Truffle And Soft Food Options

[tiggypod]

Just wanted some thoughts from those with Mal experiance. Truffle is still on daily metacham and has put around 30g on but is still a good 70g short of her normal range, she is eating quite well when we make her soft food. We have stopped the SSR and for the last 5 days have been grinding up her normal portion of her usual pellets (it's hard work with a pessel and mortar!) She has been eating these too without problem. We keep trying her with treats like plantain, bitesize shredded wheat, different herbs but she won't have any of it. We also tried just wetting the pellets so they went sot but were not pulverized into powder so she would have to chew some semi solid food but she just threw it on the floor.

She tries to eat the herbs and the shredded wheat and tries to steal Tiggy's but just drops them after attempting to bite them Is it likely that she may never go back onto solid foods? Will this cause her any harm to remain on the mushy duggins?

Also at present we are having to go in every few hours and place the bowl of food in for her and sit with her until she has had enough because Pod keeps eating the food, so if we leave the bowl in all the time we don't know if it's truffle eating it or Pod (Tiggy is good and shows no interest in it) I don't want to split them up because I believe Truffle will give up if she is on her own as she has become very cuddly with her cagemates and follows them around everywhere recently, but once I start work I won't be there to feed her on a regular basis or stop Pod from eating her food.

Any ideas on how to combat this????

This post has been edited by tiggypod: Oct 31 2009, 01:51 PM

[chinquest]

I'm not sure with the Degus Doris could eat her food softened and I had to accept that Deidre would eat some too.

Have you tried Beaphar + or Supreme science? it wouldn't help with you knowing who was eating it but if she could manage one or other then that would be something. Oddly Daisy, who's crumbling her pellets switched her favoured food from Beaphar to Supreme, now I would have thought the Beaphar easier to eat seems Daisy disagrees.

If you'd like to try a few of either or both I'd be happy to send you some (postal service dependent )

[Trish]

Knowing that the other chin is going to eat some I would pulverize more than her normal portion, and leave a decent quantity in the cage when you go to work. Once the food is there all the time the other one may lose interest in it. Just as a thought, would something like a coffee grinder be any use for grinding the food smaller? Just thought it might take some of the work out of it for you.

[Jaina_OrganaSolo]

Hi guys,

It won't do her harm to eat just a normal mushy diet, the only obvious complication is that her teeth may re-grow spurs quicker because of the wear on the teeth, Having said that, I have the same worry with Stitch as he won't eat hays or grasses anymore.

He eats his Care + with no assistance - but I can't see that it would be physically any easier as duggins are quite nice and small (at least the lot I had from bringin Lucky home was)

A good tip I got from Jerney was to split a shredded wheat in half - down the length of it, so it was half as thick - if you get what I mean - Stitch copes much better with that and I think J said her Chin could manage it even the morning she was PTS for mal.

Have you tried Oats as well - Stitch seems to manage those no matter what

As Trish said, a coffee grinder is ideal for grinding pellets easily.

I know what it is like desperatley trying anything to get them to eat something. I even tried Stitch with Charlie Chinchilla as a treat - mostly he ate the carrot and peas and then threw everything else on the floor, leaving the grasses in the dish He will eat plantain, leaves, herbs, treat mixes (selectively) So he gets that instead of hay. His poop is still small, shiny and deformed but at least he is pooping, eating and drinking - and mostly happy.

He is well below what he was (710 from 820) but, he is stable - that is all I ask for now.

[Diane]

Don't get too hung up on her weight, as Julia said stability is what to aim for, gains are a bonus. As long as you make sure she has food/breakfast before you go and leave a bowl of 'mush' she should be okay until you come back. I agree that it would be better to leave a big bowl so they can both eat it rather than risk Truffle not having anything. Again make sure she eats when you're back in the evening.

Can I take it she doesn't eat hay? Most chins don't when they have teeth problems. Have you tried readigrass? Some can manage that happily. I think I'd try all the different foods such as Beapher, Charnwoods,even Charlie Chin as a treat and see if she prefers any of them, Beapher would be best. Also do you give any herd supplement? I know you don't have many chins but Debbie Cave makes and sells a wonderful supplement Debbies supplement and any profit goes to Jane and Roman. You give a teaspoon per chin a couple of times a week.

[tiggypod]

Thanks everyone! I shall look into a coffee grinder hadn't thought of that!!

I have tried splitting the shredded wheat in half but she still won't eat it. She keeps putting it to her mouth but won't bite it?!? I haven't tried her with oats do you just use normal plain porridge oats?

I was thinking about getting some of Debbies mix Diane as I was aware she sold it and have heard good things! I am waiting until Phil's gets paid this week and will be ordering some readigrass off John Hopewell with our sand and hay. Truffle has never been a huge hay eater but now she isn't eating any. We have some Charlie chin from when we first took Picchu in, but haven't tried her with that yet! we bought some Science select around the time off her dental and she loved them but now she just throws them on the floor

Part of me thinks that she is just being lazy but the other part thinks it hurts her because she does show interest in other things but won't bite them.

Her poo's sound like Stitch's Julia They are small and shiny, yet they are soft so I am not too worried about them and they exists

Thanks everyone for your help! Your support and advice is worth it's weight in gold!!!!

[Jaina_OrganaSolo]

Yep, just plain porrisge oats - Stitch sucks them up like a hoover... Stitch had some success with Justgrass for a little while and then decided they weren't worth the trouble

I know what you mean. Stitch still tries to eat hay. He manages to bite it down but can't chew it - then he throws it in frustration.

Stitch's poop swings from squishy and smelly to hard and shiny *sigh*

Like you say, the important thing is they are there still!!

[Jaina_OrganaSolo]

Guys, I've just had a wee breakthrough with Stitch - I'm not sure if it will help you or not, as Stitch seems to be able to manage many thimgs that poor truffle can't.

I went to pets at home on my now monthly fibre shopping trip for stitch What I wanted, was plantain as he's running out; what I actually ended up with was some cage disinfectant, two hanging toys ( ) and a couple of bags of woodlands stuff - I got Apple and Blackcurrant - which is a blackcurrant leaf with apple twigs in it and a bag of bark bites.

The bark bites are literally a mix of Birch and Willow chunks of bark. Stitch went nuts for it. He ate quite a bit of bark, and viola, a few hours later, much improved, almost normal poop

When I checked the packet they were 58% fibre. If I can get some more down him occasionally, it seems to have made a vast improvement in a short space of time.

I thought you should know, as I was not expecting that result at all!!

[Jaina_OrganaSolo]

Well, it turns out once they dry up, they look better - but not as good as when they come out. Still, I'm happy.

[Jane]

Try not to worry too much Sarah - the main thing is that they eat, whether it be soft food, CC, Beaphar care + or Science Selective.

Give Truffle the choice, some days she may eat better than others

I do hope she is on pain relief?

[heidi]

Was wondering about those bark bites... Nifty has had a nasty case of the runs and is on minimal diet for another three weeks but i dont want her future treats to involve anything fruitish...been to vets and tests and probiotics and all.... will give them a go when shes off the diet.

Really glad Stitch is munching again

I think the more choice they have the more likely they are to fancy something and some things must be easier than others i guess. I hope Truffle is showing a little more interest? i know new things go down a storm here so hopefully the bark will work for you too!!!!

[MollMoll]

Sarah has started her new job at last and may not have as much time to reply. I just wanted to put Jane's mind at rest and say Truffle is on daily metacam for pain.

[tiggypod]

Thanks mum! Yes she is on pain relief as mum said. She seems to be doing well with the blended pellets. We have been hunting everywhere for a cheap coffee grinder and found the only place that sells them locally is argos they only have one and so far it's out of stock in both our stores for the last week and a bit

I spotted those bark bites Julia in PAH when getting cat litter the other day and wondered if all the wood in it was safe for chins as there were some we hadn't used before like birch. So I think we will get some of those for her to try. She still won't have anything other than her mushy food (a mix of duggins and science select) except a couple of days ago she ate half a raisin and she did nibble on some oats last night so that's something.

She has put on some more weight and was 453g a couple of days ago so that is a huge bonus. She isn't bothered in the slightest she is quite happy with her mush it's her silly owners wanting her to chew some toys and hay to grind her teeth down

Pod still munches on the mushy food too but not as much now she realises it's there all the time, as suggested we just make extra whilst we are working thanks all for the advice

[Jaina_OrganaSolo]

Great to hear she's doing well.

It's ironic really, as Stitch seems to be able to eat much more, but he's not putting on any weight, won't eat mush or anything like that. In fact he's dropped a few g's the last few days. I was going to take him in today for a dental - I think he heard me and his poop strted looking much better (although small still) and he ate loads last night

Glad to here she can manage some oats though - they are good for fibre.

Keep it up Truffle

[tiggypod]

Thanks Julia for the we send them right back It is kinda strange Stitch eats more things than Truffle but not putting on weight. Truffle does take after her mum Toffee in that sense as she would eat her mush before we lost her we didn't have to syringe her really only on the odd occasion.

With Truffle we tried grinding to a fine powder as well as a coarse batch and we tried her food quite moist and then drier forms and found she likes it wet, mushy and finely ground If it's too dry she just lets it fall out of her mouth. But to be honest I just thinks she likes whatever gets her messy as she likes to put her paws in the food when it's really wet I have never felt more of a slave trying out all of those combinations. I am sure you have tried all avenues with Stitch to no avail tricky little man

[Trish]

Thanks mum! Yes she is on pain relief as mum said. She seems to be doing well with the blended pellets. We have been hunting everywhere for a cheap coffee grinder and found the only place that sells them locally is argos they only have one and so far it's out of stock in both our stores for the last week and a bit

They are showing 3 in stock in a store near me. I would be happy to pick one up and post out to you if it helps.

[Jaina_OrganaSolo]

I have never felt more of a slave trying out all of those combinations.

I know exactly how you feel The only supportive feed he will take is tha apple and banana CC; even then it must be syringed - but all other types he deligted in spitting out all over me. I have tried ground pellets etc, but he will ignore that in preference to his hard food.

He's ate a load last night too - but he still seems to be dropping weight ; only a few g a day, but still I wonder if I made the right choice. I don't want him to go through a dental unless he has too. it will be saturday before I can take him so I will review the situation on Friday - at least I have 4lb of CC to hand !!