Very small female chin

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Hanasmum

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Joined
Jun 19, 2014
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10
Hi I'm new to chins. I had my female chin for just about a year now. She only weighs 360-380g. Is this normal? Her appetites are good and is very active, not bony but not fat either. Is she just a small chin or should I be feeding her some supplements like cc?
 
That is really small for an adult chin, however, if you don't feel ribs, if she's bright eyed and active, it may just be the size she's going to be.
 
Thanks! I kept on expecting her to reach 400, but she never did. She also had a bit of a hunchback that I recently realize it actually means something. I used to feed her sun flower seeds, but have stopped now. Will her hunchback improve?
 
I agree with tune. Not all chins are large. As long as she is eating and pooping well I wouldn't worry . She may just be tiny.
 
Just curious...what color is she??? Some mutations like sapphires are more prone to being small... For example I would expect a sapphire to be a heck of a lot smaller than say a standard grey. That IS a really small size though but as long as she is healthy otherwise I wouldn't worry about it.
 
That would be so cool to have a really tiny chin. I hope it turns out not to be a problem and you enjoy a long life together.
 
She's a standard grey! So I thought should be a bit bigger too. I included some pictures of her on my previous post. Can you guys see it?
 
Eh, I wouldn't say it is an extreme hunchback. It looks more like she doesn't have much of a neck. Stay away from the sunflower seeds, make sure she has a good pellet and good hay, give her filtered water and see what happens.

Also, do you have a wheel in your cage? If you do, try removing it and see if she gains a little. She looks healthy and happy, but if she's got a wheel it may be eating up calories.
 
You can give your chin probiotics, vitamin B, oats and dried peppermint to support her appetite. How big (long) is she in inches or cm? If you can feel a round belly and no ribs it is OK. Some maybe she grows slower...
 
She's a pretty girl :) and she looks healthy to me! I have a male that's pretty small, around 430g though. So he's still a little larger than her. Maybe she's just a little one!
 
I looked at the pictures you posted, and I think you girl can put on some weight :))

You can use standardized silymarin to support the liver. I posted instructions on how to use it here: http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?p=403336

Also, since you were feeding sunflower seeds, it may be a good idea to address possible thiamine deficiency. Sunflower seeds contain significant amount of phenolics, mainly chlorogenic and caffeic acids, which are antithiamine factors. They act as antagonists - impair thiamine absorption by oxidizing the thiazole ring. Thiamine deficiency leads to weight loss. I would use a herbal supplement that contains nettle, red raspberry, chamomile, rose hips, red clover since they contain thiamine. Alfalfa hay is a source of thiamine as well. Also, it is important to use a good water filter.
 
Thanks everyone for your input. she has always had filtered water. Right now she's on oxbow pellet and grass. The supplements you mentioned, I have no idea where to look for them. The vets here are not experienced with chins. Should I start with some kind of paste first? Or CC?
 
I can ship the broad spectrum supplement to Hong Kong. Standardized silymarin can be purchased on Amazon. But, if you prefer, I can send you silymarin and/or alfalfa as well. Feel free to send me a message or email.
 
I just have a few more questions if its ok.

I thought chins cant stay on alfalfa hay as adults because like rabbits it gives them kidney stones? Is it safe for me to feed alfalfa to hana? for how long? Or maybe alternate between timothy and alfalfa every other day?

And asking for a friend, her chin has been doing the face wash very frequently lately. Should she be worried? Teeth is normal.
 
I agree with Tunes all around.
Some chins are geneticly smaller, she looks in good health, happy, bright eyes and all.

You mentionned she eats, drinks really well. So, no I would not supplement with CC. Keep it simply with Oxbow Pellets (excellent) hay and Tanya's supplement. Nothing else, no treats!!

I would remove the wheel in the cage if she has, if not, possibly her out of cage time is too much. What amount of time is she out?

PS: some chins are simply small
 
shes out of the cage for about 1-2hrs a day. Is that too much? I took her wheels off when it started to get hot back in April.

The website also offers other treats that look really healthy. Have you guys tried any of it? Which one to get if I want to treat her once in a while?
She used to be really picky as a baby too, but has a great appetite now.
 
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