Not eating pellets and small poo?
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ticklechin
Well-known member
Is the feed new/old?
Stackie
I bite.
In addition to Dawn's question, are the 3 chins caged together or separate?
Stackie
I bite.
What brand is the feed? Does it have a mill date on the bag?
Essentia
Jax Chinchilla Rescue
If they are all separate and all having the same symptoms I would definitely be looking at the feed.
ticklechin
Well-known member
I have heard of other people having issues with oxbow since they changed the bag-even though the formulation is supposed to be the same there seems to be a issue.
Stackie
I bite.
Really? Hadn't heard of this. I don't feed Oxbow so I can't put in any input, but wouldn't mind hearing of other people who have been having problems.
Are they eating their hay normally?
What kind of issues, do you know when the change was? Lady's still having weight loss issues that started in November/December. We just went through another round of tests etc.. all showing that she's healthy as far as they can tell. Latte is thriving, and Paul hasn't reported any changes in Gus. Could the change just affect certain chins depending on their individual bodies?
Essentia
Jax Chinchilla Rescue
I have also heard the same thing from another member of another forum. Their picky chin won't touch the food in the new bag. She said the food even smells different than the old food.
My time to edit expired so I just wanted to share what I've been dealing with for the last few months:
In November/December I noticed a significant decrease in Lady's appetite, at the time she was on Oxbow with timothy hay and some of Tanya's Broad Spectrum supplement. The only symptoms that have remained constant since then has been a decreased appetite and boughts of weight loss. She went through her first round of tests in December and the results were inconclusive. Since then I've moved her to a different room to reduce her stress. I've tried supplementing with hand feeding but I haven't noticed a significant change between when I do and don't supplement. She currently has access to a timothy/orchard/alfalfa hay mix and Oxbow pellets. She eats the hay decently, but only picks at the pellets. I'm waiting on Tanya's weight loss/appetite supplement and I plan to start her on that. We just went to the vet on Friday, and again she check out fine. I'm still waiting on a call with her fecal results, but the vet said he's pretty sure it will be negative since I have a water filter and her poop isn't squishy/smelly etc. This vet wants me to leave her alone for a week and just monitor her weight and food intake, and then we're going to re-evaluate the situation. If she gets constipated or loses more then 10g I'm supposed to start hand feeding and call him immediately. Her weight has held steady since Friday so I guess that's a good sign.
In November/December I noticed a significant decrease in Lady's appetite, at the time she was on Oxbow with timothy hay and some of Tanya's Broad Spectrum supplement. The only symptoms that have remained constant since then has been a decreased appetite and boughts of weight loss. She went through her first round of tests in December and the results were inconclusive. Since then I've moved her to a different room to reduce her stress. I've tried supplementing with hand feeding but I haven't noticed a significant change between when I do and don't supplement. She currently has access to a timothy/orchard/alfalfa hay mix and Oxbow pellets. She eats the hay decently, but only picks at the pellets. I'm waiting on Tanya's weight loss/appetite supplement and I plan to start her on that. We just went to the vet on Friday, and again she check out fine. I'm still waiting on a call with her fecal results, but the vet said he's pretty sure it will be negative since I have a water filter and her poop isn't squishy/smelly etc. This vet wants me to leave her alone for a week and just monitor her weight and food intake, and then we're going to re-evaluate the situation. If she gets constipated or loses more then 10g I'm supposed to start hand feeding and call him immediately. Her weight has held steady since Friday so I guess that's a good sign.
ticklechin
Well-known member
I was emailed by a couple of rescue owners about Oxbow, since they knew I had used it that their chins flat out would not eat it, one bought a old bag from Petsmart and they resumed eating. Reminds me of when APD did a formulation change and chins refused it.
Essentia
Jax Chinchilla Rescue
The problem is Dawn that they swear they didn't change the formula. I called them yesterday about it. No matter who I talk to they state it was only a bag change. Not quite sure how much I believe that, but that's the story they are sticking to.
Man I LOVE this forum! You guys have given me some hope! I have a bag of both Nutrena and Mazuri that I've tried offering to her as 'treats,' and she hasn't shown much preference in either. However maybe if I do a complete switch it will gradually spark her appetite? Sorry OP, I didn't mean to hijack your thread. I'll update you all in a few weeks after I've given it enough time to see if there are any positive results.
EDIT: I just wanted to add that this started so long ago for us that I can't remember if we had gotten a new bag of feed or not at that point. However, the change in her appetite was literally over night.
Last edited:
ticklechin
Well-known member
I have a old bag here from my emergency kit, they changed some stuff.
Old bag:
Alfalfa Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Meal, Limestone, Salt, L-ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Vitamin C), Cane Molasses, Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement (tocopherol), Ascorbic Acid, Colloidal Silica, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Riboflavin, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Pyrodoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Magnesium Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Manganese Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Mineral Oil, Calcium Iodate, Potassium Chloride.
Crude Protein (min) 16.0%
Crude Fat (min) 2.5%
Crude Fiber (min) 18.0%
Crude Fiber (max) 23.0%
Moisture (max) 10.0%
Calcium (min) 0.75%; (max) 1.25%
Phosphorus (min) 0.25%
Salt (min) 0.5%; (max) 1.0%
Vitamin A - 20,000 IU/kg
Vitamin D - 880 IU/kg
Vitamin E - 140 IU/kg
Copper - 10 mg/kg
New bag
Alfalfa Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Meal, Soybean Oil, Salt, Lignin Sulfonate, Cane Molasses, L-Ascorbyl-2-Monophosphate (Vitamin C), Limestone, Yeast Culture (dehydrated), Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Biotin, Manganous Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Magnesium Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate
Guarenteed Analysis
•Crude Protein (min) 18.00%
•Crude Fat (min) 2.50%
•Crude Fiber (min) 18.00%, max 23.00%
•Moisture (max) 10.00%
•Calcium (min) 0.60%, (max) 1.10%
•Phosphorus (min) 0.25%
•Salt (min) 0.50%, (max) 1.00%
•Vitamin A (min) IU/kg 19,000
•Vitamin D (min) IU/kg 900
•Vitamin E (min) IU/kg 190
•Copper (min) 30 ppm
Old bag:
Alfalfa Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Meal, Limestone, Salt, L-ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Vitamin C), Cane Molasses, Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement (tocopherol), Ascorbic Acid, Colloidal Silica, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Riboflavin, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Pyrodoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Magnesium Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Manganese Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Mineral Oil, Calcium Iodate, Potassium Chloride.
Crude Protein (min) 16.0%
Crude Fat (min) 2.5%
Crude Fiber (min) 18.0%
Crude Fiber (max) 23.0%
Moisture (max) 10.0%
Calcium (min) 0.75%; (max) 1.25%
Phosphorus (min) 0.25%
Salt (min) 0.5%; (max) 1.0%
Vitamin A - 20,000 IU/kg
Vitamin D - 880 IU/kg
Vitamin E - 140 IU/kg
Copper - 10 mg/kg
New bag
Alfalfa Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Meal, Soybean Oil, Salt, Lignin Sulfonate, Cane Molasses, L-Ascorbyl-2-Monophosphate (Vitamin C), Limestone, Yeast Culture (dehydrated), Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Biotin, Manganous Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Magnesium Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate
Guarenteed Analysis
•Crude Protein (min) 18.00%
•Crude Fat (min) 2.50%
•Crude Fiber (min) 18.00%, max 23.00%
•Moisture (max) 10.00%
•Calcium (min) 0.60%, (max) 1.10%
•Phosphorus (min) 0.25%
•Salt (min) 0.50%, (max) 1.00%
•Vitamin A (min) IU/kg 19,000
•Vitamin D (min) IU/kg 900
•Vitamin E (min) IU/kg 190
•Copper (min) 30 ppm
Lady's been off her feed for so long that I'm just going to go 'cold turkey.' I'll pull the Oxbow and only give her hay for a day, then I'll put the new stuff in.
ticklechin
Well-known member
I don't gradually switch feed, I do cold turkey unless the chin has a history of GI issues.
