Chinchilla Community Forums
Chinchillas => Health => Topic started by: Hoppinchins on August 11, 2009, 10:25:44 PM
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So I just found out about how much my chins weight. My boyfriend had a scale that measures in grams and OZ. Pogo is a gray standard and he weighs about 340 grams/ 12 and a 1/4 oz. Snowie is mostly white with a tiny bit of gray and he weighs about 504 g/ 1.6 and a 1/4 oz. If the pet stores were right about there ages, ( I got them at 2 different pet stores) They will be a year old in the middle of October. Snowie is a lot bigger than pogo. I'll try to post a current picture of them tom. I'm feeding them oxbow pellets and western oxbow hay. When I took them to the vet i think back January, the vet said they were both healthy. I'm not sure if snowie weighs to much.
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::silly:: That's a little small. At a year old, they should weigh 500+ grams for the males and 600+ for the females. Females are usually larger than males ... normally standard grays are larger than mutation colors. Your Pogo and Snowie seem to be the opposite. :D Just remember ... these are general weights and general statements ... there are always exceptions to the rules. ::nod::
::wave:: Jo Ann
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:) You do always say there are exceptions to the rules. They are both males. I thought pogo looked small. I could tell that he was gaining weight when he was younger, but I don't think he's grown much. I always keep food in there cage.I know your not a vet, but do you think that Pogo is ok? Maybe he was just a runt of the litter. Its nice to know that Snowie isn't over weight. He just looks much bigger compared to Pogo.
Do you have any suggestions for pogo gaining weight?
They both run the saucer a lot.
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::silly:: The weights I gave were for a chinchilla with an average bone structure. As with humans, some chinchillas do have different bone structures. Chinchillas with a blunt nose and whose shoulders and hips are about the same width, are usually bigger built and weigh more. Chinchillas with a longer pointy nose and whose shoulders are more narrow than the hips, usually tend to be smaller and weigh less.
Being the runt of the litter could also be the answer. Of course I have seen the runts end up being the largest of the litter because they fought the hardest to survive.
Being a little premature could be the answer.
Usually it boils down to the DNA or family history.
Chinchillas that come from a line that has been, over generations, mated with other mutations rather than introducing a good stocky pure standard into the line every 2 or 3 generations will tend to produce smaller and weaker chinchillas with each generation.
::wave:: Jo Ann
P.S. A "pure standard gray" chinchilla is one who has only grays in it's family history. A standard gray that has mutation colors in it's family history is not considered a "pure standard".
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Thats interested. I didn't know that. I'm guessing since I got my chins from a pet store that I just have a standard gray. I'll be taking my chinchillas back to the vet in a few months for a yearly check-up.
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340 is tiny for a full grown chinchilla, bet he's some cute though. Got a pic?
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Of course I have pictures! I have trouble uploading them sometimes though. I took some new pictures. I'll upload them soon and post them.