ate part of a ziplock bag...

[pandachan]

Hi There,

Every morning I spend time with Baby Chin before I go to work. 3 days ago I noticed a zip lock bag kind of hanging down into her cage. I suspect it was left on her cage and she somehow knocked it to the only part of her cage that isn't covered on top and pulled the corner of it down into her cage.

It was a sample treat bag I had gotten as a freebie from one of the sellers on the master supply list. Contents were probiotic cookies, whole rose hips, couple twigs, hay cube, and small pumice stone. It seems that the only treat that she was able to get were the rose hips. I found a small piece on the floor of her cage. (this would be her first time having a whole rose hip)

I am certain that she ate some plastic. The corner of the ziplock was chewed away.

After noticing this I cleaned all the poop off her shelves (so I could easily tell if she's pooping normally) and fed her a small piece of a probiotic cookie. That day she did not poop much and ate less. Though she continued to drink normal amounts of water.

As of yesterday she has been pooping normally again, but doesn't seem to be eating as much. It's worth noting that I am in the middle of a transition to oxbow pellets, from mazuri. And that she IS eating half her food (the oxbow half, I can tell because the pellets are a little thinner)

I'm wondering if I should take her to the vet? She's pooping/drinking normally, and her energy level never tapered down through this whole ordeal. Maybe she's not eating as much because she doesnt want her old pellets? Or maybe eating some plastic has made her sick?

Any advice would be helpful. I can't tell if I'm over reacting or under reacting...

Thanks so much!

 

[alooper19]

Maybe she's just reacting to the food change. It is a possibility she doesn't like the mazuri and only wants the oxbow because she likes that better. I don't want to comment on the plastic bag because i'm not sure how that would affect a chin, but honestly I think she is probably fine, but don't quote me on that. Hopefully someone else will reply as well to help more on the plastic bag.

 

[AZChins]

After three days of having maybe ate a plastic bag and she hasn't had any issues, it didn't affect her. Either she didn't really eat it or it already passed through....but be very careful, consuming a plastic bag can kill a chin in a very painful way so they must be kept away from the chins!

Not eating as much is completely normal for some chins when switching foods. I know this sounds strange...but, when you mix new pellets into the old it makes the old food smell funny. Chins are creatures of habit and new things can often be off putting for them. She's still eating the old pellets more because that is what she is used to eating, but not as much because they seem different. Give it some time and she will adjust and go back to normal.

All chins are different, some chins go insane over new pellets just because they are new and some are opposed to changing.

 

[pandachan]

Maybe she's just reacting to the food change. It is a possibility she doesn't like the mazuri and only wants the oxbow because she likes that better.

Thanks! That was my theory as well, but it helps to hear it from another Chin owner!!

 

[pandachan]

After three days of having maybe ate a plastic bag and she hasn't had any issues, it didn't affect her. Either she didn't really eat it or it already passed through....but be very careful, consuming a plastic bag can kill a chin in a very painful way so they must be kept away from the chins!

Not eating as much is completely normal for some chins when switching foods. I know this sounds strange...but, when you mix new pellets into the old it makes the old food smell funny. Chins are creatures of habit and new things can often be off putting for them. She's still eating the old pellets more because that is what she is used to eating, but not as much because they seem different. Give it some time and she will adjust and go back to normal.

All chins are different, some chins go insane over new pellets just because they are new and some are opposed to changing.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! That was helpful and informative!! Thank you