Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Petey621]

Hello my girlfriend and I are the proud new owners of a 4 month old male chin named petey. we have had him for a week today

There are a few things I'm worried about... I don't see him eat the pellets i give him only on a few rare occasions but he loves hay and frequently dines on it. I also don't see much water consumption though i know he can work the sipper tube so i'm not to worried about that. I know he is nocturnal but so am i he must be eating and drinking way into the night after i go to sleep which is around 3 a.m.

Also im worried that he wont socialize with my girlfriend, he is warming up to me but thats because he lives with me but she doesn't come over very much because of family issues. Is there any way she can vastly help to create a bond between them?

Also i know its safe for him to be doing this but he eats his carefresh bedding all the time and it worries me.

I just took him to the vet because his eye was messed up due to foreign matter and he weighs out average and is completely healthy. Am i just being an overly worried parent?

[jmdebb]

hi and congrats!!!! chins are soo much fun!!!

are you sure he's not eating any pellets.. like they say a chin will eat about 2 tble spoons a day.. but not literally, but thats what i've always heard everyone go by.. as for eating alot of hay, that is okay.. my one big boy, loves hay... he would be out playing and if he saw my put hay in his cage, he would go back in to eat hay   but he also eats his pellets too.
so when you say he's not eating pellets do you mean NONE AT ALL, or just not alot... and do you see any wet spots on the cage, if you do, then he's drinking. 

some days they don't drink alot some days they do.. at least that's how mine are.. i can't speak for all of them.. and of course on the day they don't i get all nervious, but the next day.. water is gone..

as for your girlfriend, chins take time to warm up to someone.  so it might take her longer if she's not there much. 

just curious, what kind of food are you feeding.. most of the pet store foods are no good for chins..

good foods are:

penpals, mazuri, manna pro, tradition.. just to name a few. i'm sure someone else can list the rest.. sorry but i always forget..

jean

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Yes a week is nothing in the life of a chin.
He'll warm up to her in time.
When I want to see how much my chins are eating I just put small amounts in the dish, instead of filling it up.
So just put about 3 tablespoons there.Let him eat all the hay he wants.
And if his feed had treats in it, take them out and just feed the pellets.And yes he may not like them.
I tried mine on mazuri, and while some did eat them, many threw them out of the dish.
Some of mine drink very little water, but like Jean said if he has a pee spot he's drinking.

Some fun 

[Petey621]

im feeding him pet store food wich im assuming sucks so im gona buy a different kind as for the drinking he is and im not worried anymore i have a new concern. he loves to come out of the cage and run around my room i get back from my gf's house around 2 or 3 in the morn wich is when hes wide awake so i let him out.

lately however since ive been giving him his medicine for his eye all he does is stay in his hut and sleep at this moment ive had his cage door open for about and hour and a half and hes only stepped out twice for a small amount of time.

i know they are supposed to be playful and if they arent its a sign of illness but i cant help but wonder if hes just resting his eye up.

any advice would be very helpful and thank you for the previous posts.

[jmdebb]

what type of medicine is he on for his eye? 

if he is on baytril, that will upset their tummies, so if you see less food be eaten that is why.. you can always use some critical care and force feed him.. if you have to force feed, please ask how to do it so he doesn't choke. 

thats really the only med i know about.. so if you come back and say what he's on, some of the more educated people can tell you about it..

and if you are looking for quality chin food, i'm in the US..[my link is below] i sell mazuri, purena [?spelling], manna pro and i have tradition on order.. just to let you know.  i might also be getting nutrena in the near future. 

when you switch foods, some people will do a cold switch.. which is just switch to the new food.. you can get soft pooh by doing that.. alot of people switch slowly.... adding alittle at a time and gradually move up until you have completely switched over.. that way you wont get the soft poop, but right now the important issue at hand is that he is that he's playing.

in addition to the type of med, how long has he been on it?  could the reason he's not coming out just be because he's sleeping?  chins routines can change due to us keeping them awake during the day.. if he truly is getting lathargic, you might want to call your vet.. that is a true sign something isn't right with a chinchilla.. however like i said, i have no clue if any medications will make them more sleepy..

sorry i couldn't be more useful here.
jean

[Petey621]

the medication he is on is a triple antibiotic ointment neomycin and polymyxin B sulfates and Bacitracin Zinc Ophthalmic ointment USP (i have no idea what any of those words mean)

he has been on it for about 3 days and his eye is much better im supposed to check in with the vet on mon.

i dont exactly know his schedule but i do know that when i get home every night he is on his wooden resting block waiting for me but when i open the door he doesnt seem to care that much.

when i take him out and close the door he will run around but for a short time. do they et bored of their surroundings because i try to stack shoes and other objects to make fun playgrounds on the floor but maybe hes bored with my room and wants to check out a new place.

i just hope he isnt bored of me or the surroundings or if hes mad at me for giving him the medicine cuz i have to wrap him in a towel to get him to stay still long enough to apply is because all of this behavior started when i started giving him the medicine.

thank you for all the feedback so far and im looking forward to more advice.

[Jo Ann]

   The ointment you are using for his eye is a triple antibiotic and very common with eye infections.  He might be a bit upset with you about the treatments.  When ever I have to do a procedure or give meds, I reward them with a special treat and a little rest time afterwards, so they can relax a little.  That seems to get them to forgive me a little faster.    

Best to get into the habit of doing the meds and play time at a separate time that is not a normal play time.  Anytime you fool with the eye, it is not pleasent for him.  You might want to set it at a time that has nothing to do with his normal/regular play time schedule.  

IMPORTANT: No dust baths while on the eye medications!

   Jo Ann

PS Mazuri, Traditions, Shoots and Oxbow are all very good chinchilla feeds.  I have had some personal issues with Mana Pro but use the Purina Advantage Show Rabbit Formula (blue bag white and black bunny on the front).  I would prefer to, and have used, the Mazuri and Traditions and would prefer them, but they are no longer readily and normally available in this area. 
PPS Pet store brands are usually some of the worst.

[jmdebb]

joann,, just curious.. where are you located...

i had a hard time ordering the tradition.  there is only one place near me that sells it and its about 45 minutes away.. i can't tell you how many times i had to call these guys up and hound them to get them to order me a bag..  i was so mad... no even so much for my webstore, but bo stopped eating the purina and he was thriving on it,, and now he's back to just nibbling here and there and i hate it.. his poops are soo small.  so i want to see if bo will like the tradition.  there has to be at least one other food he likes.. i cannot believe who fussy chinchillas can be... LOL..  right now i have him on a mix of purina, mazuri, and manna pro..

[Petey621]

thank you for the continued assistance its good to know that hes fine..for some reason i couldnt sleep last night and i found out he eats and drinks at around 6 a.m he started to suck down water and eat his pellets 

Also an incident happened last night while playing with him...he was freerunning around my room and he found a flavored sunflower seed on the floor and absolutely loved it he did that chittering sound they make when they are really happy. now i know thats not a good snack for him but he wont he any other treats now lol he liked nuts but after that he just says no.

any way i can safely feed him a treat like one of those sunflower seeds?

[olivia41]

Actually, sunflower seeds are not necessarily bad for them. Once in a while it is an okay treat, but they have to be just plain, no salt or anything. Still though, i'm sure he's fine that he got one that's "flavored." As for nuts, stop feeding them to him. Nuts are too fatty for chinchillas and can cause a fatty liver over time, which can be deadly. Try shredded wheats (not sugar, just plain), i have not yet met a chin that doesn't like them! Other good treats are cheerios, rosehips, rosebuds, dried papaya, the occasional raisin. The general rule with chin treats is the plainer the better, they sure don't complain!

[Hoppinchins]

You can get good chinchilla food at the petstore. I buy my stuff mostly from petsmart. I have my 2 guys in oxbow pellets and oxbow western hay. Also mazuri is a good brand. I think the other brands you may have to buy online. I got my guys from the petstore and i had them on food they told me was good for them, which wasn't. You want to stay away from food that has treats in it. When you buy new food you want to make sure to slowly mix it in with the current food. My 2 chins like the oxbow.

[Petey621]

It is with a broken heart that i inform everyone that petey passed away today

he inhaled a piece of food through the wrong tube and got it lodged in there his lungs filled with liquds trying to throw it up

when we rushed him to the vet he died in my arms his heart stopped and he drowned

he was only 4 months old and i had him for 2 short weeks but it feels like forever

he was only a baby
 

[olivia41]

I'm so sorry to hear that. It's okay he's in a happy place now and I'm sure he loved you very much in the short time that you had him. You were a very caring owner.

[Hoppinchins]

aww. I'm soo sorry to hear that.