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[Darkfyrelady]

So we bought a chin last week we finally got him to eat the food we have and he is now taking raisins. He wouldn't eat the first few days.So I called the person we bought him from and she told me some very wild things. They fed him guinea pig food, and Marshmellows, he didn't have a cage he had free run of their house and he slept with them. I was in shock, my hubby and I have been breeders for 24 years this worried me so I called the vet they used explained I own him now the vet asked me if I knew anything about chins.When I assured him we did he actually said thank god, our poor little guy has had stomach issues, he was electrocuted once, and had a broken leg.He is only 7 months old!!!! We were Usda licensed, but when my male Snowball died I didn't want anymore for two years. I just decided to get another one recently. The little guy, we named him Wade, is now in a beautiful 3 story cage, has a petball to use when out, is being fed Mozuri Chin food and doing well. The vet is gonna check him out in a month I agreed to monthly checks to make sure he is still having no issues from being electrocuted. It just floored me his former owners did absolutely no research on owning chins. It made me rethink our policies when we start to breed again if we breed again, completely new contracts and requirements. Has anyone else ever heard of this kinda stuff? Marshmallows wow,

[BLS Chins]

Unfortunately yes ive seen things like that before. Chinchillas have so much misinformation available that injuries and bad diets are quite common. I really wish that good info was easier to find (and believe) to new owners. I rescue so often they come in with a box or raisins or with death balls.... I actually had one come in that they were feeding dog food!

[GrayRodent]

Yes if you hang around the boards here for any time you'll find all kinds of crazy things. Sometimes I have to restrain myself to not be too condescending. That is one reason we have a program for breeders to hand out free Chinchilla Club memberships with an annual subscription ($25.00). This helps funnel traffic to a place that knows chinchillas.

Now this particular case is over the top. Usually it's one or two things but it's like everything all at once. Electrocution is very common. Malocclusion from feeding inappropriate food is common. Fatty liver disease from eating junk food is not as common but not unheard of. Marshmallows is new to me though, usually it's potato chips or nuts. I did hear of a chin that died after eating a pork rib though but that wasn't the owner's doing.

Unfortunately there's nothing you can do to protect your chins from all the craziness but certainly having a good care sheet is a good start.