Question:
My chinchilla just started chewing her fur two nights ago. She is in a non-stressful place in the house and has plenty of enrichment in her cage. She also gets out to exercise when I am home. When I came home from work today, I found that she is still chewing her fur making an area on her hind end more bare. Does anyone have any advice that will make her stop or at least do this less? I would appreciate it. Thanks


Answer:
Has anything changed recently? Anything new in the house? How long have you had her?


Answer:
I've had her for about five months now. I got her when she was four months old. The only thing that has changed now that I think about it is her food. It seems every pet store in the area was out of her original kind. However, she has been eating the new kind of about a week and a half. The only other thing that is different around the house is that my husband is gone on a business trip. Haha Other than that, everything is the same. Could it be her food? She still eats all of it.


Answer:
What kind of diet is she on? Most pet stores do not sell high quality feeds. If she isn't on a high quality feed, I would definitely recommend one.

The smallest changes can affect chinchillas in the most bizarre ways. It could be the change of food, it could also be that your husband has left. It seems a little sensitive but some chins get stressed over these things.


Answer:
Shes on the Mazuri diet usually. Is that what is recommended? Does anyone have a better suggestion? Once it comes back in stores, I will put her back on it.


Answer:
well my chins are on a tradtional diet but i have to get it from a local breeder i buy it in 5 pounds and freeze what i dont need. that is what my chins grew up on. have u check more than 1 pet store for the food, maybe u have to try getting it in a different store.


Answer:
Mazuri is fine, aslong as it's fresh. Check the mill date on the package. Keep under 3 months and your good. Mazuri is also readily available online, if you need to get some in.

It could very well be the food or you husband leaving. Chinchillas can easily be stressed by the littlist things, as Candice mentioned. Try to get her some new things to chew on, lots of variety to distract her until things are back to the norm. You might also want to introduce a small piece of dried papaya into her diet every other day or so to help combat any blockage from digesting the fur.


Answer:
I agree it could possibly be the food change, or even the weather change. Lizz's suggestions of things to distract her from chewing are good ideas.
What brand of food do you end up having to buy this time? It could also be deficient in some important vitamin or mineral that's different from Mazuri.

Carleen


Answer:
Just a thought..... Is the patch completely bare or is the fur just chewed looking. Is the skin a bit red. If it's completely bare it could be a fur fungus problem and not chewing. Bells went of when you said
"When I came home from work today, I found that she is still chewing her fur making an area on her hind end more BARE. "
It's a bad time of year for it


Answer:
Thanks all. I have been to several pet stores looking for the food. I live in the Chicagoland area so there are tons to choose from and nobody has it in stock. Maybe the Mazuri diet is on back order making it harder to get. I have seen fungus before on chins because I work in a veterinary clinic and I know it isn't that. She has lots of new things to chew on that she enjoys. She chews them apart but it still isn't stopping her from removing her fur. I will just have to wait until tomorrow when my husband is back in town to see if it stops her. Its funny because he rarely handles her at all.