now to keep him in. This is all very positive.

I have been charting his weight although there's a big hole in the data from when the move got really hectic. I am observing a fairly constant weight but it is constantly low. At the start of the move there seemed to be a gradual increase but at the start of the move it plummeted about 20% in a week. He has not lost any since then but has not gained any back either. If my chin is (I think) around 7 months old I still expect there is supposed to be a gradual increase. Unfortunately for him there are more changes he has to get used to. My brother's family just moved in and his kids are just now starting to interact with him. He doesn't like either of them very much because I am very quiet and deliberate and they are quite the opposite. I'm getting them more involved in caring for him to help him adjust to them. Also I am now in the room more often which is noticeably changing his sleep patterns.

I have decided to supplement his diet with 1 teaspoon of plain yogurt a day to see if that helps the trend. Problem is he won't touch it. He seems frightened by it which is really strange because I've introduced him to a lot of things to play with and observe and he has never acted like this. He tries to get away from it and jumps from shelf to shelf. I put it on things he likes like raisins and chew sticks but I get the same reaction. It's not that he does not have a taste for it. He is averse to it being near him. Does anyone have any suggestions? I could syringe feed it but I'd much rather he took to liking it on his own.
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lilchinchilla

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Re: Chinchilla doesn't like yogurt
« Reply #1 on: November 22, 2012, 02:35:18 AM »

Sounds like he is getting used to you and his new home, which would explain the sudden change in behavior. Sometimes it only takes chinchillas a week, sometimes it is a few weeks for them to feel settled and relaxed enough to show their true selves.

Have you tried sprinkling just a dash of dried dandelion leaf(like a pinch of it) on the yogurt? I have had chins who were not well, years ago, quite enjoy the yogurt with some dried dandelion leaf sprinkled on top. :)

GrayRodent

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Re: Chinchilla doesn't like yogurt
« Reply #2 on: November 22, 2012, 09:28:38 AM »

I don't have dandelion but thanks for your suggestion. If it's something I can get at a local store I'll try it.
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glafond

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Re: Chinchilla doesn't like yogurt
« Reply #3 on: November 22, 2012, 02:09:25 PM »

I don't have dandelion but thanks for your suggestion. If it's something I can get at a local store I'll try it.

You can order it from TJSchinchillasupplies.com
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GrayRodent

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Re: Chinchilla doesn't like yogurt
« Reply #4 on: November 26, 2012, 09:05:06 AM »

I don't think my chinchilla will accept yogurt. It seems to stress him out when I try to get it near his face. It's like he's had a bad experience with it in the past. His weight is still 15% lower than it was before the move and the trend is still relatively flat. I'm considering ordering critical care and supplementing daily with that to see if there is a change. I'm thinking this could be his new baseline weight for his current activity level and diet but I don't know. Perhaps this was triggered by stress from the move and will improve if I can get the weight back up, but I just have to wonder if his weight will go back down to what it is if I stop feeding it 2 weeks from now. Has anyone experienced this before?

Critical care formula seems like overkill to me but I'm willing to place an order if it can help. Can anyone suggest something else?
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fuji

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Re: Chinchilla doesn't like yogurt
« Reply #5 on: January 02, 2013, 01:58:44 AM »

I don't think my chinchilla will accept yogurt. It seems to stress him out when I try to get it near his face. It's like he's had a bad experience with it in the past. His weight is still 15% lower than it was before the move and the trend is still relatively flat. I'm considering ordering critical care and supplementing daily with that to see if there is a change. I'm thinking this could be his new baseline weight for his current activity level and diet but I don't know. Perhaps this was triggered by stress from the move and will improve if I can get the weight back up, but I just have to wonder if his weight will go back down to what it is if I stop feeding it 2 weeks from now. Has anyone experienced this before?

Critical care formula seems like overkill to me but I'm willing to place an order if it can help. Can anyone suggest something else?

This is my first post, hello all. Have you tried feeding it to him with a Popsicle stick or chopstick?
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Snickerdoodlesmom

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Re: Chinchilla doesn't like yogurt
« Reply #6 on: January 02, 2013, 07:02:45 AM »

...I don't think that is safe.
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GrayRodent

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Re: Chinchilla doesn't like yogurt
« Reply #7 on: January 02, 2013, 08:33:19 AM »

That's an interesting idea. I don't see why that would be unsafe if it is something he merely licks off.
In fact I tried a similar thing with willow sticks that my chinchilla would chew and eat quite passionately. In fact I had to be careful not to give him too many because he would eat that instead of his food. I dipped the stick in the yogurt but he would have absolutely nothing to do with it. I tried a spoon, my finger, and even putting some on a raisin. I also put some on a spoon and set it in the cage. He did eat raisins and willow sticks without the yogurt though.

In this particular case I gave up on yogurt and went with supplementing with calf manna. The calf manna helped to stabilize his weight but eventually he wouldn't eat enough food for his digestive tract to function and then stopped eating entirely. He was diagnosed with malocclusion and promptly euthanized. He had lost over 20% of his weight and was starting to show it.

My new chinchilla doesn't like yogurt either but because he is new it might not be the best time to try it. I loaded some into a feeding syringe and dispensed a drop on the tip and tried to get him to lick it off. He just doesn't like it so I won't force it. It turns out that typically chinchillas won't accept yogurt. Turns out he really didn't need it. On his regular diet he is gaining about 2 grams per day.
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