Fluctuating Weight

[Morselchip87]

Hi everyone!

I've been on the forums for a while and have read quite a bit about how weight could be the biggest clue to health issues. I have a female chinchilla, Baby Girl, who I received when she was 7 months old back in December. At that time she was rather petite. As time progressed, I didn't think she was getting bigger like she should. I have another chinchilla that I received at about 4 years of age, so we was already filled out. He has only gotten bigger in the last year.

So in April I bought a kitchen scale and started weighing them every Sunday. Baby girl has fluctuated a lot in the last couple months. We did get her a larger cage about a month into the weigh-ins and thought the extra activity could have contributed to the drop in May/June.

4/28 - 407 g
5/5 - 413 g
5/12 - 420 g
5/18 - 419 g
5/27 - 404 g
6/9 - 397 g
6/16 - 405 g
6/23 - 402 g
7/7 - 394 g
7/14 - 387 g

Her poops are good, no worries there. She still eats her pellets, doesn't like hay very much. She eats the occasional stick - even though we offer them daily. She likes the daily treat - especially an herbal blend or oats.

I'm just concerned that we might be missing something. Could this have anything to do with her growing still? I haven't had a young chinchilla before.

Thanks for the feedback.
Michelle

 

[Amethyst]

You weigh them every Sunday, but do you weigh at the same time every time? Weight can fluctuate some just simple from having peed and/or pooped before you weighed or not and also if they have just eaten or not. Also you said larger cage so she could just be burning more fat off. The weight doesn't really look that bad to me, yet, if it keeps going down though I'd start to worry.

 

[Morselchip87]

Thanks for the response! We do not weigh them at the same time every Sunday. It makes sense that it could be caused from her dietary habits. We will continue to monitor her weight and if it continues to go down, I will definitely take her to a vet.

Thanks again!

 

[smhluvsmh]

That seems like very low weights for a chin over a year old.

 

[Dreamlite]

I would be concerned just because that is a extremely low weight for what should be a adult chin. If she was 7 months in dec, that would make her 1 yr and a few months old now. I haven't seen a adult chin (that isn't a dwarf) that small. What food are you feeding? Is the male caged with her? Does she feel boney or just built smaller? Its hard to get all the needed info over the internet.

 

[JennaGordon]

Some chinchillas are just a bit small though. I didn't realise until I got another pair but my original pair are around 475g, compared to the new ones at around 600g, and aren't bony at all.
Not sure about the fluctuations though.

 

[Morselchip87]

Dreamlite,

She is housed next to the male in a separate cage. We had the cages closer (within a couple inches), but a week ago, moved her about a foot away. Not because of any issues between the two, but because we re-arranged the room.

I feed Oxbow brand pellets. I'd say she's borderline boney feeling, more just that she isn't filled out. She looks bigger and is definitely less boney than when we got her. My boyfriend and I both think she was malnourished when she came to us. In the last couple months, she's at a standstill for growth - that's why we bought the scale and started monitoring her weight.

As far as daily activity, she's extremely active. We have one of those Ware Pop-up Playpens and she can jump within a couple inches of the top where Gizmo (our male) might get halfway up. He's pretty hefty and definitely filled out.

How can you tell if she is a dwarf? Are there certain features to look for?

Thanks

 

[becky12883]

If she was malnourished when you got her it can take a very long time for her to get up to a healthy weight. I have a guy that I rescued almost a year ago and he's fairly skinny. He was definitely malnourished and refused to eat when we got him. He's gained about 40 grams since we got him. He still feels borderline boney too, but with noticeable improvement since we got him. Make sure that she is eating, drinking, peeing, and pooping normally and continue to monitor her weight.

I'm not too sure on the dwarf features, but I'm sure if you search it on the forum it will come up.

 

[Morselchip87]

I did a bit of research on the dwarf features and she's definitely not a dwarf. Her hind feet are huge! Her forehead isn't prominent and her tail is long.

Hopefully it doesn't take too long for her to beef up. Since all her other dietary habits are normal and healthy, I won't worry as much for now, but will continue to monitor her weight.

Thanks again! Good to know it could be due to her malnourishment as a kit. (Poor thing)