Question:
I have caused an uproar on the 'other forum' because I announced that I measure out the pellets I give my chins and replace the food when their bowls are empty versus filling up their food bowls to the top and dumping all the food the next day and giving them more. Maybe I am wrong but I don't see what is wrong with measuring out their food (they usually eat about 2 tablespoons a day) and when their pellets are gone, giving them more. I do not make them eat crumbs and always inspect their bowls for poo and they never urinate in their bowls. Maybe I am being stubborn but it doesn't make sense for me to fill up their bowls to the top fully knowing the next day most of it will still be there and having to throw it away. One person said I make my chins starve which is not true. I am in the chin room all the time (I practically live in there) and I know when their bowls need refilling. If they should finish their food and I don't get to fill up their bowls immediately, there is always a fresh supply of hay for them to eat. I think these people are being a bit dramatic and I have known people that run out of pellets and their chins have to eat hay for an entire week until the food arrives. THE OUTRAGE OF IT ALL!
Sorry, I just needed to vent. If you care to share how you feed your chinchillas, please do so.



Answer:
I do the same, I give them 2 tablespoons each night and there are usually a few left the next night so they never have to go hungry. The reason I started to measure was to see how much Snurr really ate when he started to lose weight and I just continued doing it since it's a good way to see if they eat or not.


Answer:
well Denise, I think what you do is just fine. OBVIOUSLY they arent starving!!!
I make a once thru just for food each day. I do dump out what is left in their bowl.. but on most occasions there isnt much left. I think it mostly has gotten to the point that I know just about how much to put into each bowl for each cage. so I free feed.. but in the long run.. I guess you could actually consider it measuring.
and truthfully if 2 tbls isnt enough .. then Mimi would be withered away. she is a VERY picky eater. I can tell you that what I put in her bowl is probably about 2 tbls.. and there is some left over.. she does eat her hay.. and I do give her hay cubes. and she is doing just fine!!


Answer:
I wanted to post what I do on here because I know everyone would be honest with me. I find it funny how people are being so dramatic, one person even being kind enough to break down how much it costs per day to feed her chins Mazuri. Thanks, but I don't need to know the breakdown of how much it costs and that won't make me throw away bowls full of food everyday. If people prefer to overfeed their chins on a daily basis and end up throwing away the food the next day, that is up to them. It doesn't necessarily make them a better pet owner because they are willing to throw away a fair amount of food on a daily basis.


Answer:
I also like to measure out Buddy's food every night, so that I can see how much he is actually eating. I usually decide how much to give him based on how much is left from the night before (it's usually between 1.5 and 2 tablespoons). If I notice throughout the day that he has eaten all of his pellets (which happens very rarely) then I'll give him a little bit more.
I personally do not see anything wrong with measuring out pellets.


Answer:
Maybe someone should calculate how much it would cost yearly to throw away the left over pellets... or maybe what it would cost during an avarage chinnie life-time. I'm sure something better could be done with the


Answer:
Lisa, this person said it costs 1.5 cents per tablespoon to feed her chins. So, you figure, if you waste 1 tablespoon of food a day, that is 1.5 cents times 365 days a year, which comes to $547.50. Not exactly gonna break ya is it?


Answer:
Oh, and my boys are obvioulsy not starving since they both have gained 50 grams in the last 6 months


Answer:
I give mine a bit more than they will typically need. Very rarely do they ever eat it all and if they do, they loose hay and hay cubes in their cage. I fill their bowls the same amount each day so I have an indication of how much they are eating. I do throw it out before their next feeding because there is always poop in it. For people who truly free feed their chins (ie. using hoppers)...do they just pick the poops out? Or dump the entire hopper?


Answer:
Errm, Denise... it's 547.50 cents per year, but over 15 years that will accumulate to a whopping $82. But still... why waste it?