Homemade CC Alternative

[Chin_Up_Sunshine]

I'm putting together my "emergency kit" still and had a few questions about Critical Care that I couldn't find answered when I did a search, though I know I've seen some examples somewhere in the mounds of reading I do on here. I've read about chins disliking CC and I've also read about people who mix their own CC variant for handfeeding that includes goats milk etc for kits.

I know that I have read about using a coffee grinder to grind pellets and mixing those with canned pumpkin-which I already have, the real pumpkin not pumpkin pie- and water instead of using CC in adults and my question was:
Would others also consider putting timothy(/alfalfa?) hay, oats and/or bee pollen into a home-ground mix for handfeeding.

 

[ticklechin]

I make a soft feed for my dental chins after a filing-rather than grinding the pellets first, I soak them in water-just put enough water over them to just cover, let them soak for a few min, and then you have a soft mix you can put in a food processor and add whatever for flavor-pumpkin, Lifeline, molasses etc. My dental chins I just give them the pellets right out of the water and add add some Lifeline to it for flavor.

 

[mishellyshel]

I grind pellets and mix with Essentials for Life (www.fuzzieskingdom.com) and ground up Lifeline (www.chocolatechinchillas.com). filtered water & sometimes i add a little bit of baby food squash. i love the pumpkin but to open a big can for just a teaspoon is a waste. i have freezed it in the past in ice cube trays but even still the babyfood is easier.
i only add a little bit and i only add it if i am syringe feeding. if i am just putting it in a bowl than i leave it thicker & kinda chunky. it is easy for my chins to eat. i often do this if i notice their food consumption is down. this has happened recently with a few of my chins due to moving their location. apparantly they were not happy with the move!

in a pinch i have done just pellets with a little baby food squash and of course filtered water.

 

[Chin_Up_Sunshine]

I'm getting the LL and EFL as well, but I also read on how those are just sort of extra vitamin supplements that won't help keep weight on and act as food replacement but rather supplement to food replacement. I was curious if others thought the hay and oats would add some extra nutrition to a pre-ground pellet. I hadn't considered soaking pellets. What a neat trick!

 

[Chin_Up_Sunshine]

I found where I saw someone adding oats to their pellets:

I have nothing to add, but agree on the coffee grinder. I used it when my guinea pig was sick, and ground some pellets and oats together for food

in this thread[/ur]. Since this is for guinea pigs and oats are considered a "treat" for chins, I'll skip that but I'm still curious if others think including hay and bee pollen would be beneficial?

 

[mishellyshel]

Maybe some alfalfa hay since it's so rich & is a change from the timothy. I use bee pollen in my herbal blend in small amounts. I think maybe a little bit of bee pollen & a pinch of oats wouldn't be too bad. But personally I wouldn't add stuff until you try it plain first. Best to get your chins used to a plain mix first. Then start adding things after they accept the texture. The EFL is real good stuff but pretty expensive to use exclusively. I would only use it alone if I had a sick chin, otherwise for maintenance or treats or boosting appetite I mix it with crushed pellet.