Do chins need vitamin supplements? Also I have read that 2tbsp of pellets twice a day is right and I have read that they should have as much as they want? Which is it? The only pellets that my town has are "Sunseed" Its pellets with bits of timothy hay and of course the sweet bits like raisens,bananas,etc. What I do is I pick out all the extra stuff and he gets only the pellets,and a treat once a week. Not the best, but does anyone know where to order pellets in Canada?, somewhere where the shipping is not such a killer? I give him pellets,water,Tim hay every day and an alfalfa cube.Does he need anything else?
chin food?
- Thread starter 5melrose5
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Kansas City Chinchillas
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Chins do not need vitamins. You can free feed your chin (can have as much as they want) - pellets and hay. You need to get a better pellet. Other than that it sounds like you have his dietary needs well taken care of.
Here is a great place in Canada to order high quality pellets: http://www.chinchillaparkplace.ca/
Here is a great place in Canada to order high quality pellets: http://www.chinchillaparkplace.ca/
I agree with Cathy, chins do not need vitamin supplements(pellets already have vitamins added) and I would find a better pellet. Another place that you can get it from is http://www.chinchilla.ca/list.php?Category=F&source=feed.
I limit the amount of pellets i offer(1 tablespoon a day), my chins eat lot's of hays(different types), I also offer wood chews daily. I started to grow some of the plants that chins eat in the wild.
Oxbow nutritionist says that " pellets are not designed to be the sole diet for chinchillas, but rather supplemental to long fiber hays"."Hay is the best thing to help wear teeth down as it promotes a proper side-to-side chewing motion, and is nutritious too." American pet diner says on the hay bags that pellets should be just 6-10% of diet.
In the wild chins consume large quantities of vegetation that is stalky and coarse(f.e Pasto rey, I attached the pic). Vegetation is low in energy so chins consume large amounts. In captivity many chins develop dental disease because pellets do not wear down teeth enough( teeth wear also affects calcium absorption).Also pellets are not that low in energy so chins just consume less.
I limit the amount of pellets i offer(1 tablespoon a day), my chins eat lot's of hays(different types), I also offer wood chews daily. I started to grow some of the plants that chins eat in the wild.
Oxbow nutritionist says that " pellets are not designed to be the sole diet for chinchillas, but rather supplemental to long fiber hays"."Hay is the best thing to help wear teeth down as it promotes a proper side-to-side chewing motion, and is nutritious too." American pet diner says on the hay bags that pellets should be just 6-10% of diet.
In the wild chins consume large quantities of vegetation that is stalky and coarse(f.e Pasto rey, I attached the pic). Vegetation is low in energy so chins consume large amounts. In captivity many chins develop dental disease because pellets do not wear down teeth enough( teeth wear also affects calcium absorption).Also pellets are not that low in energy so chins just consume less.
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emily.j.roth
Guest
I live in Ohio, and it's really hard for me to find proper food for my chinchilla as well (we mostly have Petland, which carries Sunseed exclusively for pretty much everything in the small animal section.) Do you have a feed mill nearby? A lot of people use Purina Advanced Nutrition Rabbit, or PANR, and it works extremely well for them. If you have a PetSmart near you, they carry Oxbow and Mazuri, which is a lot better than Sunseed. Also, a lot of stores nowadays will ship a product in for you for free, you just have to ask them. The same goes with the feed mills, if they don't carry it, they're usually more than happy to ship it in for you, at least in my experience. I hope this helps =)
Pellets can be left available all the time for chinchillas (free fed). There should not be a need to limit the amount given a day. I usually give a small palmful a day and change the pellet in the bowl daily.
Vitamins aren't needed, just quality pellet and hay should suffice.
I agree that you know to get ahold of a better pellet. Check the sellers list sticky for Canadian Sellers. There might some US sellers on that list that are willing to ship to Canada as well.
Vitamins aren't needed, just quality pellet and hay should suffice.
I agree that you know to get ahold of a better pellet. Check the sellers list sticky for Canadian Sellers. There might some US sellers on that list that are willing to ship to Canada as well.
Food
A feedmill! That is a great idea,I live in ranch/farm country so there has to be a few,Lol! I am a couple of hrs from a Petsmart so I will check that out too, thanks!
C
Carol~Anne
Guest
I've been ordering things from ChinParkPlace. She lives on Vancouver Island and her and another breeder Alderbrook Chins get their feed milled locally and it's very fresh and my boys seem to be doing well on it. I've been mixing it with half and half Mazuri which is easily available here but I seem to be switching gradually over to the AlderPark pellets.
Just put in another order today as a matter of fact for more pellets, more toys and some really yummy supplement that I'm sure I ate most of it myself. Had to order more for my poor babies. I've also gotten Blue Cloud from her.
http://chinchillaparkplace.netfirms...th=21&osCsid=e60a3a69bdb68bada7bd0f8e793a8f3c
Edit: I see that Kansas City Chins beat me to the link!
Just put in another order today as a matter of fact for more pellets, more toys and some really yummy supplement that I'm sure I ate most of it myself. Had to order more for my poor babies. I've also gotten Blue Cloud from her.
http://chinchillaparkplace.netfirms...th=21&osCsid=e60a3a69bdb68bada7bd0f8e793a8f3c
Edit: I see that Kansas City Chins beat me to the link!
L
laurc19
Guest
I don't know if this will be helpful but I buy a massive bag of Mazuri from a store around here called Country Max. I know they are chain but I'm not sure if they are in Canada. But I am pretty close to Canada so I thought there would be a good chance.
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
Shipping!
I love the items at that place,but when I asked about shipping for a small toy that cost $12, the shipping was $15! I live about 10hrs from where they are! What is wrong with Canada post? It is often cheaper to buy in the USA and UK than in my own country and province!!!:banghead:
I love the items at that place,but when I asked about shipping for a small toy that cost $12, the shipping was $15! I live about 10hrs from where they are! What is wrong with Canada post? It is often cheaper to buy in the USA and UK than in my own country and province!!!:banghead:
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shipping
I did go there,but the shipping was crazy! lol! She is only about 10hrs from me too!
C
Carol~Anne
Guest
That doesn't sound right at all and I just put in an order yesterday for a bunch of toys, supplement and ten pounds of pellets and the shipping was around $15. When I order from her I don't go through the store site, I just send her an email and tell her what I want and then she tells me how much everything is including shipping. Maybe try that instead. I'll let her know about the crazy shipping quote you got from her site though.
lilchinchilla
Well-known member
As I already stated to you, Canada post has base rates for weight of parcels. Your parcel would have weighed 3 lbs. It is not a "small toy".
It weighs quite a bit for one toy, and is over a foot long. I already told you, that if you bought 3 of the same toy (i.e. 9 lbs), you'd still pay the exact same shipping as if you were only getting one toy.
Most people try to order at least 10 lbs of supplies. Because the shipping on 10 lbs is the same price as shipping on 5 lbs.
I don't make the shipping rates, I go by whatever Canadapost charges, and I never charge handling fees. You can always check the Canadapost tag on the box to see if the shipping quoted, is what they charge. Even when the shipping has been slightly off, I always refund the difference back to the person. Even when it was only 2 cents difference.
Some customers didn't like that I would refund them 2 cents, but I do. I have quite a few customers who can confirm that. I only ever charge what Canadapost charges and nothing more. Shipping is always more reasonable when you are getting supplies that weigh at least 10 lbs.
It weighs quite a bit for one toy, and is over a foot long. I already told you, that if you bought 3 of the same toy (i.e. 9 lbs), you'd still pay the exact same shipping as if you were only getting one toy.
Most people try to order at least 10 lbs of supplies. Because the shipping on 10 lbs is the same price as shipping on 5 lbs.
I don't make the shipping rates, I go by whatever Canadapost charges, and I never charge handling fees. You can always check the Canadapost tag on the box to see if the shipping quoted, is what they charge. Even when the shipping has been slightly off, I always refund the difference back to the person. Even when it was only 2 cents difference.
Some customers didn't like that I would refund them 2 cents, but I do. I have quite a few customers who can confirm that. I only ever charge what Canadapost charges and nothing more. Shipping is always more reasonable when you are getting supplies that weigh at least 10 lbs.
Tagna
Chin lover
Canada Post rates are high so like Serena said, the best thing to do it buy more so the shipping isn't too bad. USPS has way better rates than us but then you take the chance of getting hit with duty.
It costs more for me to ship a package to anywhere in the US than to ship to the west coast.
It costs more for me to ship a package to anywhere in the US than to ship to the west coast.
