Teeny chin?

[Mummypig]

I finally managed to get hold of an electric scale today & weighed my girls - my little black velvet is apparently 16 weeks old and was tiny when we got her 2 weeks ago. She has since appeared to gain weight - she has a good appetite and is fed unlimited timothy hay and science selective pellets, and the occasional shredded wheat or pinch of oats, but only weighs 245g I do not give her a long playtime (10 minutes or so in a small area with me but only because she calls to me and tries to get my attention) and she doesn't have a wheel. Is she too little? What can I do to chub her up? I plan on weighing her weekly until I'm happy she's at a decent weight is that ok?

 

[Claire D]

Oooh she is a bit teeny, bless her. :heart:

Is she sharing a cage with another chin or is she on her own? If she's sharing a cage then it is worth having 2 bowls so that she can munch to her heart's content without any guarding of food or another chin being possessive.

Does she eat all her pellets? If she does I would give her some more - it is fine to free feed when they are kits.

 

[Mummypig]

Hi hun. She's currently in her own cage but with a view to sharing with Poppy once quarantine and intro are over(presuming they get on!) I'm a bit hesitant about making them share just yet as Poppy is such a lardy chin (only 7 weeks older than Jasmine but weighing in at 465g!) and I fear she will eat Jasmine's share too! although I am home most of the time so I can keep a close eye on them.
She doesn't eat all her pellets but I think she was used to Charlie Chinchilla or whatever that muck is called :vomit: when she was with her breeder (for want of a better word pah!), She came to me from a lady who had got her off the Charlie Chin and put her on P@H pellets but Jas never ate any of them with me - they were all left in the bowl so I gave her a couple of Poppy's Science Selective and she gobbled them up. So now I put a few SS in with the P@H and she'll always leave all the P@H and some of the SS. She eats about 3 bowls of Timothy hay though. I'm forever topping up her bowls so she has unlimited food.

Do you think I should really restrict play time - this chinchilla is mental, seriously bonkers. She throws herself around her cage (its not massive, but plenty big enough for a little dinky like her) and is always calling to me in an attempt to get my attention and once I open the door she launches herself at me to get out. I feel mean not letting her out but at the same time I dont want her to lose weight/ not gain weight from playtime.

ooo, and while I have you here - her teeth are quite white still, I know kits have whiter teeth than adults but should hers still be so white? I have to wonder whether she is a lot younger than the lady had us believe :hmm:

 

[Mummypig]

Ooo I've just been checking out your website Claire - very informative! and I notice you don't recommend outside cage excersise for kits. I'll keep my bonkers girl inside her cage then for now - although she's really going for it tonight :wacko: The more I learn about Chinchillas, the more I realise they are like toddlers - and boy, do I know about toddlers!! :hair: LOL!!

 

[Claire D]

LOL Sounds like Miss Jasmine is a bundle for trouble.

I think you've hit on the reason your little girly is teeny - sounds like she's messed about with her food until now. If she's really not eating the P@H pellets then I'd be tempted to do a cold switch but keep the amount of hay up as well. I'd start her off with 1 tablespoon of the Supreme Science & then build up over the next few days as long as she does not have any diarrhoea. If her droppings become soft then cut the pellets right down to a few nuggets & just give her fresh hay & water. Then build back up again.
I'd also stop her exercise until she is a decent weight - she needs to be putting all that energy into eating her good diet & growing - tell her I said so

As for her teeth, yes they probably will be white just now so I would not worry too much at the moment.

 

[Mummypig]

Thank you Aunty Claire:thumbsup: I have passed the message on to Miss Jasmine and she is now sulking in the corner! Ha ha! But I figure if I can handle a 20 month old who only wants to eat "chochate" and a grumpy 3 year old who has a Diva-strop every time I ask her to eat something nutritious - I wont be beaten by a black ball of fluff :impatient: (although it IS a lot harder to implement the naughty step with chins!)

 

[Claire D]

I wont be beaten by a black ball of fluff :impatient:

Ahahaha! :laughitup: Remember you posted that

I think you'll find that little furry face will have you feeling all sorts of guilt. They are masters/mistresses of the "Oh woe is me. Nobody loves me. I'm a sad & starved chinchilla" look.

Also just remember - you can put Jasmine in the cage without social services coming round but don't get confuzzled when you are tired & try putting your kids in the cage instead - the authorities don't take that well apparently

 

[menagerie]

Thank you Aunty Claire:thumbsup: I have passed the message on to Miss Jasmine and she is now sulking in the corner!

Claire is responsible for many a chin sulking in the corner. :wink2:

 

[moon]

You big meanie!

She sounds cute as a button, though. Can we see some pics?

 

[Dolyphinm]

Also just remember - you can put Jasmine in the cage without social services coming round but don't get confuzzled when you are tired & try putting your kids in the cage instead - the authorities don't take that well apparently

Darn, that was my plan for when i have kids. I better rethink this whole parent nonsense.


I would love to see pics of the black ball of fluff sulking in the corner.

 

[Mummypig]

I'm technically challenged, but I'll have a go! it might take a while so bear with me

 

[Mummypig]

Hopefully this will work... one Sulky baby Jasmine. (The cage is only a temporary measure until she's paired (hopefully!) with my mosaic. Its made of chin-safe wood and thankfully Jas isnt a chewer!)

 

[Claire D]

She looks very dinky there - she looks like a standard rather than a black velvet. :hmm:

How is she doing with the food now? Is she eating her Science Selective?

 

[button]

Very tiny indeed. Id second claires opinion definatley a standard.

 

[starleomach]

she does look small...I also agree that she is a standard

 

[Mummypig]

Yes, from that picture I'd say she was a standard too - but its a terrible picture, in real life she's much darker than that! her face and back are very black and the sides fade from black to to grey and lighter still until under her belly which is white. Shocking photography (from someone who is particularly interested in photography - eek!) but I was in a rush taking it and hadnt checked the flash (excuses excuses!) Still, if she's a standard that's fine too - not really bothered as she's only ever going to be a pet.

She IS eating some pellets - but not many by any means. Eating lots of hay. Do you think I should supplement with critical care or something?

 

[Claire D]

Is she maintaining &/or gaining weight at all? Are you feeding her any treats now?

It might be worth weighing her pellets & seeing how much she is eating.

 

[Riven]

In the picture to me she actually looks like a heavily veiled TOV white... lol Her sides just look very white.

If you have some CC I would offer it to her as a mush, like a dough texture, or possibly make her some mom and kit formula:
1/3 crushed pellets
1/3 powdered lambs milk
1/3 baby oatmeal flakes

Feed it dry in a shallow dish.

The reason I'm suggesting that is it won't hurt her is not necessarily her size itself, but her shape concerns me. She looks smooshed up and humpbacked in the photo, which can be seen with malnutrition, possibly she was weaned wrong or too early?

Have you given her any probiotics or acidophilus?

When you get time I'd love to see more pics of her.

 

[Mummypig]

I weighed her this morning and she's up 6g so I'm pleased with that but obviously she's very small and I'd like to chub her up a lot more. I stuffed a kitchen roll inner with hay a while earlier and she's been munching that for about half an hour, so I know she IS eating. Thats a good idea to weigh the pellets - when I cleaned her cage yesterday I noticed that she'd dropped quite a few where I thought she'd eaten well! I came down today to an almost clean bowl and I've refilled it but I'm not sure how much of that is actually being eaten, I've not seen any wasted food today though, so far!

She IS hunched a lot of the time- that concerns me too. Where as Poppy sleeps like a 'slug' (and sometimes on her side which used to freak me out, but I guess she finds it comfy!) Jasmine rolls up into a ball. I suspect her "breeder" did wean her much too young, and I have doubts that she is the age I have been told she is. She has very white teeth and likes to snuggle into the crook of my neck for a nap (which is adorable but weird for a chin, isnt it?)

No I havent tried acidophilus or probiotics - I do put vitamin drops into her water but that's about as far as I've gone with the medicating! Are these available from a vet? or petshop? or online?!

I could try the kit formula (I dont have CC but could get some if you guys thought it was important) although where on earth would I get powdered lambs milk?!

I'm so glad I have you all to tell me what to do here! :hug2: I have a lot to learn!

 

[Claire D]

I've just read this from the top again & I'm struck by something - Mummypig, you say Jasmine is 16 weeks & you got her from someone who had her, switched her off Charlie Chin food which she was on from the breeder - is that correct? ...........If so do you know hold old Jasmine was when the breeder sold her to the other lady?

Riven's suggestion is a good one but you might find it easier here to use powdered goats' milk (Holland & Barratt sell it - here) because it is slightly easier to get hold of. Some people in the UK use SMA baby milk powder instead.

If you can't get hold of the items for Riven's mix then you can try this one:
1 part rolled oats (old fashioned porrage oats)
1 part SMA baby milk powder
1 part wheatgerm
1 part crushed pellets.