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[Ninetalez]

I got my chinchilla previously a couple days ago. I have had a few problems with biting, but she seems to be doing better the more time I spend with her. However, she is looking like a really picky eater. I barely see any of her food gone from her dish. She eats hay though, and only drinks water when I hand feed it to her. When she is good, I feed her dried raisins and she eats that like she has never seen food for days. Right now I am giving her a Chinchilla diet from Pet Smart that they created. Her previous owner fed her rabbit pellets/food, and she didn't seem to like that at all. The first night she was here, she completely cleaned the bowl of food I gave her throughout the night, which is what I find weird. Although she likes to sleep a lot in her cage and my lap, she maintains an active schedule and isn't mopey.

Should I try a different diet, if so, what kind?
Is there anything specific that your, or chinchillas in general love to eat that wont give them a "sweet tooth?"

Any help would be great, thanks!

[Mogsy]

It'll take a while for them to relax, and if you haven't had a Chin before, you're probably not sure what to expect as far as food consumption goes. Your best bet is to get a pellets only food, or they WILL pick out the good stuff. Your new chin is probably pretty anxious. I remember going through that with Chester when I first got him, too. Try not to worry about it, keep giving your new fuzzy friend lots of love and attention, and things should smooth out. If she stops eating all together, though, maybe seek a vet. Good luck!

[mojito]

Hopefully she's eating more. She may have been stressed out from going to a new home. Since you also didn't switch her out slowly she is probably not used to the new food either. Be careful about food at Petsmart; Mazuri or Oxbow is the way to go (healthiest pellet in my opinion). I actually use Kline now but you would probably have a hard time getting it (I get it from a breeder, we're both in SC). You can ask around. You can also maybe try adding some supplements in the dish to help (again be careful about supplements!)

[Squirrel_Butt]

If you absolutely have to use the chinfood that has the treats in it, be sure to pick them out and leave the pellets in. otherwise they will ignore the pellets and eat the treats.

[ohio chinny]

If you absolutely have to use the chinfood that has the treats in it, be sure to pick them out and leave the pellets in. otherwise they will ignore the pellets and eat the treats.

hey! waint a minute! just because it looks like a treat dosn't mean it actually is a treat. sometimes they add somthing other than standard pellets to
-a) add nutrients found in that dried fruit/veggie (like vitamin c)
-b) to ecourage natural habits like taking seeds out of a hull (mine loves these) its mental stimulation, and is what they would nomally do/eat in the wild
-c) sometimes they add nutrients and vitamins to the little colored 'puffs' (i dont know what they're really called)

so long as your chin eats all the food given, and the blend is nutricinally adequate, there is no problem with feeding food that has 'treats' in it... I thought for the longest time theat the treats were just treats, untill I actually looked into what went into the food as a whole, my new 'with treats' food is actually better for her than the "compleate pro formula" (an all pellet  food) that i had been getting for years. Either way, you're better off looking at the nutritonal facts of ANY food you give your chin, so you know exactly whats in there, and what may be missing...

also, if you have trouble finding somthing you like in your aria, you could allways concider getting somthing shipped to you from the internet...

Another ps. you probably ARE better off starting with a pellets only formula, untill you know weather or not he/she IS a picky eater.

[Squirrel_Butt]

Yea you could have a point there. Most of the chins I raised were on Mazuri all thre lives So I stuck with it.  Raisin was Raised on All Living Things. I think thats what it was called. I switched her over to Mazuri over a month long period.