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whiskers387
Guest
My chin will take a bite of her hay then she will drop it, could it be that she does not like it? should i get a new kind?
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addictedtochins
Socially inept
What kind of hay is it? It's possible she doesn't like it, it's old, or poor quality.
Essentia
Jax Chinchilla Rescue
I have chins that do that even with high quality hay. Some are just really picky.
I also have chins though that completely turn their nose up to crap quality hay, so a good quality hay is worth it either way.
I also have chins though that completely turn their nose up to crap quality hay, so a good quality hay is worth it either way.
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whiskers387
Guest
I have Nature's promise western Timothy hay
LovableFuzziezandCrawliez
Chinchilla Obsession!
It could be a large number of things...like previously mentioned your chinnie could be really picky or the hay just isn't as good as you may think it is.
You could try changing brands of hay and see if they like that better.
What feed are you giving her? If it is a timothy based pellet go with an alfalfa hay and if it is an alfalfa based pellet then stick with the timothy hay.
Just keep trying a wide variety of hay until you find one she likes.
You could try changing brands of hay and see if they like that better.
What feed are you giving her? If it is a timothy based pellet go with an alfalfa hay and if it is an alfalfa based pellet then stick with the timothy hay.
Just keep trying a wide variety of hay until you find one she likes.
Laurie
I heart Leonard
I have a few chins that do this as well. They take a nibble then go for a different piece of hay. I think they are sometimes overwhelmed by the mountain of hay they get so they want to sample every piece first before chewing the whole stalk. I'm not familiar what that brand of hay to be able to say whether or not it is a quality hay.
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Lindz
Guest
My chin does this, she just sits there picking through her hay, dropping or tossing most of it after a nibble or two. She's just very picky.
My advice would be to try some different brands/varieties, and see if you can't find something your chin will happily eat. And maybe try giving the hay in smaller amounts at a time.
My advice would be to try some different brands/varieties, and see if you can't find something your chin will happily eat. And maybe try giving the hay in smaller amounts at a time.
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Cola89
Guest
Mine do this too they like the little fluffy tree things at the top of the hay the most haha
Sandi
non-stop poop sweeper
Oh man, mine were the same way, lol, until recently, I got a few bags of the oxbow timothy hay from camphorchins, and I will swear to you, that there has been ALOT less waste.
I think your chin does not like Nature's promise hay much. You just need to find the brand of timothy that your chin will enjoy ( my chins love APD's timothy).It's a good idea to offer different types of hays, it must be so annoying to eat just 1 type of hay every day ,all life("according to Jiménez (1990), wild chinchillas feed on up to 24 plant species and their diet changes substantially between sites and during the year")
My chins get various hays and they are crazy about American Pet Diner's mountain grass. It's a little sweeter than timothy. Also they do not like hay from small 10 oz bags, as it ussually chopped in smaller pieces. If you get 5 lb box, some of mountain grass leaves are 12 inches long( I attach a pic so you can see how it looks like).
Mountain grass is very course, it's great for their teeth and I like the sound when they chew it!
Occasional small pinch of alfalfa stimulates appetite, and almost all chins like Oxbow alfalfa.
Try not to put too much hay in the cage, as picky chins loose interest in hay once it looses it's aroma ( that's why they do not like hay leftovers from the previous day). I keep hay in the original plastic bags (they have holes for ventilation). Once I took it out of the bag and put in a cardboard box+ left it half open. It was not too long before Chippy did not want to eat it!
Hope you will find types and brands of hay your chin will enjoy.
I had the same problem with Chippy in the past and now he just devours hays!
My chins get various hays and they are crazy about American Pet Diner's mountain grass. It's a little sweeter than timothy. Also they do not like hay from small 10 oz bags, as it ussually chopped in smaller pieces. If you get 5 lb box, some of mountain grass leaves are 12 inches long( I attach a pic so you can see how it looks like).
Mountain grass is very course, it's great for their teeth and I like the sound when they chew it!
Occasional small pinch of alfalfa stimulates appetite, and almost all chins like Oxbow alfalfa.
Try not to put too much hay in the cage, as picky chins loose interest in hay once it looses it's aroma ( that's why they do not like hay leftovers from the previous day). I keep hay in the original plastic bags (they have holes for ventilation). Once I took it out of the bag and put in a cardboard box+ left it half open. It was not too long before Chippy did not want to eat it!
Hope you will find types and brands of hay your chin will enjoy.
I had the same problem with Chippy in the past and now he just devours hays!
Attachments
I have noticed my chin doing this as well. He tends to route through to find a bit that he likes the look of, and he will often have a nibble and drop it and then pick up a new bit. I think he is just picky! But usually when I leave him with it overnight and go back in the morning he will have eaten quite a lot of it, so I think it's ok as long as they're eating enough overall!
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Sugarmama
Guest
Mine are somewhat picky--they will devour the Oxbow hay like there's no tomorrow. But it's not unusual for them to grab a piece, eat some of it, and throw down the rest. They do the same thing with their pellets. Silly chins.
Mt. Zion Chins
Barb
Some chins, unfortunately really don't like any hay - no matter what kind. Try several different brands and then try the hay blocks (some chin love these instead ) If not and the chin is eating plenty of pellets, then there is nothing you can do
Mine eat oxbow timothy hay unlimited and other hays as a treat each day. They all 3 really love the botainical hay. And, sometimes they are just picking through it-checking it all out. I make sure it's fresh before i give any hay.
