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[BrightEyed]

I was making my own supplement and had a recipe from the internet.. but was thought it wouldn't hurt to ask if anyone else gives their chins a supplement.. and what is in it. The one I've used has Rolled oats, Barley flakes, Cracked Wheat, red wheat bran, wheat germ, flax seed and sunflower seeds (but I cut back the sunflower seeds)

[ChinchillAZ]

I personally do not supplement unless I have a pregnant or nursing female.  I find that a high quality pellet and high quality hay provides them with everything they need.

[BrightEyed]

Alright.. I've got a few chinchillas who are losing weight slowly. All of which I took home from the October show. The chins who have been with me longer have been steadily gaining.. so I am thinking the new chins are stressed. My sisters are eating well.. my standard female picks at her food.. she will eat a raisin or shredded wheat treat every other day or so (each time I put one in her feeder) but her food level changes VERY slightly. The sisters eat very good- clean their bowl and drink very well. I am suprised they are losing a little.

Is there something I can do to help them? I wanted to get them all on a supplement to help them stay healthy and continue to gain weight. Or is there something else some of you have found to help?

[ChinchillAZ]

Are they eating the same food that they had been eating before you got them?  You might want to give a small amount of NutriCal to help boost the amount of calories they are consuming until the stress has diminished.

[BrightEyed]

yes they have all been eating tradition all their lives. I started giving my standard nutrical last week and she is slowly starting to nibble on her food more and more. The level was a little bit lower this morning then usual in her feeder. She doesn't like the nutrical that much.. I place it on a popsicle stick and lay it on her feeder b/c she doesn't always want to take it from me. I'll try it with the sisters too. Thanks

[Debbie.nl.ca]

I still like calf manna, Lani Richie, Betti Cogswell, and MCBA mag. have always and still  recomend it.

[ChinchillAZ]

I like Calf Manna too, but I figure NutriCal is a lot easier for her to find and she doesn't have to buy a huge bag of it at a feed store.   

[KCchins]

I would sprinkle acidophilus powder over their feed.  This will help with digestion especially if chins are stressed.

[BrightEyed]

I've continued with the NutriCal and they are still losing weight. The three girls have lost 11, 15, and 12 grams over 3 1/2 weeks. One (who lost 11) is 8 months old and was over 600 grams when I brought her home but is now about 590 grams. The other two girls are about 7 months old were 508 and 412 grams when I brought them home and are now 493 and 400 grams. I wanted to just keep an eye on them for a while and then use calf manna if they do not stop losing. I figured by 4 weeks they would have been adjusted. We will see. The acidophilus is a good idea. Thanks everyone.

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Add a little oatmeal for slight weight loss, it can help bulk them up.

[BrightEyed]

I am begginging to doubt my scale a bit.

Good news- according to the scale: the 7 month olds have both gained weight, 21 and 14 grams since 11/14/07.

But- my 8 month old is still losing- down to 584 from about 600 since 10/27/07.

I have supplemented them with a teaspoon of calf manna per day for just a bit. Every one of my chins (who are still growing) are steadily gaining weight except my one 8 month old girl. We are holding off breeding her until she is at a good weight (around 1 lb 7 oz which converts to about 650 grams) and steadily gaining.

[ChinchillAZ]

Perhaps the batteries need to be replaced?   

[BrightEyed]

yeah I was thinking the same thing. It was showing a battery sign and it went away- but my fiance said he didn't replace them. It is also hard to get them to sit in the middle of the scale AND sit still. I put it close to the corner of the counter and then try to slide it out (so they won't lean on the wall b/c that makes a huge difference in the reading) and they will sit for a second and then want to explore. It is a digital kitchen scale that has a square metal pad you sit them on. And the readings it gives are all over the place at times when they are moving so its a combination of everything  I think I will change the batteries and try again in a week or so tho. 

[ChinchillAZ]

You might want to put them in something to try to keep them still.  You can use a small cardboard box and subtract the weight of the box to get the weight of the chinchilla.  Afterwards, give a treat as a reward for them being so good and letting you get an accurate weight.

[BrightEyed]

oh, the know they are going to get a treat when they see the scale. They love that part