Question about Small Chins

I've always been a bit concerned about Lily's size, but since I've been told that chins can continue growing up until 2 years old, I've tried to just be patient and watch and see how she would develop.Well, we're almost to her 2nd birthday (2 months to go) and while her stomach and ribs have filled out nicely she is still very bony in the shoulders and spine. She is currently weighing in at 480g but her weight seems to yo-yo up and down and can very by 10-20g over the course of any given week. For the past few months she has hovered in the range of 470-499g. I know she has poor breeding, and she had an injury as a kit that may or may not have affected her growth. So I've never expected her to be a big fat chin, I'm just concerened that she may be too thin/unhealthy?

I'm wondering if any other members have small chins 400-500g and if they are also more bony then other chins? I'm also wondering if it is unhealthy for her to be so bony, is this something that warrants a trip to the vet? Is there anything I can do for her (diet or otherwise) to help her fill out a bit more?

She currently eats:
oxbow timothy hay
oxbow chin deluxe (although her appetite is slowing down, I don't need to refill the bowl as often)

Treats are either a bit of lifeline, Fuzzy's Kingdom broad spectrum supplement, or a bit of shredded wheat.

I have had a few smaller chinchillas I have one now that lives at my moms because I was very afraid someone would try to breed her so we kept her. she is a bit more "boney" she is thick enough but much more narrow. If you are feeding the right feed and proving proper care that is really all you can do. Just like people each chinchilla has its own body size and shape

Chins come in all shapes and sizes as Kristy says. I've seen many pet chins in the 400-500g range. Unfortunately, with poor breeding you are more likely to end up with smaller chins and this is probably the case here. I wouldn't really be concerned unless you could feel her spine or ribs.

What color is she? I have a sapphire that doesn't get much over 450 and he is full size. I know that mutation has been known to have a lot of chins on the smaller side.

Some chins are just smaller. We had a rescue come in who never got much over 450 grams... but he ate, was perfectly healthy, and all that, just not very big. As long as you're giving good food (and you are) and she's eating and all that, she should be fine...

The only thing I would ask, is she eating the food? I mean obviously she must be because if she wasn't she would have died, but is she eating it well, like a good amount? The rescue we had, he would ONLY eat Oxbow. Which was fine, but we had him on Mazuri and couldn't figure out why he wouldn't eat it... but then we tried Oxbow and he put on some weight (to bounce to a whopping 450, he was like 350-375 for the longest time). I think that if your chin is healthy, no reason to switch food, but at least for us, this chin was hardly eating anything, which is what prompted our food switch and his weight gain.

I agree with greychins. I had a chin that I purchased at a show who wouldn't eat any pellets for over 2 months. All he would eat was alfalfa hay. I had 4 people send me different pellets and he wouldn't touch any. After trying PRCS, Oxbow, Manna Pro and Tradition I decided to try Mazuri. Lo and behold, that's the one he decided he liked. He's still a small guy (550g) but he's steady now instead of losing. He also started to eat timothy hay, only after I found a pellet he would actually eat. Every chin has their preference. Most will eat whatever if forced, but some will hold out and eat only hay until that right one is found.

My Furby is really small, 480-500 grams usually. He is a bit weaker healthwise than my other boys but I think the main thing is eating normally and such. Furby is round, about the size and the girth of a softball, and sometimes his weight bothers me too, as he doesn't have a lot of extra to lose. But I would say that if everything is normal that she's just a little girl )

I got a rescue below 400g. He was very bony. He wasn't eating well either of course, he did take about 30g but that's it. He didn't look like what a chin should look like when bred correctly.

Thank you all for your responses. Everything you've said makes sense, and I'm glad to know she's not the only little chin out there

threewingedfury said:

I wouldn't really be concerned unless you could feel her spine or ribs.

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Definitely can't feel her ribs, her spine is more pronounced then my other chins, but I can't feel individual vertibrae.

mishellyshel said:

What color is she? I have a sapphire that doesn't get much over 450 and he is full size. I know that mutation has been known to have a lot of chins on the smaller side.

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She is and Ebony TOV (my avatar pic). We got her off craigslist, someones pets "just had a baby." Although I've seen the same people post atleast 3 more kits since we got Lily, so I'm afraid they're still breeding. Her mom is a black velvet and her dad is an extra dark ebony. I've heard that ebonies can also be smaller?

greychins said:

is she eating the food? I mean obviously she must be because if she wasn't she would have died, but is she eating it well, like a good amount?

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What would you define as a good amount? Her appetite for pellets has decreased slightly, but I don't know if its just that she's done growing or if it is lack of interest?

Anna said:

sometimes his weight bothers me too, as he doesn't have a lot of extra to lose.

I know the feeling I weigh my chins once a week and keep a spreadsheet just so I can watch for patterns. I suppose if I notice a continued decrease in her pellet intake, and if she starts to lose weight steadily I can experiment with other brands of pellets. I don't think we're at that point yet though.

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