Oxbow pellet question

[mgonya]

When my daughter left her chin with me she was using Kaytee pellets. With info from this forum I slow switched to Oxbow. She adjusted fine but doesn't eat as much. I give her unlimited hay. Is this normal because of the higher quality she is now getting?:hmm:

 

[Basket_of_Chinchillas]

I would recommend keeping an eye on her weight (weigh her weekly for a bit) just to make sure that she isn't losing any weight from eating fewer pellets. Oxbow is a great pellet but since they changed the recipe a while back my chins wouldn't eat it and were losing weight, so I had to switch to a locally milled pellet (now they gorge themselves on pellets and hay and are fatties ). Basically, if they are maintaining their weights I wouldn't worry about it, if they are losing weight I would look into Tradition or Mazuri or a custom milled pellet.

 

[Cuddlebug]

It is possible that the Oxbow fills her up better than the Kaytee. It is also quite normal for a chin to eat less of a new food. I would not switch back. constant switching can cause problems. Just give her time to get used to the new food and keep the hay coming. It will help.

 

[mgonya]

Thanks, not planning on switching back. Saw somewhere that Kaytee wasn't best quality and Oxbow was only choice. We've been following advice found on this forum, no raisins anymore. Trying to do everything right after some mistakes.

 

[greychins]

I know with dogs, when you switch them to a higher quality food, they don't eat as much. I would imagine the same could be true of any species. If it's better for them, they get the nutrients they need from less.

If you want to be extra careful, I echo the possibility of getting a scale and weighing your chin. Never hurts. I weigh the chins (breeders and rescues) every 15-ish days -- gives the quickest indication when something's wrong, as sometimes a slight change in eating (not super noticeable, but there), over a stretched out period of time, can amount to a big difference in weight. If the weight's steady or the chin's gaining, then you know everything's fine.

 

[landrk11]

Hi,

When my son left Lola with us she was on the Kaytee pellets as well. We switched her to Oxbow as well.

I think the reason why they eat so much of the Kaytee is because a good deal of the mix are treats and not actually pellets. Mine would eat the treats and leave the pellets. Your little one was probably eating more because of the treats mixed in. Now she is actually eating the healthy parts instead of filling up on the other things.

I agree, watch her weight. I found that Lola's coat looked better after about 3 weeks on the Oxbox. Let us know how you are making out.

 

[mgonya]

scales

Any suggestions on the best way to get them on a scale? My daughter has never weighed her so she's nervous. Jumps right off as soon as her feet touch. Tried putting a piece of oats on it but she's too smart, just stretches out and hoovers it in

 

[mercynursie]

I have a plastic container with a lid and punched holes for ventilation.I put the lidded container on the scales,tare(zero) it out,put chin in and voila you get the weight of your chin.Everyone gets some sort of treat after weights to make up for the indignity of being placed in the plastic box!LOL

 

[mgonya]

Ah ha!! By the way by chin was looking at me I knew there was a better way. How those dark eyes hold so much expression. Such as "U R a DA if you think I'm just going to sit here"!!

 

[Cuddlebug]

I use a show cage for my wiggly ones. It works great.