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Author Topic: Chinchilla eating less hay than pellets  (Read 3215 times)

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Snickerdoodlesmom

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Chinchilla eating less hay than pellets
« on: January 31, 2013, 08:11:47 AM »

Snickerdoodle has been eating more pellets than he's supposed to; when he was boarding at the vet, she noticed this and said it was a problem. What can I do about it?
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Snickerdoodlesmom

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Re: Chinchilla eating less hay than pellets
« Reply #1 on: January 31, 2013, 08:12:57 AM »

Just another note: I feed Oxbow pellets and American Pet Diner timothy hay.
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GrayRodent

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Re: Chinchilla eating less hay than pellets
« Reply #2 on: January 31, 2013, 11:59:36 AM »

It may be time for a tooth exam considering he is also fur chewing. If nothing is found you can try other types of hay or try a fresh bag.
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Snickerdoodlesmom

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Re: Chinchilla eating less hay than pellets
« Reply #3 on: January 31, 2013, 12:37:31 PM »

You think it could be malo?
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GrayRodent

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Re: Chinchilla eating less hay than pellets
« Reply #4 on: January 31, 2013, 10:33:39 PM »

There are other possibilities besides malo that are treatable. I am suggesting an exam because you now have three symptoms that can mean tooth problems. 1. You suspect the animal is underweight. 2. It is suddenly fur chewing. 3. Someone (presumably, but I would ask questions about how bad it is) with experience with chinchillas is saying he is not eating enough hay.

They may also be unrelated and might not mean anything. It might be time to get tooth problems ruled out with an exam to prevent a potential problem from progressing. Of course I have had a bad experience first hand so maybe I am biased towards pushing for this when I shouldn't be. A dental exam carries risk because of the anesthesia so you are better off if you can avoid it.

If he really is underweight and has gone off his hay this is a strong sign that something is wrong somewhere and probably in the back teeth. These are both "IFs" which means they should be verified. Maybe you should get him examined by someone that can at least tell you if he is at the right weight and may be able to explain what is going on without a dental exam. Knowing a healthy weight for your chinchilla is a critical first step. An experienced veterinarian can tell you a lot just by looking and feeling.

If he's healthy you can wait and see and see if there is a decline in weight before you consider the dental exam. If there is a decline that approaches 20% of his current healthy weight and his activity level and environment is constant (or if he goes off his food altogether like mine did) then you'll know you need to get a dental exam and try to get a diagnosis. If he is at a currently unhealthy weight and looses 20% that could be very dangerous. In my case I got a diagnosis and didn't get the tooth exam until I knew it was needed, had a very clear target weight to watch for, and didn't wait until he was dangerously underweight so he survived the anesthesia just fine.

I am certainly not a veterinarian and certainly do not even pretend to know what's going on with your pet. With the stress he's going through now I expect he will loose some weight at the boarding place and reach a new baseline low weight. You will likely see a steep increase in his appetite and weight when he gets home. Perhaps stress in his environment is causing him to favor hay over pellets for some reason and it may be temporary. Ultimately I recommend getting a regular exam (without anesthesia) by a trustworthy vet and go from there because of my own experience.

I hope others will comment.
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Snickerdoodlesmom

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Re: Chinchilla eating less hay than pellets
« Reply #5 on: February 01, 2013, 08:12:41 AM »

He's home now. He's friendlier than ever, running over when he sees us and popcorning when he  plays. He's not really stressed; he was really good at the boarding place, too.
What are the other possibilities?
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Re: Chinchilla eating less hay than pellets
« Reply #6 on: February 01, 2013, 11:47:17 AM »

I am very glad to hear he was good at the boarding place. I know some chinchillas can have a lot of problems with stress.
Some of the dental issues I can think of off the top of my head are the same things that can affect people. These include tooth decay, a broken tooth, or an abscess caused by something lodged in the gum line. It becomes more difficult to eat coarser foods with these conditions. If there is a tooth abscess it can get progressively worse and cause your chin to stop eating.
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Re: Chinchilla eating less hay than pellets
« Reply #7 on: February 01, 2013, 12:37:27 PM »

He has been eating (and chewing) everything. He just hasn't been eating so much hay.
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Re: Chinchilla eating less hay than pellets
« Reply #8 on: February 06, 2013, 08:45:03 PM »

He eats his treats just fine. Will chinchillas with malo eat their treats?
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Re: Chinchilla eating less hay than pellets
« Reply #9 on: February 06, 2013, 09:36:29 PM »

I suppose it depends on how bad it is since some won't take any food. I know of one chinchilla that had some tooth problems (Don't remember if it was malo though) and somehow discovered that shoving pellets into the water tube softened them and ate them after they were soaked. It could not chew hard things but preferred soft things. Likewise chins with malo will prefer soft foods and pellets and dried fruits are softer than hay.
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Re: Chinchilla eating less hay than pellets
« Reply #10 on: February 06, 2013, 09:42:01 PM »

He chews on his apple/pear sticks, too.
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Re: Chinchilla eating less hay than pellets
« Reply #11 on: February 22, 2013, 07:25:48 AM »

Did you by chance notice if the hay looks different? The brand we were buying ended up cutting it differently. Our Nibbles ended up eating more pellets than hay. Which caused us to have to have his teeth trimmed. Maybe get your hay from another place...see if your chin will eat another brand of hay.
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Re: Chinchilla eating less hay than pellets
« Reply #12 on: February 22, 2013, 08:18:30 AM »

We use American Pet Diner hay; he adores it! He won't eat Kaytee or even Oxbow. I'm starting to believe that the hay may not be as fresh as he likes it--- it's an old box, and even though we seal it, I guess it wasn't as airtight as it should have been.
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Re: Chinchilla eating less hay than pellets
« Reply #13 on: March 18, 2013, 08:28:37 AM »

Cut back his pellets so he has to eat the hay, and cut out the treats. Or at least cut way back. If he was hungry he'd eat the hay. If you offer him more of the stuff he likes he will logically eat less hay.

And I have never seen a malo case chew fur is that Common ?
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Re: Chinchilla eating less hay than pellets
« Reply #14 on: March 18, 2013, 09:47:47 AM »

I'd think it's possible but I could be very well be wrong. It seems that I remember reading about a case where it did happen with a chinchilla although I think the direct cause may have been that was that it was drooling on its back.
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