food problem!

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cmills5081

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Okk so the last 2 days or so my little rufio has barely toucked any of his mazuri pellets he just kinda picks at them but doesn't eat very much of it at all...def seems like he eats his hay over his pellets..now I read the last post about the hay "controversy" that waqs going on but I don't think that really answered MY question so I posted this...I just need some advice on wat to do about him not eating many pellets...should I not feed unlimited hay everyday all day? I'm just really worried I don't want rufio to get ill . I don't have a scale so I don't know if he has lost weight but he looks about the same and is still very energetic and happy for the most part but at the same time it does seem like he's a bit more lazy now..I just need lots of advice on possible things to do please because I don't want anything happening to him thanks :/
 
Oh and also rufio has been acting very skittish lately when it comes to letting me pick him up and stuff...any thoughts on that would be helpful also..I don't know wat I coulda done for him to hate me all of a sudden I give him everythinggg! :(
 
If Rufio is eating his hay and picking at his pellets I wouldn't be concerned about him at the moment as long as he is pooping and peeing fine and acting his normal self.

I have five chinchillas, my two Grey Boys are hay beasts, my two White Boys eat more pellets than hay and my lil RW guy eats a little bit of pellets and a little bit of hay. All have normal looking poops, drink their water and pee just fine.
 
Sorryyyyy its another 1 butt I just noticed that rufio just like goes up to. His food and sniffs around in it and doesn't really eat more then 1 or 2 pellets at a time.
 
My boy's didn't eat their Mauzuri chin food very much, so I switched to PANR-show (purina advanced nutrition rabbit show) They love that stuff, have gained weight and size even though they were already adults, and waste less food, not as much sniffing then throwing it on the floor. I give unlimited hay, IMHO I would too if I were you (since you asked.) Have you spent time and been patient and let him climb onto you? IDK, my boys don't like to be caught either. Anyway, don't worry! He is just fine and as long as he has a healthy diet available he's not going to get sick from his diet.
 
Don't forget that chinchillas are crepuscular (active more at twilight and dawn) so maybe he's eating pellets when you're not looking. I know you said you don't have a scale to weigh pellets but maybe you could measure instead? Measure out a few tablespoons of pellets and when you give them to Rufio and then measure the remaining amount in the morning. It's not as accurate as weighing but it will still give you a good idea how much he's eating on a daily basis.
 
Feed him whatever he'll eat, the still energetic but lazy is him not having the sugars out of the Mazuri to burn. He's just using the slow stuff out of the hay.

Mazuri has things in it that go bad in heat. It isn't unusual for a bag to spoil in the summer. You might need to take that one back and exchange it or try a rabbit feed that doesn't have oil in it.
 
Okkk people thanks for all the advice I think maybe I will try the panr can anyone tell me where to get that? And darn I have a whole 5 pound bag of mazuri I just ordered offline but I wanna try the other stuff and see if he eats better. And its not that he waits till I'm not looking cuz I marked where the food is and can watch how much it goes down but thanks for that idea. Ummm his poops are usuallyyy fine but today I found the first softer poop I have ever seen and there was only 1 should I be concerned about that? And yesss he's very used to me cuz when we have playtime n my bathroom he goes wilddd climbing on me its so funn but maybe he just don't like bein caught like u said cuz he let's me scratch him in his tummy head and sides...don't like his ears touched thoughh....soo if anyone has any more comments about this or anything else feel free to tell me pleaseeee :)


And p.s anyone wanna tell me where their chins "sweet" spots r for scratching them?? :eek:
 
Mine like it behind the ears and under the chin. You can get PANR at a feed store that deals Purina products, it comes in 50lb bags and costs around $15. It's overkill but if you're in a hurry that's an option.

There are people on here who sell it, you'll have to hunt around for them. Don't know what to say about the poos other than there may be some other underlying issues. My bad batches of Mazuri caused soft poos, so it may just be down to changing the feed.
 
I know you got the Mazuri from me, so I can tell you that there isn't a freshness issue with the feed. The mill I get my Mazuri from only orders it as needed so it comes in fresh when I call to order some. And I store it air tight in the cool chin area.

But it is true that some chins prefer certain types of feed over others. How long has he been eating the Mazuri for now? Did he have a food before that had treats in it? (Like Kaytee Charlie Chinchilla)

I agree that try to measure out what you give him in the morning in a tablespoon or some sort of measuring device and then the next morning see how much is left to see how much he's eating. Some of my girls eat less pellets than some of my other chins, and that's normal for them. You just need to see if he's eating a little, or none at all.
 
Hey alli no worries I wasn't blaming u at all for the food please don't think that...umm yeah the owner before me fed the crappy kaytee food that had treats in it sooo I'm sure that's wat he is still digging for..I've had the mazuri for about a week and a half now and I would say he prob hasn't even eatin a cup worth of it :/ sooo I'm thinkin maybe ill have to try switching it and yeahhh I think he might like the scratches behind his ear but its hard to tell he usually closes his eyes is that how u can tell wat he likes? Sometimes while I'm scratching he will like stand up and grab my finger like he's tryin to show me where to put it... haha
 
Oh, no I didn't think you were blaming me :)) I was just putting it out there to rule that out. I think with him having the treats in his food, he's not going to want to eat the pellets for a while. It's like giving a kid a choice between candy or a salad.
So long as he's eating plenty of hay he's going to be okay for a while if you want to continue for a bit more with the Mazuri just to see if he'll like it. It's going to take him a while to realize that he's not going to get any of the treats in his food.
 
Okk that sounds like a plan ill continue with the unlimited hay and just hope that he eventually gets used to eating the mazuri..I mean he does at least eat some so its obviously not that he don't like it or I wouldn't think he would eat any sooo I guess he's just dissapointed cuz he never finds treats haha poor lil buddy...maybe that's y he seems a lil sad right now too no extra treats no extra happiness till he's used to it...
 
As Alli already mentioned, I'd give him some more time with the Mazuri. If you switching foods every week or two, you're going to give him digestive problems. Let him try this for a month or more and then see how he's doing with it.

Some chins just dont eat much in pellets either (as also mentioned) In general, chinchillas only eat about 2 Tablespoons of food per day (give or take, depending on the particular chin)

As for not wanting to be picked up, most chins dont like it. You also havent had him for very long, so he could still be getting settled in, testing his boundaries, and just testing you to see how you'll react. Sounds like a typical fiesty chinnie to me :)
~Barb~
 
Oh my lil Kunya was fed Kaytee Timothy Complete by his previous owner, so I tried Oxbow, with no luck. He refused to eat it. He would throw the pellets all over the place! So I cold-turkey switched to Nutrena and he loves it. I would maybe try PANR or Nutrena for your chin....they are very picky eaters!
 
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