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1

General Chat / Re: A Special question for the Ladies ....

« on: April 27, 2007, 01:52:00 PM »

Interesting, I will have to observe!  Only having had my chins a fairly short time I think I need to know their "normal" behaviour first
I made a big step with "Mamma" (have yet to come up with a proper name for her!) tonight.  She hasnt been handled very much since we got the chins as she gave birth just a few dyas after she arrived and while the kit was very small we handled her as little as possible.  The kit Mutley is now a month old and feeding himslef well (for those of you who read my weight question you will see that he is no longer a she....lol) so I got Mamma out.  Well actually she stepped onto my hand from the cage.  I sniffed her and talked quietly to her and she just sat on my chest, no mad dives to get away!!!  She nibbled the stone in my ring and gave my face a good sniff...I think maybe we have connected !!!

Helena

2

Health / Re: Chinchilla weight

« on: April 24, 2007, 09:47:08 AM »

We had an en masse vet vistit today.  All of them are healthy and the 2 who have lost over 10% of their weight were given a full and thorough check up.  Their teeth are fine and the vet says that the loss is very likely due to a combination of the stress of the move and the extra space they have to exercise in.  He suggested continuing to weigh Sweetpea (the male) and Auntie (the female) weekly and if they continue to lose he will give them a whiff of anaethetic gas so that he can examine their back teeth more thoroughly.  Sweetpea was kind enough to poop all over the table and the vet said the poop was of a normal appearance and consistancy 
The cost wasnt as bad as I feared, he examined them all for £45, the individual fee is £15 so I got a bargain!  The vet was very taken with baby Mutley who sat on his hand and proceeded to groom her whiskers 

He;ena

3

Health / Re: Chinchilla weight

« on: April 23, 2007, 08:39:48 AM »

Thank you all so much for your advice.  
I have booked them all in to see the vet....thats going to cost!  I think I had better get them insured ASAP! lol

To answer the questions raised.  
They are changed every other day, clean shavings, hay and straw, fresh food and water every day (bottles washed).  
I give them 2 raisins each (I hand feed them so I know that they are not all being eaten by a just a couple of chins!), a small handful of oats, the other dried fruits I give are date, chopped small and equivalent of 2 raisins worth and dried apricot and pineapple (1 small cube...about 1 raisin size).  I don't give all fruits every day, I vary it.  
I'm not sure what plant the locust beans come from, I will try and find out.  They are sold in packets (dried) as treats for all rodents.
The males and females are now separated.  1 of the females is definitely expecting and I think one of the others is too.  I'm not sure about the 4th one.  We are watching closely and continuing to weigh them weekly.
I believe they were being fed rabbit pellets in the shop (thats what it looked like), they are now being given quality chinchilla food.
Their poop is formed and slightly sticky to touch.
They have lava stones and wooden toys to chew as well as a chew stick (from a petshop) which is said to help keep their teeth trimmed.

It's been a very steep learning curve in the last 4/5 weeks!  I knew nothing about chins when I took on these bundles of fur except that they needed sand baths....not a lot to base their care on!  I have spent hours reading and trying to get it right but sometimes the sites give conflicting advice.  Its great to have a place where I can get first hand advice while I'm trying to get it right  

4

Health / Chinchilla weight

« on: April 22, 2007, 08:18:27 AM »

I got my chinchillas on 22nd March, they were kept in poor conditions in a pet shop (which had lost its licence to sell animals!)...after seeing the conditions they were in I had a long talk with the owner and he agreed to sell me the cage for £60...legally he couldnt sell the chins but he got around that my selling me the cage with the chins as a "free" bonus.
There were 6 of them crammed in a cage more suitable to 2, no hiding places, no access to sand and to be honest they stank something awful.
When I got them home I transferred them to 2 4ft aquariums (with wire mesh on top to give adequate ventilation and allow heat to escape).  I started learning about them fast via the net...I knew very little, not even how to sex them properly.  When I had learned I found out we had 4 females and 2 males, one who was the kit of one of the females (Owner couldnt say which one!).   I have no idea of the ages of the adults, the owner didnt know!
Anyway thats the background, I weighed them when I got them as I read that it was the best way to see if a female is pregnant and I guessed at least some would be.

Weights
Female 1 - 623g
Female 2 - 574g
Female 3 - 498g
Female 4 - 649g
Male 1    - 420g
Male 2    - 412g (7 months old)

Female 1 gave birth within a few days of arriving.  The kit is doing well and at just over 3 weeks old she is 121g.

I have weighed the adults every week and they have all lost a considerable amount of weight since i got them, despite the fact that they are eating and drinking well.

Weight losses since the first weigh in on 24th March
F 1 - 133g (having given birth)
F 2 - 29g
F 3 - 54g
F 4 - 46g
M 1 - 11g
M 2 - 42g

Some have put back on a little of the weight they lost.  My question is...Is this normal weight loss or should I be worried about it?

The food is being eaten, they get dried fruit, oats and locust bean treats once a day, their poop is formed.  They are active, running and jumping around and I wondered if maybe this was the casue of the loss...in the shop they spent most of their time just huddled together.

Ive rambled on quite a bit!  Sorry!!!   Any help would be appreciated as I want to give my new pets the very best.

Helena