chinchilla barely eating pellets

[drum136]

ive had her for 3 days, her name is lucie and she eats alotta hay barely any water or pellets i haven't had to refill either, is it because shes adjusting to her new home, or is something wrong with her ?

 

[momenteller]

As long as Lucie is eating hay, she should be fine. It can take a few days for them to get used to a new home. I would mark the outside of her water bottle at the watet line to be sure there is no change. Chinnies generally don't drink a whole lot!

Welcome to the forum! )

 

[drum136]

okay thank you!

 

[Jazicat]

I have three boys and each eat different amounts. Edgar almost always eats a lot of pellets while Oscar has a preference for hay. Jackie is some where in the middle. They get unlimited of both and very limited treats so I think it can vary. Also if she hasn't had hay in the past it may be a novelty thing because it's a new food.

 

[Dusty Foot Prints]

When we first got Annabelle I was surprised how very little water they drink. If you've only had Lucie for 3 days, she's probably still adjusting to her new home.

 

[ChinnyMom]

when Rhino came home he barely ate any pellets either for the first few days, and water intake was definitely less than what it is now. he's only been here for just shy of two weeks and i now have to refill his pellet dish at least every second day, and a good size handful of hay goes in every evening and i top off his hay during the day too. he's only 500 to 525 grams (he wouldn't sit still on the scale, lol), so i'm giving him all he can eat, and then some.

 

[Laurie]

Chins are big water drinkers so you may not notice that. She should be eating pellets and drinking though. What type of pellets are you feeding her? How old is she? Young chins don't eat as much as we sometimes think they do. What type of feed are you giving her?

 

[drum136]

she has sunscription vita prima, and shes 3 months young

 

[momenteller]

Sunscription is not really a good feed. I would go through the Diet and Nutrition FAQs on here and consider a switch for Lucie. Better to start her on a good feed now!

 

[ChinnyMom]

i agree, you should switch them to a better food. the brand you mentioned has raisins, papaya, carrot, apple, and banana all in the first third of the ingredients.

Oxbow pellets would be a great choice to switch them to, and are easily found in the States. Petsmart carries Oxbow.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Petsmart also carries Mazuri, which is another good feed.