Eating too much?

[chocochin]

Hi there, I just got my baby chin a few weeks ago. He's only about two months so he's very young and growing really fast. I feed him a good dose of hay every night which he loves, and I've been keeping him with unlimited pellets because I was told they wouldn't over eat. In the last week he's been eating twice or three times as much as he was when he first came to us, but I wasn't sure if this was normal since he's a growing baby. Right now he's eating about 3 or 4 tablespoons of food a day...that's a rough estimate so it might be more than that. I don't want the little guy to be hungry and he really like his pellets (it's mazuri, no treats) but I wanted to make sure he's not going to make himself obese or something. Their bodies are already so round and blob-y that I can't tell if he's fat or not. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

Let him eat as much pellets and hay as he wants. Chins don't overeat unless it is junk food. Since you are feeding a good diet let him eat - he is a growing boy

 

[Sycamore Chins]

I have to disagree. There are over-eaters, even on good food. Though they are the exception, it is something to keep an eye out for. I had one adult female who would sit at the food bowl all day if it was continuously filled.

But the kit should have unlimited hay, not just once a day. You may notice it eating less pellets if it eats more of some good quality tasty hay.

 

[SteveD]

Check his weight

You may want to monitor his weight. It is normal for a chin his age to gain 5-6 grams a day. Often when a chin changes environments their appetite will drop off for a few days and then pick up. His increase in appetite since you got him may be that has has gotten comfortable with his new home now. What type of hay are you giving him? It should be mostly Timothy.

 

[chocochin]

Thanks for the input! The hay I got from the breeder was half and half, but I did notice the end of it has been more alfalfa the past couple of days. That probably has to do with it. I'll just buy timothy hay and make sure he has plenty of it. If I monitor his weight, is there a range which is probably too much for him to be gaining? What's an adult weight and how long will he take to reach it? I know it's different by the chinchilla, but a range of time and weight would be helpful

 

[Cuddlebug]

As long as he is eating, drinking, pooping and peeing normally, along with gaining steadily, he will be fine. Most chins stop growing between one to 2 years of age. but they slow down on their gaining long before that.