feeding rabbit pellets?

[kcgliders]

Any thoughts on if rabbit pellets are ok to feed to chinchillas?

 

[tunes]

They must be, since I do feed rabbit pellets.

The question is WHICH rabbit pellets are safe for chins. There are quite a few threads regarding this in the nutrition section. If you do a quick search of rabbit pellets, you'll find plenty of reading on the subject.

 

[kcgliders]

ok cool thanks! I was looking at nutrena naturewise, have you hears of that?

 

[kcgliders]

which one do you feed?

 

[Snickers]

I feed Purina Rabbit Show Chow since this is the only feed that I can get pretty easily.

 

[tunes]

I feed Nutrena Naturewise. I've been using it for years.

 

[liewwan]

Many people feed PRSC. I use Manna Pro Sho, Peggy you're lucky yoiu can access Nutrena. I can't get a hold of that in MN

 

[javachin]

I feed Manna Pro Sho as well, a rabbit pellet. A few other California breeders feed this as well and don't have any problems.

 

[Vyxxin]

First, most chinchilla breeders use some sort of rabbit feed. That said, the first thing you need to do is find out WHICH will be available to you easily...and consistently. Talk to whomever you intend to purchase from. Make sure you'll always be able to purchase THAT feed. After that, it's all about comparing nutritional values. As mentioned, there are more than enough threads on this forum to tell you which are the most popular feeds. I've successfully used Blue Seal Show Hutch Delux (which is an extruded pellet) as well as Manna Pro Pro and Manna Pro Sho. Best of luck!

 

[kcgliders]

Thanks to all!!! I have nutrena naturewise, and just wanted to make sure it was ok to feed to them Thanks for all the input!!!!

 

[VictoriaGrace]

I am leaning towards buying the rabbit pellets for my chins, but they are made from alfalfa hay instead of timothy hay. From my research I thought that Alfalfa should be given more sparingly(2/wk) because of the high fat and calcium content.
Or is the fat content of these rabbit feeds not high enough to be a concern? Because the fat % seems to be the same as the other chinchilla feeds that contain timothy hay.

Thanks!!

 

[Spoof]

Fat is added to feed as it does not come from the alfalfa. Neither does the calcium, believe it or not it also comes from an additive. Alfalfa provides some protein, but not enough. They have to add soybeans or fish/chicken meal to raise the protein to 16 or 18%.

There is no harm in feeding any regular rabbit feed that does not contain treats to a chinchilla. For the most part all feeds are almost identical in ratios. What makes the difference is the ingredients and quality control. I am glad I had a ton milled because the grain quality is going to be crap this fall and they will substitute with materials that provide the same nutritional value but are not actually corn or soybeans. Some of what they substitute with is less digestible, and while it looks and tests the same it can't be absorbed easily.

 

[bondiferous]

This is a cool topic. I ran into a few chin owners that feed Purina Rabbit Show Chow? Is that any good?

 

[Sandi]

This is a cool topic. I ran into a few chin owners that feed Purina Rabbit Show Chow? Is that any good?

Purina Rabbit Chow Show (PRCS) is a good feed for chins, many people on here feed it to their chins.

 

[bondiferous]

Thanks for the reply Sandi! Im lucky and can either feed Mazuri or PRCS I guess~