Good Weights?

[chinchillasrox]

I have 2 chinchillas that I handfed. I think one is really small. They were born June of 2011. Oli is the smallest at 445g, and Pepper is the larger one at 643g. Is this small for either? They both eat a lot of pellets and hay, and drink quite a bit of water. They are also more active than my females.

 

[AZChins]

If they are healthy, those weights are fine. Do they appear to be thin or have something else wrong with them? Are they hunchy? If they seem healthy and are doing well with good appetites, it's fine!

Going by weight can be deceiving when it comes to health. Some chins are smaller than others, that's just how it goes! Some adult chins may end up being only 500 grams, some may be 1100 grams...and those weights are healthy for them.

What can end up being unhealthy is trying to get the weight up by means of giving chins supplements or treats or whatever you want to call it and just have them gain fat weight. You want for a chin's weight to level off feeding good quality pellets and hay. This is why you need to be less worried about weight and more concerned with the actual health of the chin. Muscle mass and tone is so much more important than fat, of course. If a chin is leaner and has good muscle tone and a good appetite, there should be no concerns about the gram weight.

 

[chinchillasrox]

Okay. Thank you. They have a good appetite, and are playful. They arn't hunchy or skinny, so I guess they are just small

 

[AZChins]

Small is okay!! Do you have pictures?

 

[jbcstratton]

Some chins develope later than others, especially hand fed kits, but they will probly just be smaller since they are almost a year old.

 

[chinchillasrox]

I am working on pics... my camra is not working

 

[Lillybabe]

What food are they on? I agree with others, some chins are just smaller. Often people say that males are also smaller than females. My girls come from big lines so I think they will be chunks but not all chins are. Do they feel skinny? How much is a "lot" of pellets and hay? They also might be slow to grow. Some chinchillas seem to take their time. Do you know if they come from big or small parents? So long as they are on a good pellet, good hay, filtered water and poops look good I wouldn't worry. If they show signs of tooth pain or anything odd like that then it'd be time to see the vet but they sound like healthy hyper boys.

 

[Riven]

I agree that some are just smaller. Usually most hand feed animals don't grow as well. Unfortunately it's hard to get all of the nutrition to perfectly simulate mom's milk for growth and such. If they look normal and healthy just small... I wouldn't worry!