Chinchilla Community Forums
Chinchillas => Health => Topic started by: chinchillylvr on July 25, 2006, 04:07:00 PM
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We recently had two female chinchillas, but the youngest one, Mikey, Died of a heat stroke. Now, Mikey's mother, Maxie, has been depressed and has not been eatting regularly and has stopped drinking completely! Is Maxie doing these things at night while we are sleeping? We have no clue what is going on but we are getting worried. What is happening and how can we solve it?
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It sounds like Maxie is depressed. Measure her food and water as you add it to see just how much she is eatting. Try taking her out of the cage more if she likes that and buy her a bunch of new toys. Hopefully she will pull through this. If she has stopped eatting and is loosing weight you may have to try force feeding her. You may want to start looking around for a good chinchilla vet in case you need one and you may need to get some critical care from the vet if she isn't eatting on her own.
Chinchillas have been known to loose their will to live when a cage mate dies.
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Well, due to the poor handling by the pet store owners, she is very scared when someone tries to handle her. She also tries to bite, and that HURTS! She runs around her cage like a maniac when someone comes to feed her carot stems (she loved those :::grins::) and will not eat them.
Also, we have many dogs, and Maxie is afraid to come out of her cage because they will eat her! We know this because they ate our hamster... {R.I.P. Flower}
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We are going to give Maxie her first bath in about a month and clean out her cage to see if that will make her feel a little better. hopefully it will work :::grins::!
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Please don't feed your chinchilla carrot stems or any other veggie or fruit. Chinchillas need an all dry very bland diet..and please don't give her a water bath! She needs a dust bath at least once a week but should never get a water bath.
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Okay, we did give her a dust bath, I should have specified it more :-[ !
And we live in the middle of no where and the vegetables that we grow are very tasty to Maxie! We can't seem to ever get to a pet store for all of our animals. We live on a farm.
Also, after giving Maxie her dust bath and cleaning her cage, she seemed to be very pleased with the work we had done for her. We bellieve that she is very happy ;)!!!
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If you insist on giving her vegetables she will not live very long. :::(((
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well, she has lived 1-and-a-half-years on those vegetables....
we believe she is very happy...
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Keep in mind, chinchillas are not rabbits. Even in the wild they do not each foods that are fresh and watery. They eat dried foods. Their systems are not meant to digest watery foods like fresh veggies.
What type of chinchilla food are you feeding and how many veggies do you feed your chinchilla?
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Just a suggestion here. I can't ever seem to get to pet store ether but I order my chin food on line. www.lonestarchinchilla.com sells chin supplies and a lot of other places also. It come to your door and you don't have to go anywhere. They have carrot slims that she my like. ;)
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Well, we give Maxie just some dry things that we can find around the house like saltine crackers, veggies, fruit loops and a couple of other things.
Also, Maxie is still not drinking any water! We had taken the advice to measure the water before we go to bed and check it in the morning. We had done so and none of it is gone...
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Chinchillas should only be eating Hay, Pellets, and ocasional treats! NEVER feed any foods with salt!! She may not be drinking water because of poor diet.
Well, we give Maxie just some dry things that we can find around the house like saltine crackers, veggies, fruit loops and a couple of other things.
Also, Maxie is still not drinking any water! We had taken the advice to measure the water before we go to bed and check it in the morning. We had done so and none of it is gone...
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::silly::Hi ChinChillyLvr,
Names can be deceiving. :doh:
Mikey, Died of a heat stroke. Now, Mikey's mother, Maxie, has been depressed and has not been eatting regularly and has stopped drinking completely!
Chinchillas need to be kept in temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees.
Well, due to the poor handling by the pet store owners, she is very scared when someone tries to handle her. She also tries to bite, and that HURTS ... Also, we have many dogs, and Maxie is afraid to come out of her cage because they will eat her! We know this because they ate our hamster... {R.I.P. Flower}
If you have had her for a year and a half and have been treating her lovingly, she would not be biting you. If you had some wild animals as big as a house (compairing the chins size to your dogs and you to something comparatively the same size) ... you'd be afraid to! Those dogs have NO business around the chinchillas!
We are going to give Maxie her first bath in about a month and clean out her cage to see if that will make her feel a little better.
If you are boasting you're finally going to give her a bath and clean her cage after a month like that is doing something special for her ... I'm not fond of some of the things I have heard about PITA, but I can only hope they come visit you!
We can't seem to ever get to a pet store for all of our animals. We live on a farm.
If you can not feed them properly you should have never gotten them! They must be from a pet store, no decent breeder would have sold them to you.
well, she has lived 1-and-a-half-years on those vegetables....
we believe she is very happy...
Apparently you are not very observant and have no idea how to care for her properly! And from what you are saying and your attitude ... you don't care or have any intentions of doing so!
Well, we give Maxie just some dry things that we can find around the house like saltine crackers, veggies, fruit loops and a couple of other things.
Also, Maxie is still not drinking any water! We had taken the advice to measure the water before we go to bed and check it in the morning. We had done so and none of it is gone...
It is very apparent you need to find her a good home a.s.a.p. Or Someone up there will take pity on her, too.
You came asking for advice ... have chosen to ignore it .... and in the process tried to tell off the owner of the Forum and the Chinchilla Club who does know what she is talking about!
I would say what I am thinking, but I'm a lady. :flames:
::wave::
Jo Ann [/i]
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well, she has lived 1-and-a-half-years on those vegetables....
we believe she is very happy...
A happy chin drinks water...
pleeease pleeease listen to these ladies, they know what they are talking about! they've helped me so much!
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:::(((
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okay Jo Ann,
Are you insulting the lifestyles of my chinchilla and I???
All chinchillas are different!
Mine likes carrots, yours may not. mine likes fruit loops, yours may like potato chips, I don't know!
all i'm saying is that Maxie is COMPLETELY different.
Anyways, we cannot buy any of those food products because we have many other animals to care for aswell the chinchilla.
tinabeana, I'm trying to take some advice, but I cannot possibly take any advice from anyone if my thread is flooded with people who are just here to insult and critize!
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We are not criticizing how you live...we are trying to tell you that are going to make your chinchilla very sick!! I know that chinchillas would love to eat fruit and vegitables and junk. In fact they will eat just about anything you put into their cage, but that doesn't mean its OK to feed them that. The fact is that a chinchilla was never meant to eat those sorts of foods. Its digestive system is not able to handle a diet like that for very long. Your chinchilla is very lucky that it has lived as long as it has on that sort of diet.
We are giving you advice about what may be wrong with your chinchilla you just don't want to take it. We are telling you that your chinchilla's problem may very well be a direct cause of its diet.
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well, we give her certain amounts of these foods to see if she likes them.
Lately she won't eat the vegetables. And by the time she trys the vegetables, they don't have any liquid left in them, to where they are straight dry...
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I'm sorry if you feel like your being attacked, but honestly we have the best interest of your chinchilla at heart. We want to help you to keep a healthy pet.
I don't want to insult you, but I want to be sure that you understand that while chins may like carrots, and fruitloops, they are not healthy for them to eat. I just want to help you to get the best possible diet and care for your chin. :(
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You are the owner...much like a parent is to a child...when you bought her it was your responibility to learn about her special needs and stick to them. If you are going to contiue to feed her things you know are going to make her sick there is no point in asking for advice on why she is now sick! >:(
Good Luck with your chinchilla... :::(((
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Thank you chinchillagrl! that is what I'm wanting to hear! i'll take some advice from you.... What food would you suggest?
(I'm not just asking chinchillagrl, I would like everyone to have a say ::nod::)
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There are a number of very good foods out there you can get. I fed Mazuri for almost 2 years and have just recently switched to Purina Show Rabbit food for my chins. Other good brands include Oxbow and Tradition. Also chins need hay available to them at all times. I feed Timothy Hay. :)
I know chins seem like they would have the same needs as rabbits, but their digestive system actually more closely resembles a horse. ??? Fresh foods like veggies and fruits are wonderful it you have a bunny, but not easy for your chin to digest. They can cause diarrhea and you don't want to have to go through that. Occasionally you can give a treat such as a raisin, shredded wheat (unsalted/unsweetened), or an unsweetened cheerio. Chins also love rosehips. ::nod::
Here are a couple of links to online vendors who sell chinchilla pellets and hay...
AZ Chins
http://chinstore.azchins.com/List.htm
http://www.chinchillaclub.com/links/pages/Breeder_Supply_Resources/Feed/
BTW.... what other animals do you have besides dogs?
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Thank you! I took your information about the Chins having a digestion system like a horse, and gave Maxie some of our horses dryed corn and pellet mix. Maxie loves it!
I can't believe I didn't think of the before!
We have:
4 horses
millions of dogs/bunches and bunches of little puppies ;)
millions of cats
millions of chickens
2 geese
1 pig
1 chinchilla
2 hamsters
a couple fish
20 birds
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There is only one problem with the horse feed! Corn is not good for chins! :doh: Sorry... I should have mentioned that in the last post... chins are similar to horses, but they are not the same. Corn is VERY fattening to chins.
Where do you get your horses feed at? I'm sure you have a feed store near by if you have horses and chickens... ask them about chinchilla food or a high quality rabbit pellet. I get a 50 lbs bag of food for only $10! ::nod::
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wow! only $10?!? that is good!
Is the corn feed okay for the meantime though?
I mean, we aren't able to go anywhere for chin food right now because of how high gas prices are.
Is there anything that is good for chins at wal-mart? rofl
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chinchillagrl, let's go into the chat room for health
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I am actually going home from work right now... feel free to send me a PM if you want and i will write back first thing tomorrow. ::nod::
You may want to do some reading...
There are a couple of sites you can check out.
www.chincare.com
www.chinsandquills.com
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okay thanks!...
bye-bye
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::silly::Hi,
okay Jo Ann,
Are you insulting the lifestyles of my chinchilla and I???
All chinchillas are different!
Mine likes carrots, yours may not. mine likes fruit loops, yours may like potato chips, I don't know!
all i'm saying is that Maxie is COMPLETELY different.
Chinchillas like anything they can get their little teeth into and try to eat ... even electrical cords that are pluged in ... but that would kill them. :doh:
I am not insulting your lifestyle ... I would love to be on a farm ... I spent allot of time on one when I way young and loved it!
I am not insulting the chinchilla's life style, I am concerned for it's life, because of the 'life style' you have given it. I am wondering why you did not make sure you could properly care for them before you got them. That is the responsible thing to do.
Chinchillas are an exotic animal not a domestic animal. All the other animals you named that you have are domesticated and over the years and generations become accustom to things humans eat and do and they do not have the delicate stomach and system chinchillas do.
Chinchillas are different as in each has it's own personality and temperament. But all chinchillas come from the same ancestors ... they are all made the same way, have the same digestive systems and nutritional needs. They are new to the pet world ... many people do not know how to care for them ... that is why they come here and to other forums.
But when you have someone trying to help you by telling you how to care for them properly and you come back with the attitude
well, she has lived 1-and-a-half-years on those vegetables....
we believe she is very happy...
How can someone help you?
Yes, she may like the fresh fruits, frootloops, saltines, etc. but that does not mean it is good for her. I'm astonished she's still alive with that diet. We care about the chinchilla's welfare. We spend untold hours on here giving and getting information so that the chinchillas can be happy and healthy ... and that means every chinchilla.
Children would love to have cake, ice cream, pies, cookies and junk food ... but that does not mean it is good for them.
Is there anything that is good for chins at wal-mart?
Yes, hay and some WalMarts carry Mazuri Chinchilla Pellets, or so I am told.
Thank you chinchillagrl! that is what I'm wanting to hear! i'll take some advice from you.... What food would you suggest?
(I'm not just asking chinchillagrl, I would like everyone to have a say )
A quote from California Chins Web site ... they are a research center for chinchillas ... so you won't think it is just me saying it ...
Chinchillas are vegetarians, primarily grass and seed eaters. They will eat alfalfa or hay. I recommend that you find out what type of hay is available for your local horse community, and get good hay from them ... alfalfa is the best as it has more leaf and less stem, and is richer than Timothy hay which is a favorite of breeders. Feed fresh pellets, and if the only really fresh is guinea pig or rabbit, then that is ok. My standard food mix is equal parts Manna Pro Show Rabbit Pellets, calf manna, and equine senior. I mix enough for a couple of weeks, adding 1 tablespoon human grade wheat germ oil and flax seed oil to 3 cups basic pellets. I mix well add the rest of the pellets ... I mix this up and give 4 oz per chinchilla per day plus hay. With the oil it must be refrigerated and not kept more than a few weeks. Extra pellets are frozen to decrease spoilage. They can get stale. ... Be careful however, they have a tender digestive system and can get diarrhea from too many treats... When in doubt err on the side of hay and lots of it. Give them a little salt block and a few pressed alfalfa blocks. Since their teeth keep growing, they need lots of good gnawing material. A pumice stone is great. Various woods are also good, such as pine, apple and manzanita. Avoid woods like fir, spruce, plum or redwood. We also believe in giving some other supplements which you will find under health/supplements. I frequently treat the chewable vitamins as daily treats, and they will eat Vitamin C and enjoy it as much as they do other sweets. You can give each type of pellets separately. However, whatever you give should be fresh and not stale or spoiled. Smell your pellets periodically to be sure they are still fresh.
Anyways, we cannot buy any of those food products because we have many other animals to care for aswell the chinchilla.
If this statement is true, why are you even asking what to feed them?
When you make a statement like the one above ... it seems to be saying 'you can tell me, but I'm going to do what I please anyway.' That may not be what you mean, but it sure is how you come across.
When you ask for help, don't come with an attitude.
::wave::
Jo Ann [/i]
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okay, jo ann, did we do something, or are you always like this? ???
We are just a couple of girls concerned about our little Maxie...
Ya know, we could have just let her sit in her cage, as it was, and cared for the horses or something.
But no :::(((. we wouldn't allow that because we love her...
so whatever happened We're sorry... :-[
Also, if you just want us gone say so. :'(
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::silly::ChinChillyLvr
You can read everypost on this forum ... only one other time have I ever come back at someone the way I did you ... it was on the old forum before it crashed. I have been on this forum since it first went up, I don't get upset easily.
I'm a bit old fashion and strongly believe in respect ... it just seemed to come across to me, with the remarks you were making to Jamie and in general, that you didn't care what we know, the years of study and work we have put in our chinchillas and helping others with theirs, or what we say ... that you were going to do what you are doing regardless of the long-term effect it is has your chinchilla. I just could not handle that ... so I told you some of what I was thinking.
If I wanted you to leave, I would have said so ... but in a PM, not on the forum.
I do not want anyone to leave that needs help, will listen and follow up on the advice given. All we care about here is the health and happiness of the chinchillas and their future.
Shall we shake hands and be nice? ::)
And ... if you love Maxie, start learning how to take proper care of her, please.
::wave::
Jo Ann
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Okay, We'll be nice... ::nod::
It is just that we are kids. We can't afford everything that chins need. but, we do have the basics to keep her alive.
We got Maxie as a birthday gift.
we are taking in everything that you people are saying.
Last night We got to hold Maxie for the first time( or atleast us kids have :blush2:)!
It was very magical!
We're sorry to everyone that feels disrespected by us...
Please forgive us.....escpecially you, Jo Ann :-[
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It is just that we are kids. We can't afford everything that chins need. but, we do have the basics to keep her alive.
We got Maxie as a birthday gift.
How old are you and can your parents help you out with her?
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You actually type very well for children! :o I kind of thought you were young, but I didn't realize there was 2 of you! ;D Names and ages? :::grins::
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Why thank you!
Well, my name is Amanda, i'm 12 and I'm the one that always types. And, The other one is Dakota and she is 11.
Sorry, if we are not what you expected :-[
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Also,
People can treat us the same way. We are very mature.
We can understand everything adults :) :::grins:: ;) ::nod:: ::)
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wow! you don't sound that young at all
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trust me! You'd be suprized!
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Hi chinchillylvr ::wave:: Welcome to Chinchillaclub.
Your parents gave you Maxie for birthday present? Wow! They must've love you lots. :)
Will your parents be mad if you'd to ask them for help to get some decent chinchilla pellets? It's not expensive at all and you only have one chin, I'm sure your parents would want to do anything to make you happy. ;) I believe you have timothy hay since you have horses? It's VERY good for chinchillas because it helps them with their digestive system while wearing down their teeth ::nod::
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::silly::Hi Amanda and Dakota,
It is always best to let people know how old you are ... I would have understood a lot more of what was going on and not been as harsh with you.
I love all animals, especially chinchillas ... I get very upset when they get misstreated. You just didn't understand you were mistreating them.
We need for your parents to read over the information we give you, so they can understand more about your chinchillas and how they can help you care for her properly.
I'm going to e-mail you a copy of my chinchilla booklet, that I wrote, it will give you lots of basic information on your chinchilla. If it is OK with your parents, you need to print it out and keep it near Maxie, so if you need to you can look at it again.
For anyone else that would like to have a copy of it, I will put it up on-line and post the URL to it.
::wave::
Jo Ann
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{Amanda}:
Okay Thank you!
Our parents are a little busy with our puppies right now( Our Boston terrier had to have a C-Section yesterday ::)) so they can't give their full attention on to the chinchilla.
If we would have known that hay wears down their teeth, I would have given it to Maxie that much faster. she bit me yesterday.
That is a great Idea, Jo Ann! My e-mail address is Cat_princess@earthlink.net
Go ahead and e-mail me if you wish!
[Dakota]:
Thank you guys so much!
Maxie is much happier, and we measured her water and she has been drinking it! :::grins:: YAY!!!!
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Well its sounds as if you really want to take care of Maxie, even if its hard for you and that's commendable!
When I was younger I had lots of animals too. From the time I was about 10 my parents had chickens and turkey's and I had pygmy goats, geese, a duck, cats and dogs and I had to do chores to earn my allowance and the right to keep the animals.
I had to read about them and how to care for my animals. I had to clean them and their respective living areas and fed and water them all. I had to make sure they had enough love and excersize.
I also had to feed and care for the chickens and turkey's. Aside from the ones that laid eggs I hated the chickens because they were mean.
Anyways, do you have a similar thing with your parents? maybe you could ask for chinchilla food with your allowance?
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{Amanda}:
That is exactly how it is here!
and yes, the chickens are mean! that is my chore to feed them, and we have many chickens that lay eggs, but we don't use them in the cooking, we put them into an incubator!
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;) We have two gray geese and they are mean
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we have two geese too! They run away from us in their petting zoo...
they also make these hissing noises....
I hiss back at them..but, just to intimidate them ;D
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;) hissing back doe's not work with us.They came after us
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Yeah when you have pairs they are much more mean.
I had hand raised mine and they were mean to everyone but me, still one time when I didn't get their feed out of the pail fast enough the boy bit me on the thigh. I never thought it would hurt so bad! He pinched and twisted!
Of course after he had his food he was his normal sweet self.
I showed my dad and he said if I was complaining about them he'd give them away to someone who really wanted them, he said that everytime I complained about feeding about my animals or caring for them. Of course it made me realise if i wanted them that bad I had to take good care of them.
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chinchillylvr , i feel much better that you are learning how to take care of Maxie. U meanted before u had 20 birds, are they in the same room as the chinchilla? Because if they are you may give your chinnie the thing in their wings (the vet i assisted old me that.he's a life saver :angel:!)
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Jo Ann, I would like a copy of your booklet......just let me know where I can find it!
Thanks!!
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No, Misskitz, the birds are not in the same room as Maxie.
The only animals that she knows exist are Dogs and cats probably.
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Good i know this because i have 3 birds (all parrots big) and they live in our basement/bar.
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::silly::Hi Sweetnessheart,
The URL for my booklet is at:
www.luvnchins.com/LuvNChinsChinchillaBooklet.html
::wave::
Jo Ann
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Thanks Jo Ann,
I will check it out.....most likely, I will print it out also.....keeping it handy! ::nod::
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Hi Amanda and Dakota, my name is Julianne. It's sounds like things are going much better for you and your chin. Try to get the show quality rabbit pellets ( cheapest at a feed store). If you have any plain bite sized shredded wheat..they will love it. Find out if your parents have a food dehydrator, if they do see if they will help you dehydrate your carrots, or banana slices, dried fruit or vegtables are fine just don't give too much in one day. Keep giving them timothy hay.. just be sure to make sure it has no mold on it.
Keep us updated on how they are doing.
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{Amanda}:
Well, like I said earlier, Maxie doesn't eat the vegetables until the air has dried them out.
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How has Maxie been doing?
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Yes, I'm quite curios!