Chinchilla Community Forums
Chinchillas => Q & A => Topic started by: Herbert on April 22, 2015, 06:05:46 AM
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Hi,
Can anyone tell me what an unhealthy weight of a chinchilla is? Like how much roughly should they weigh?
Thanks muchly!
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Chinchillas can vary extremely in weight. Male chinchillas tend to be smaller than females by about 2/3. Some mutation colors tend to be smaller than others as well and the quality of breeding will affect their overall size.
What matters is how much fat there is on them.
A chinchilla fed a healthy diet and put into a properly sized cage does not tend to be overweight. A sick chinchilla tends to be underweight and can starve itself by not eating enough.
The best way to get an assessment of your chinchilla's weight is to take it to someone who has experience making that kind of assessment such as a breeder or a veterinarian.
The best thing to do is weigh your chinchilla when you know it is healthy and thriving and then keep track of that weight about once a week and keep watching for a downwards trend that can indicate your pet is off its food and may be due for an exam before it starves itself to the point of no return. If you are feeding your pet junk food like potato chips and crackers that are causing it to be overweight chances are it won't live very long because those things are pretty poisonous to them.
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As long as your chin is fed a healthy diet and has decent place to exercise they will not be over weight. Adult chins can vary quite a bit in size. Anywhere from 400-1200 grams can be normal depending on genetics. If you are concerned about his weight, you can get a scale that weighs in grams and check him every other week. Be sure to weigh at the same time during the day. If he is loosing then a vet visit is in order.