another treats thread - dried fruit?

[kellypug]

I've been reading to give my chimmies rosehips, oats, mini-wheats or cheerios as a treat. In the past, I've dried some foods to make treats for them - mainly wheat bread (they only get a tiny piece each day), sliced carrots, and bananas. Now that I've found this site, I wanted to make sure these are okay to give. If dried fruits is okay, any other fruits I can dry to make treats for them?

 

[alli713]

No, you don't want to give any types of fruits dried or not. Even with drying the amount of sugar present stays the same. Sugar is not good for a chinchilla's digestive system. It basically throws the bacteria in their gut off. The bacteria are needed to digest the fibrous matter, and if you put sugar in the mix, it can cause the good bacteria to die off and sugar loving bacteria to flourish.

So, no. No dried fruits of any kinds whether it be banana, apple etc

I'm not sure what this wheat bread you speak of is, so I can't comment on that.

Personally I'd stay away from dried veggies too since they aren't necessary. I'm not sure of the sugar content in vegetables.

 

[Ashley]

Alli pretty much summed it up. I'm not sure about the veggies or bread either, but I would personally stick to the treats we know are safe. Better safe than sorry!

 

[kellypug]

Thanks!

 

[tunes]

Instead of the wheat bread, try bite sized, nonsugared shredded wheats. The organic ones especially have very little sugar in them.

Usual treats that people recommend are:
Shredded wheat
Dried rosehips
Organic rosebuds
A pinch of old fashioned oats
Lots of chin safe wood chews

Other than that, I know some people give different types of herbs like dried dandelion and so on, but I have absolutely no knowledge of that type of thing, so I won't comment. If I want to try something, I usually ask Meanie or Claire.

 

[menagerie]

In addition to Tunes' list I give:

dried hibiscus (do not use if pregnant)
dried kale
dried chamomile flowers
dried rosehips whole or pieces
Chinnie crack (aka Pet Pasta)

These are all treats and should be given in moderation.

Note: In my experience all the organic shreddies I've found are sweetened. I also seem to have picky chins. They only like two brands of shreddies, Post and the Safeway store brand. I've tried quite a few other brands and they turn their picky little noses up. :hair:

 

[tunes]

Note: In my experience all the organic shreddies I've found are sweetened. I also seem to have picky chins. They only like two brands of shreddies, Post and the Safeway store brand. I've tried quite a few other brands and they turn their picky little noses up.

There's a little grocery store about 45 minutes away from me that has this strange brand of organic foods that I've never heard of until I saw it there. Every time I go over there, I try and grab a box of the shreddies because they are really low in sugar. Other than that, mine get Post if I run out.

 

[menagerie]

There's a little grocery store about 45 minutes away from me that has this strange brand of organic foods that I've never heard of until I saw it there. Every time I go over there, I try and grab a box of the shreddies because they are really low in sugar. Other than that, mine get Post if I run out.

What brand?

 

[InkedupTara]

I give my guys cookies Alli makes too! They are chinnie approved!!

 

[Cuddlebug]

Don't forget, a plain cheerio is a good treat, too.

 

[tunes]

What brand?

I knew you were going to ask that and I don't have any at the moment, just the Post brand. Next time I go into Mitchell and get some, I'll let you know what it was. The grocery store there has a pretty good organic section, spendy, but good.