Alfalfa ( still confused??)

i know this is not my only post about alfalfa but please bare with me....I just wanted to specify just a little as far as feeding this hay. I have been told that chins really dont need it and can cause kidney stones if given quite often but im still puzzled! Mainly what I wanted to specify is that I dont really feed the stalks of the hay but my boys go crazy over the loose alfalfa, the part usually at the bottom of the bag that looks like parsley. Im just still wondering if I am doing a bad thing by giving them this. I can get a handful and they both go straight to my hand and eat it up! Lately since im not 100% sure about this, I have been sprinkling it on their timothy hay...? Thank you so much for your help!

From what I've gathered, the problem is using an alfalfa pellet plus an alfalfa hay as their main hay is way overdoing it on the alfalfa, but giving them a little as a treat is okay. Some people mix a little into their normal hay once a week for variety.

The alfalfa based pellet food and giving them alfalfa hay as well is the main issue. Giving them a ton of alfalfa hay can over due certain vitamins that alfalfa hay contains verse the lower quantity of these vitamins that timothy hay has. Timothy hay is better for everyday consumption. Giving chins alfalfa hay on occasion is okay, just like other treats. You can also give them alfalfa based hay cubes on occasion. You just have to remember that just because your chins love it doesn't mean that it is always the best thing for them. I love soda, but I know I can't drink it all the time.

Here is a web page that gives a quick and general description about the differences between alfalfa and timothy hay.

http://www.petsource.org/pet-small-animal-health/5430-cat-small-animal-health.html

The use of alfalfa in chins has been debated for years-there have and are chins that have been and are on 100% alfalfa diet with never any issue-just like a 100% pellet only diet, chins who are feed only pellets and hay cubes, chins who are pellet hogs and eat very little hay, those are 100% alfalfa diets and those chins do fine. Stones in chins occur from too many reasons to point to any one reason. Grass hay is important to give IMO for teeth and digestion, but loose alfalfa is not the evil hay that some like to portray. It can be given along with grass hays for variety.

Alfalfa is cautioned against in adult equine diets (horse digestive systems are extremely similar to chinchillas) as well as rabbit diets. From the various studies/articles I have read about stones in chins, they are most commonly composed of calcium carbonate- which is caused by feeding a diet too high in calcium. Alfalfa hay is extremely rich in calcium. I'm not saying it is the sole cause of stones in chins, but IMO if they are on an alfalfa pellet, giving alfalfa hay every day as well is just over doing it. Not only is it a high amount of calcium intake, it is also a high protein intake and pet-only adult chins that are not in breeding/lactating and are done growing do not need a lot of protein and they get the calcium they need from their pellets.

I don't think it's bad to feed in moderation to add variety, but I definitely wouldn't be giving handfuls a day. The key is balancing the amount of alfalfa they get with their other feed to be sure you're not throwing the calcium ratio and other mineral ratios off in the diet, which is what leads to stones.

Lots of alfalfa feeders out there with no issues, its just one of those things that
people tend to keep quiet about due to the amount of misinformation out there especially about stones.

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28006&highlight=alfalfa

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19598&highlight=alfalfa

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20037&highlight=alfalfa

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13195&highlight=alfalfa

Not arguing about the matter, just stating my opinion on the issue which is what this forum is for. Fact is that alfalfa is a hay high in protein and calcium, and in my opinion healthy pet only chinchillas eating a good quality alfalfa based pellet do not need alfalfa hay in their diet. It just has excess nutrition that pet only chins do not need. Hence why I say I would only be okay with it in moderation, just like treats. Just as no one can say alfalfa hay itself causes stones, no one can rule out that it contributes to them either. All chins are different. Calcium carbonate stones are made up of calcium as the name suggests. So obviously, excess calcium should be avoided in the diet as a precautionary move in these chins diagnosed with these stones (among analyzing urine acidity and other factors.)

I've heard the cautions about too much alfalfa, and I figure why risk it. But I also look as the key being moderation. I use hay as an opportunity to mix things up diet wise for my chins. Their main hay is Timothy, however, here and there ill mix it up almost as a "treat" and give them different varities. My chins too absolutely love alfalfa hay, but they only get it in moderation. Can't spoil them too much ;D

Rabbits metabolize calcium differently than other mammals, just like guinea pigs and in horses alfalfa causes more issues with intestinal stones that bladder stones-doing internet research yields on most credible sites in the scientific community that the cause of urolithiasis is largely unknown in most animals and people for that matter.

More recent studies on stones...calcium stones in particular is that they are caused by lack of water intake and genetic predisposition. Granted, the studies were done on cats but the physiology of the urinary tract of mammals is all very similar. Bladder stones are also a larger problem in cats, so it would be the most obvious study subject to understand stone development better. The bladder not being emptied often enough (flushed out) keeps calcium in the bladder and/or kidneys which lets that calcium form up and eventually develop into stones.

I have fed an alfalfa based pellet with loose alfalfa hay 1-2 times a week for the past three years. We've had no bladder stones with 60+ chinchillas at any given time. On the other hand, I know people who feed an alfalfa based pellet with timothy hay given daily and they've experienced several bladder stones out of the same line of chins.

i have seen alot of talk about alfalfa. my chins will not eat timothy hay i have tried 4 different brands. i feed them chin pellets and the one chin just plays in the bowl and the other one i have never seen eat them. i do give them small alfalfa cubes but it takes them like a month to eat them. dont want to give them just anything but i dont know what else to do or what other food will spark there wanting to eat it. any ideas would help. thank you in advance.

Orchard grass hay is an alternative you can try. it's okay to give alfalfa cubes, but as a treat and not as a main source of hay.