Weight Loss

[Shahna]

I bought a Standard from a local hobby breeder about 4 months ago. When I got her she was in a fairly small cage with no wheel. At that point she was 10 months old and weighed 710 grams. Since I have had her she has lost weight...down to 637 grams. I have her in a very large cage with a flying saucer. I was hoping that could explain her weight loss? (The increase in excercise) She seems to be eating well and doesn't have any of the common symptoms I've read about on other threads (i.e. commom symptoms of malloclusion). I have recently paired her with a male white mosaic, but am now wondering if that was the right decision...should I be concerned about this weight loss? The weight loss was over a 2 month period and started after she figured out how to use her flying saucer. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Kansas City Chinchillas]

It's possible the new home, large cage, flying saucer and male companion have caused a weight loss. Keep an eye on her weight and eating/drinking. She may stay at this weight.

 

[Cuddlebug]

As long as she doesn't continue to lose weight, she should be just fine. I have had some that did the exact same thing.

 

[Shahna]

I'll continue to keep a close eye on her. She's been around 640 grams for the past few weeks, so perhaps her weight is "leveling off" after all the changes to her environment. Thank you!

 

[tunes]

Try removing the wheel from her cage and see what happens. It's most likely that that is causing the problem, more than the big cage (although the male could as well, if he's hounding her). There are some chins that just can't have a wheel in their cage because they won't stop running on it, and it causes a constant weight loss.