Chinchilla Community Forums
Chinchillas => Q & A => Topic started by: ledzeppelin on May 02, 2014, 04:40:44 PM
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Hello!
I have had my chinchilla for about 8 months now and I have been wondering how much food is normal for a chinchilla to eat. I know there are several suggestions:1. fill bowl up since chinchillas don't tend to over eat, 2. some teaspoon measurements, and several others.. I have noticed that my chinchilla ravishes 1 pound ( a bit over half a kg ) pellets in one month. Pellets I buy are pricey at about 15$ per pound which I don't mind because this probably means that they are of good quality, but I am concerned if I overfeed my chin or underfeed it. I figured that the best measurement would be how much pounds per month because those teaspoon measurements can be misleading. So, my +/- 12 months old chinchilla eats a bit more than 1 pound of food per month. I'm wondering how high your numbers go :)
Have a nice day,
LZ
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No idea since I buy 50lbs a time for 10 chins plus kits and 6 rabbits plus kits. The only reason to measure the amount in tablespoons is so the food stays fresher than leaving out a large bowl full and it helps keep track of changes in diet that could signal a health problem. The chin should still be getting all they want to eat of plain pellets and unlimited hay.
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$15 per pound seems pretty high. I get 5lb for about that. I have a 500g male chinchilla and that sounds about right. It takes about 5 months for mine to go through through it. I think I bought my last bag in early January and it's about time for more now. You won't overfeed but you can underfeed if your chinchilla runs out of pellets so make sure there is always food in the bowl. I use a small bowl and put about a day's worth (plus a little extra) to help me keep track of how much he eats. He always has at least two days worth of hay in cage at all times as well in the off chance he does get low on pellets for the day. It is very important to be able to track your pet's food and water intake because they cannot stop eating very long before they get into serious trouble.