Two questions.

[Ande]

So I would like to know if it's appropriate to bring in Chilly once a year or what?

Also it doesn't seem like Chilly is eating or drinking anything and I'm a bit concerned. She does love eating the hay though.
I'm guessing instead of having a bobber in the bottle that it should be marked with the erasable markers?

 

[Anne-Lise]

You mean bring him in at the vet? If that is so, I wouldn't say yes. If a chin is healthy and acts as usual, you don't need a vet once a year.

For your chin, mark the bottle with a tape and see if the level lowers. Same for the food. Weigh what you put in his bowl and weigh it again the next day. Hay is their main source of food though, so it is normal for some chins to eat more hay than pellets.

 

[tunes]

Eh, weighing the food isn't going to do a whole lot. My chins take one bite of a pellet and throw the rest on the floor. Or, sometimes they decide to treat the feeder like a kitty litter pan and scoop it all out in a fit of digging. Weigh your chin. If she is maintaining or gaining, she's eating. If she's losing, then you need to take another look at her food and general health.

I also agree. I don't run chins to the vet unless they need it.

 

[Ande]

Thanks for the advice

 

[Vyxxin]

Also wanted to mention if you're trying to keep a VERY accurate weight chart (for instance, on a sick chin) you'll want to weigh around the same time each day...within an hour or two.

 

[MegFarris]

Poo is a great indicator if there's something wrong. Hold her for a minute or so each day, wait for a poo, and make sure it's not too soft/hard/short/long and just the fact that she's defecating well is a healthy sign. If she's maintaining or gaining weight and her poo looks fine, you won't need a vet check up.

 

[Ande]

Thanks for the info!

 

[oxchincerelyxo]

If she isn't eating well she may not like the food she is on. My chins prefer mazuri over oxbow...what food are you feeding her?