Am I really doing this wrong!?

[puffthemagicchinchilla]

Well, I was trolling through the other forums and I noticed a lot of chin owners strongly advise new/fellow chinchilla owners not to treat chins with dried fruit.
I researched a lot before getting my chinchilla and various sources say small amounts of the appropriate dehydrated fruits are not a problem when given sparingly. So, every once in awhile I bust out my dehydrator and dehydrate my own fruit and I have even made my own chinchilla cookies..
It cant be wrong? Right? I give her small bits and my homemade chinchilla cookies are 50% pellets. She is very active, still eats her pellets and drinks plenty of water.
I guess what I am saying is I disagree with chin owners that say dried fruit is bad. In moderation I see no problem.
(The lady I adopted my chinchilla from was feeding her 4 raisins. THREW THOSE AWAY!)

 

[tunes]

Most people will not feed fruit to their chins. I know I won't. My chins get pellets, hay, fresh water, wood chews, and the occasional rose hip. That's it. Fruit is loaded with sugar, natural or not, and chins do not digest sugar well. Always remember K.I.S.S. - keep it simple stupid (not an insult, just a saying). The simpler their diet, the better for them.

 

[Tagna]

I will never give any fruit in any amount and I always stress that any fruit is not safe for chins. It is something I stress to anyone adopting from the rescue I run.

There are some that will say it is fine in moderation but I am not one of those people.

 

[becky12883]

I say no to dried fruits, fresh fruits, dried veggies, fresh veggies, nuts, seeds, yogurt drops, any dairy, or meat. Hay, pellets, homemade hay cookies (or bought from someone on this forum), and apple sticks are all my boys get. A quote I read today about this very topic "No short-term reaction does not mean there are no long-term consequences."

 

[3CsMommy]

Before you make your final decision that your dried fruit is "fine" do a Google search for "horse colic" and spend a few minutes reading what comes up.

Now keep in mind that because a chinchilla's digestive system is much like a horse's, though designed to make even more efficient use of the nutrients they get from all the grass they eat in the wild, they're going to get into that same colic scenario when they're fed sugars or fats (which have more calories/gram than fibre). The pellets and hay diet mimics a low calorie, high fibre diet like they get in the highlands of Chile.

If you're concerned about trace minerals for nutrition, etc. you either need to feed a better pellet or talk to someone about adding a dried herb mix supplement a couple of times a week. But there are a number of stories in "Chin Emergencies" and "Memorials" that highlight what can go wrong when a chin is fed sugars and fats. Why shorten your pet's life from it's natural 15 year span because it's fun to feed junk food now?

 

[Lynn & The Chins]

^^^^ Well said!!! ^^^ :thumbsup:

I completely agree with all who said no fruit/sugar at all. Chinchillas die every day from bloat and stasis because their guts cannot handle it. It's very difficult to try to relieve it.

 

[ticklechin]

Chinchillas get cavities just like humans, its been proven in scientific studies. If you don't believe the gut issues you can surely believe the cavity thing. Their teeth can rot just like humans then you are on the road to malo.

 

[Pikaia]

There are plenty of safe treats for chinchillas. There shouldn't be a need to give them fruits or anything like that. You don't even need to give treats, as the others said. It's just something nice once in a while. Even then you need to feed sparingly. I only give them twice a week at the most!

 

[chinsNdobermans]

Before you make your final decision that your dried fruit is "fine" do a Google search for "horse colic" and spend a few minutes reading what comes up.

Now keep in mind that because a chinchilla's digestive system is much like a horse's, though designed to make even more efficient use of the nutrients they get from all the grass they eat in the wild, they're going to get into that same colic scenario when they're fed sugars or fats (which have more calories/gram than fibre). The pellets and hay diet mimics a low calorie, high fibre diet like they get in the highlands of Chile.

If you're concerned about trace minerals for nutrition, etc. you either need to feed a better pellet or talk to someone about adding a dried herb mix supplement a couple of times a week. But there are a number of stories in "Chin Emergencies" and "Memorials" that highlight what can go wrong when a chin is fed sugars and fats. Why shorten your pet's life from it's natural 15 year span because it's fun to feed junk food now?

^^ This ^^

Chins don't know that a different variety of hay or a healthy supplement (like the Ryerson's supplement) aren't "treats" in our minds. They go crazy for them.

I'd suggest investing in some varied hay types, perhaps getting a little supplement or at least some rolled oats, and giving those instead of dried fruit. Just remember, supplements or "treats" in moderation. Hay... hay is good anytime.

There's no reason to take a chance when our chins are just as happy with the above items as they are with sugary foods; and the above are so much more healthy for them!

 

[TashaR]

I know I'm a few months late to the show, but when I had chinchillas the first time around, raisins were the favorite treat. I know the knowledge has changed and that raisins aren't good for chins, but when and who figured that out? Curious about the history

 

[Essentia]

I think it was more that sugar, in general, is bad for chins. Raisins are high in sugar (like other fruit as well) so chins shouldn't have them. Raisins are also poisonous to dogs and cats, so I like to stay away from them completely when it comes to animals.

 

[aznmexaggie]

I believe it is Dr. Crossley from the UK who published the studies on Dental caries (cavities) in chinchillas as well as other studies on dental disease/malocclusion.

We don't do fruits or sweet treats here; just pellets and hay and the occasional grain-based supplement.

 

[akane]

I agree with the no fruits but I'm not sure I agree with the no fresh foods at all. Wild chins don't get grain heavy pellets and oat treats and they don't get dried hay. They have fresh greens everywhere along with tree branches that are not just bark but full of leaves. These are lower sugar and water than store bought veggies which I also am very cautious about actually using but it's still fresh food. Surely some of the same high fiber, low sugar, low water yard forages and fresh herbs suggested for a natural rabbit diet who are browsers more than grazers could also be fine for chins if they are adjusted to it correctly.

 

[Narcissus]

the thing about a wild chinchillas diet and a domesticted chinchillas diet is this... domesticated chinchillas are just that, domesticated. They are completely different then thier wild ancestors. I personally only give my chins hay, pellets, and water. They get a bite sized UNFROSTED shredded wheat every now and then. I'd rather not take any chances.

 

[3CsMommy]

This is where wild chins live:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Habitat_du_Chinchilla_lanigera_-_Auco.jpg

Those 'fresh greens' aren't so much 'greens' like we make into salads or see in city gardens. They're mostly pretty tough, fibrous, woody stuff:
http://www.luvnchins.com/DietWildChinchilla.html

To me that terrain reminds me of the hiking I did in the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado some years ago. There wasn't a maple tree (wild rabbit forage) or turnip plant (turnip tops are common in house bunny diets) in sight that wasn't carefully tended in someone's yard.

Why would you try to improvise a food for chinchillas based on a rabbit diet when known healthy chinchilla foods are already available? Chinchillas aren't rabbits. Chinchillas are a specialist *rodent* that eats tough, stemmy, woody desert plants. Rabbits are lagomorphs. Looking alike doesn't mean they're related, or even all that similar, as a lot of exotics vets learn the hard way after they treat a chin like a rabbit and cause a premature and/or painful death.

They're your animals, so obviously you'll take care of them in the best possible ways; but I'm trying to understand the logic and basis behind disagreeing publicly with 100 years of best practices by ranchers, who financially depended on the healthiest possible animals, who figured out the hard way after watching lots of chinchillas fail to thrive. What's your research behind the theory that they'd be okay with a higher water content than they'd get from desert succulents and wild arid climate plants? I'd also like to see some research about chins fed high fibre, low sugar & water "yard forages" instead of the pellets and hay diet that's been designed for them. If you have any sources about that, I'm sure a lot of us would be interested to read them.

 

[Dreamlite]

Chins are nothing like rabbits so to compare the 2 is kind of ridiculous. Chins come from a high altitude desert. I'm not sure what fresh green anything you expect a chinchilla to find there. They have been domesticated to many many generations and as such their diet has had time to be studied. Why mess with what works? Simpler is better with any pet. The more variables you add in the less you know what actually causes a problem in the end. Just cause you don't see the problem now doesn't mean it won't have a long term effect. Look at say smoking, you aren't dieing now..... but give it 10 yrs or so. Bad habits do catch up after time and if you love your chin like I'm sure you do, then you want the longest healthiest life possible.

 

[Zoaea]

I don't think dried fruits are healthy but I won't lie I give my chins a small piece (like 2 bites in chin nibbles) a couple times a year, I count goji berries in this catigory too. Usually they get a peice of cerial like a cheerio or 1/4 a wheatie about once or twice a week.

I think it would be nice to find out about an herb that can be grown in a window that we could feed as a treat. Is there anything like that? What do rosehips grow on too btw?

PS- Sorry for spelling errors my phones auto checker is on the fritz. =/

 

[Dreamlite]

Rose hips are from actual rose bushes.

 

[Gnoller]

I have no issue feeding my chin raisins at most a couple of times a week, although i prefer giving cranberries. It can be a valuable aid in training to have a treat that they are so interested in and helped me build the bond with my chin.

As much as everyone compares chinchillas to their wild counterparts, chinchillas in the pet and pelt industry have been guided and selectively bred by humans for almost 100 year. That's long enough that a simple "this is what it's like in the wild" comparison may not be an accurate or valid excuse.

While i respect those who chose not to do so, I prefer to allow occasional (which is a key word here) dried fruit treats as i feel the benefits to the relationship between me and my chin justify the risks - most of which seem anecdotal

Ultimately, it's not a black-and-white situation - different chins react to different stimuli in different ways

 

[Cinder and Me]

Nope, not worth the risk when there are sooooo many other alternatives for treats. I will not be giving any fruit (dehydrated or not) to my fluff-butt.

ETA- just realized this was an old thread. haha