K.I.S.S. ...check! Chin'kid Checklist.. for a nOoB!

Okay.. I'm pretty new to Chinchillas and I sort of took a crash course when Phoenix got here... thanks to all of you that helped us through! :wave:

Now, I am faced with two new chin'kids that are coming to me from less than fantastic (but not quite as bad as Phoenix's ordeal) household and care ..they will be here tomorrow afternoon. Some of their known issues are excessive treats (raisins, candy of various kind, fresh and dried fruit, vegetables, etc.), poor quality staple food, sporadic hay availability, low calcium intake ..hence their "pretty white teeth" ~sarcasm~ ..questionable water supply, very little human contact and so on.

Sooo.. my initial concerns are for switching them to a better staple ..Oxbow... and doing it cold turkey. Then offering more Timothy hay and boosting their calcium intake some ..they have "pretty white teeth" remember?

To counteract any bad effects that could stem from such a blatant diet change, I have Simethicone drops (Baby Gas-x) ..Chamomile tea ..Mint tea ..Smoothie Tums ..plain Pedialyte ..Critical Care ...and Life Line. I also have a probios formula (it's "not less than 10 million CFU*/5g or 1 rounded tsp."), and my personal supply of a capsulated version that I think has a higher "cootie count" ..but I ran out and will pick up more in the morning. (If you have a particular brand that you prefer, I'm open to suggestions ..as my version is about $25 a bottle )

I'll give one full dropper of Simethicone to each girl 3x a day... correct?

I'll give 1/4 of a Tums tablet to each girl daily for week, and check for improvement... correct?

If the probios (probiotic) that I have is sufficient, I will put 1/2 tsp. on their food, per girl (or should I adjust that down since one could eat more than the other?). If I should get a higher "cootie count" probiotic, is one capsule sprinkled on the bowl of food sufficient for both girls? Or... ?

Should I set up two or more water bottles ..and make sure there is Chamomile or Mint tea in one of them ..just in case there's a tummy ache?

How often should I look at poo pebbles ..for misshapen or icky ones ...and how often should I palpate their little tummies for bloating, etc. ..checks? Once daily.. twice.. more?


One last thing... since there are two ..and they are bonded girls, would it be very risky to put them in separate enclosures ..but very close to each other.. for the time it takes to change diet and all that? I mean, just so I can actually tell who's doing what ..as far as poo pebbles and such? Or is that just overkill ..and asking for trouble with re-intros, etc. ? (After all, I can just sit close by ..hours on end ...and monitor the production of poo pebbles ...y'know ..in between my C'nH time )


I think that's it ..for today


*CFU = colony forming units

I just realized that this may be in the wrong section ..and maybe goes in Diet/Nutrition? Sowwy...

I think that is good and even overkill. I would not keep them in different cages, that will just stress them more. I think 1/2 teaspoon sounds like a lot of probiotics, can you find the capsules, that works better, IMO. Otherwise you risk the chin not liking the taste and not eating. I would also skip the tea unless you see a problem. Lifeline is great, so is CC, and everything sounds fine there. Relax...it will be fine. Give plently of hay, maybe even some botanical hay and alfalfa for a treat and they should be fine. Good luck!

And remember to breathe, Aminah... Just breathe.

*K.I.S.S check = ?

All I wanted to know as I can't really help you. Whenever I switched feeds from a Charlie Chinchilla equivalent I did it Cold Turkey, no problems at all, all positive only it took him a few weeks to start eating properly. (Not used to healthy food, I assume!)

Mae K.I.S.S means
Keep it simple stupid

Sounds like you are prepared for the worst. I would keep the girls together unless you see a problem. Check their bellies a few times a day unless you notice any thing funny like hunching, stretching a lot, lying on left side, lethargy etc. I would also go with a higher count and give on a shreddy or in the form of a chewable tablet. You don't want them not to eat their pellets because it tastes funny like mentioned above. As far as the tea goes I would put in a different bottle.. they may like it or they may not. But try to remember those letters you posted yourself K.I.S.S

KISS is Peggy's saying, Mae= Keep It Simple, Stupid!

I'd find Probiotic capsules; the higher count, the better--at least a billion. Mine is 2 billion, and I got it at Walmart, a 60 count bottle for $8 in the vitamin aisle. Open a capsule and sprinkle it on their food daily.

I'd keep them together; if you have poo issues where you need to figure out whose poo is the problem, then separate for a little while, maybe a few hours in a quarantine cage by themselves to get a good look at the poo.

Hedgemom has suggested chamomile tea for soothing tummies, and said it's a good idea to introduce it while they're healthy so they're used to the flavor.

A dropperful of simethicone 3x a day for a while is good. You might want to try Walmart brand instead of Gasx; it's a lot less expensive. At my store, over $10 for the name brand; less than $4 for store brand. It's the same thing.

Good luck, Aminah! I'm sure you're so excited to get these little ones! You've done a wonderful job with Phoenix.

They're HERE!

Okay.. PB-8 Probiotic is the name of the one I have used for myself ..the last 7+ years.. and it has "14 billion good bacteria per capsule, at time of manufacture" ....so this is an acceptable product for the chin'kids then, yes?

It's on sale, online ..if anyone's interested... HERE


Oh.. and no more "pointy poops" tonight ..so I think the girls just needed to rehydrate. They like tea and "good" water They also like for me to hand them something every time I get close to the cage ..so I'm working on breaking that habit. (I'm sure not going to be giving them any crazy treats like they were getting before.. blah!!)