Question:
Since we've gotten Baby, we've had her on Mazuri diet. The few times that the store has been out and we've had to switch to a generic brand for a few days, she has refused to eat the other food. From what I've found Mazuri is supposed to be a good diet. Aaron gives her a raisin every other night, because we've read that Chins are only supposed to have treats every once in a while, that they have problems digesting anything other than their staple diet. We keep her feeder ball stuffed with Timothy (which she likes a little) but stopped giving her Alfalfa because she hates it, and she'll run it onto the bed and throw it at us if it's near her food. We do have a bottle of "Chin treat mix" that has bananas and rose hips and stuff, but she doesn't seem to care for anything in the mix.

Now, Baby has always been a skinny Chin. Especially when compared to images like the one in the last post, and on a lot of peoples' websites. She appears to be healthy though. Her coat is thick and fluffy, her skin isn't loose or dehyrdated at all. Her eyes are nice and clear. I haven't found any information on Chins that don't seem to put on weight, so I was wondering. Is it normal for some chins to just be thinner than others? I know this is true of ratties, and was curious if we should be worried about her lack of fat deposits!! Do you see anything wrong with her diet that you feel we should change?? Our vet says that Baby appears healthy, but she wasn't too knowledgable on weight and growth standards and such.


Answer:
I use Mazuri and Im very happy with it. I think it's one of the better brands of chin food. It will take her a wile to adjust her to the new food. You have to actually weign chins off of their old food to prevent diarrhea since they have a tricky digestive track. You can mix her old brand with the new and keep putting a bit more of the new brand in each time.
Do this slowly, no rush to prevent diarrhea.
Just a suggestion, You should probably switch from Alfalfa to Timothy hay.
Alfalfa is generally used as a treat once a week, for pregnant nursing mom's for extra calcium and if chins have a calcium deficiency.
It is absolutely normal for chins to be different sizes. It just depends on each individual chin. How much does she weigh? It would be great to know how much she weighs. Oats keep there digestive system healthy and should be supplemented once in a while. This may also help her put on weight. You can also suppliment her with Nutrical and Petramaly once a week. They LOVE this.