# underweight chins?



## han89 (Jan 3, 2009)

hey, i've had my boys for about 7 years now, they are very alert and friendly and feed them on a diet of charlie chinchilla plus treats and fresh fruit n veg. I am very concerned that they are underweight, i want to make them gain some weight but in a healthy way... they have good muscle mass however i can feel there ribs...

can any one help?

thank you x
hannah


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## kirksandallchins (Nov 3, 2007)

han89 said:


> hey, i've had my boys for about 7 years now, they are very alert and friendly and feed them on a diet of charlie chinchilla plus treats and fresh fruit n veg. I am very concerned that they are underweight, i want to make them gain some weight but in a healthy way... they have good muscle mass however i can feel there ribs...
> 
> can any one help?
> 
> ...


Most people recommend that you feed pellets (Charnwoods are the most popular) rather than Charlie Chinchilla as chinchillas are notorious for just eating their favourite bits out of the mix and leaving the rest

How heavy are your chinchillas - anything over 550g is a good weight for an aduly chinchilla. I prefer the look of the more agile chinchilla - some of the bigger chinchillas you see are just overweight with rolls of fat.

If you are concerned, get them checked over by a vet to make sure they have no teeth problems. If everything is OK I would not worry so much about their weight - like people chinchilas come in all shapes and sizes and bigger does not always mean best.

For feeding up an underweight chinchilla, I buy rabbit/cavy supplements to feed a few times a week, or feed porrige oats as a treat. I usually add cranberry juice to their drinking water once or twice a week - most of my animals are now approaching double figures in age so it must be doing them some good.


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## han89 (Jan 3, 2009)

thanks for the help, like you said they do all come in different sizes... they have no teeth problems and have a large run... i guess the only option is to limit the food they have in the bowl so they have to eat the pellets! thanks, han x


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## susie (Dec 12, 2007)

It depends if they have always been like that or if they have lost weight recently .I always weigh my chins on a monthly basis so I can see any fluctuations in their weight .

To be honest if they have lost weight recently and their ribs are prominent I would suggest you have them X Rayed as there is no other reliable way to ensure that they do not have any teeth/ root problems .

To build underweight chins up I give a teaspoon of oats, wheatgerm & wheatbran mix a couple of times a week and a healthy diet of pellets and lots of good hay and readigrass a couple of times a week . You can also get the 'naturals' range in pet shops these days for chins which are healthy treats .


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## Freya'n'Sassy (Aug 13, 2008)

I would suspect the teeth as well, sometime you don't know there is a problem with them until the chin is all skin and bone. Have x-rays done on the jaw. You could always use porridge oats to help the chin put weight back on, once you know why it has lost the weight.


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## han89 (Jan 3, 2009)

susie said:


> It depends if they have always been like that or if they have lost weight recently .I always weigh my chins on a monthly basis so I can see any fluctuations in their weight .
> 
> To be honest if they have lost weight recently and their ribs are prominent I would suggest you have them X Rayed as there is no other reliable way to ensure that they do not have any teeth/ root problems .
> 
> To build underweight chins up I give a teaspoon of oats, wheatgerm & wheatbran mix a couple of times a week and a healthy diet of pellets and lots of good hay and readigrass a couple of times a week . You can also get the 'naturals' range in pet shops these days for chins which are healthy treats .


well the two boys are in the same cage... Charlie has always been nice and chuncky whereas the other boy, 'Chalkie' has always been a bit ratty.. he is a much smaller animal in terms of a much smaller face and not as plump. he is much more active and always has been rather skinny. He has always been small since i got them at a few weeks old, i cant think that he has any teeth problems if you saw them you would agree that they look healthy and bright.

I give them oats every now and again any way as they enjoy them and it just gives them a change in diet. They always have something to chew... and have no problem eating.. i just think they are picking and choosing the best bits out of the bowl, which i am going to make sure they no longer can do! They is definitely no bullying in terms of food supply i always make sure they have more than enough, and in terms of fatty foods and treats i make sure they both get enough.

i was wondering as to whether he has 'humback' and if he has then he has always had it... can someone explain to me this in more detail? and if it was humbback what am i looking for and what are the possible actions?

im going to take a photo to see what you think.


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## han89 (Jan 3, 2009)

here are the boys.. not sure what colour they are.. but theyr father was common grey, mother - not sure they were kept in a larger 'harem' soo not sure how chinchillas work but they could potentially have different mothers?


This is the chinchilla in question...









This is Charlie, his brother.









The two in comparison dont look much different but they have just had a bath. His back looking a little odd (chalkie on the left)


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## Freya'n'Sassy (Aug 13, 2008)

han89 said:


> i just think they are picking and choosing the best bits out of the bowl


That's why people prefer to use a good quality pellet, the chin has to eat it all!


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