How much is normal for chins??

[cherie18]

Hey gues really dumb question, but how much do chinchillas really eat & drink a day? I have been noticing that Cherie eats mostly hay & doesn't drink very much either- I use Mizzuri & timothy hay from petsmart btw. Anyways she is acting normal far as I can tell I have been watching her very closely & being careful with the treats, she is very active between 12am & 5am & when I let her out she runs around & jumps off the walls-although last night she kept drinking from the leaky faucet LOL anyways just wondering if it's normal for chins to eat very little.

I know when I had my hamsters & birds I had to change their food everyday, b ut I only change hers every 2 days am I giving her to much?:hmm:

 

[Narumi]

This person says he feeds 2 tablespoons (I assume he means per day), but I'm a new owner so I'm not quite sure how much mine eat yet. ^^
http://www.cheekychinchillas.com/feeding.html

 

[Shooper]

As long as the hay is being eaten, I wouldnt worry too much. With my chins there is no real set amount of pellets that they eat. Some eat more than others and mine take spurts where they eat more or less. I just make sure the bowl always has pellets and they always have fresh hay! Maybe give a smaller amount and add fresh or change it daily. I would only worry if weight starts dropping.

 

[melbur10]

As a side note you should check to be sure the water bottle is working properly drinking from a leaky tap isn't something any of my chins would be concerned with unless they were unable to get any water other wise

 

[Airyn]

I free feed food and hay and consumption varies by chin. To add onto the good advice you've already received above, I hope by "tap water" you mean filtered tap water (PUR3 or reverse osmosis). )