new chin is not eating much

[dotty G-V]

I just got my very first chinchilla three days ago. She is friendly and really sweet however we are in a very small apartment and I know that the sound cannot be easy for her to adjust to. We try to keep things down. She seems scared at times and I don't blame her. She has gorgeous wool and has no signs of chewing, but I have seen her chewing quite a bit at times. My biggest concern is that since I got her she hasn't seemed to eat a lot.
I'm wondering if I should be worried, her energy level has not been affected and I know that it will be harder for her to adjust because of the sound levels in the apartment ...but is the eating thing more then stress??
What should I do? the sound levels will get much better once we are back to school (we have reading week) so I am hoping she will be able to handle it all for now.

(She eats her hay more then her pellets, she may eat about half a table spoon of pellets a day)

 

[Rickman]

Where did you get her? If it was a pet shop, that's part of the problem. They usually feed crap food they try to sell you, but it's real junk! Look on the 'supplies for sale' section and get some good food - make a cold switch!
If you got her from a breeder, they should have given you some food she's been on, which could be old - change it daily!
She could just be stressed from the move and a new home, talk gently to her, put your hand in the cage, and let her come to you. Don't be surprised if she "nibbles" on your fingers - checking "edibility" - shouldn't be too hard!
If you get some bite-size plain shredded wheat - she should take those willingly as a treat - 3 to 4 a week is enough!
Make sure you're using filtered or bottled water - you don't want guardia!
Get her a chew block for her teeth, maybe some Apple sticks to chew, clean the cage once a week, and you should have a happy chin, after she "settles in".

 

[JennyBug]

I adopted two chins from someone who gave hem hardly any hay, so they spent most of their first couple of days munching on hay rather than their pellets. For about 3 or 4 days, they hardly touched their pellets, but now they do. I feed Oxbow hay and Oxbow pellets, and all three of my girls are now happy eaters! I agree with Rick: if they were fed crap and you brought it home with you, get some good food (Oxbow or Mazuri or the like) and switch cold turkey.

I also give them a plain cheerio every so often, so you might try that

Congratulations on your new chinnie!!

 

[iayla]

I wouldnt worry about sounds in the home - its better than total silence. Complete silence to a prey animal means "danger" - ever watch nature shows? When the big cats come around, everything goes completely quiet.

As for eating - chins are supposed to eat more hay than pellets. Some chins will eat as much as 1/4 cup per day, others will just nibble at their pellets. As long as she is eating, drinking, pooping & peeing, I wouldnt be too worried just yet. Its only been a few days.

If you were carted off to a strange country with a foreign language & nobody familar, would you be settled in after just 3 days?
~Barb~

 

[MyFuzzies]

First off, WELCOME and CONGRATS on your new chinnie!!

She is in a new environment with new noises and smells...it's going to take some time to adjust to that. All you can do is try to make her as comfortable as possible. It's good that she's eating her hay and she's probably nibbling on the pellets when you aren't looking. Rickman mentioned a few important things to consider.

Chinchillas are very intricate animals and require alot of research & knowledge. I would suggest that you read over this forum...there is alot of information and experience here. You may want to put a fleece blanket or piece of cardboard over the top of her cage to make her feel more secure. Give her a hidey house, tunnel or some type of safe haven where she can hide for security. Sit by her cage and talk to her softly so she can get used to your scent and voice. Make sure she has chin safe chew toys. The most important thing is to make sure she in on a good quality pellet (Mazuri, Tradition, PANR, Oxbow, there are a few more...check Chin Diet & Nutrition).

In my personal experience it took my chins from a few days to a week or so to get used to the new environment. Good luck and at some point we'd love to see pics of the little girl.

 

[oxchincerelyxo]

You should be fine, like stated above, but if this does continue and you are worried you cuold try putting her on paper towels to monitor her poo. This way, if there is a problem then you can address it and if nothing is wrong then you can have peace of mind:thumbsup:

 

[JennyBug]

Cheeko's parent made me remember something. One of my chins will take a pellet, eat one bite of it, throw it back in the bowl or on the floor, grab another one, take one more bite, and on and on... Some chins don't eat all of a single pellet. Look for pellets that are smaller and look as though they've been nibbled on. Carmie will only eat until she reaches her hand, then she throws the rest away (so wasteful.... good thing she's cute!)

 

[dotty G-V]

thanks all for the advice. I will make the food switch NOW and I will monitor her poop... just in case. Thank you for welcoming me, and for all of your help

...pictures are coming

 

[Diva Chins]

Mazuri is sold in pet stores and it's generally alright for chins. Not the best but it's at least safe, just in case =P
Congrats on the new one! But, as I've experienced with my rescues and etc, chins usually don't eat much at first because of the stress of a move, but they do pick up later. I've also dealt with chins on bad diets who wouldn't eat much after a cold switch such as my girls. They were on Sunscription Sunseed (Yucky!) and I did a cold switch to Tradition, they ate maybe...1/4 of a tablespoon per day, and now they're up to a whopping 2 tablespoons+ per day. Just take it with time, make sure he/she has access to good fresh food, fresh hay and fresh water.
As for my rescues, they would only eat hay at first because they'd never had it before...(It was so sad...I was worried because they were going through like, 3-4 handfuls per day each and no pellets but no problems) but they eventually got to eating pellets =] Its all about patience, but as long as he/she is acting fine, pooing and peeing normally (It's often normal to have small poops at first, at least in my experience especially if they were on bad food) then you'll be alright.
Good luck, welcome to the forum, and congrats! I can't wait to see pictures.