Food & Treat Question

[Sevvy]

I was running through some of the stock at work today and was wondering if any of the following was acceptable for a Chinchilla to have (the products were listed as for Hamsters, Gerbils, Chinchillas, Ferrets, Guinea Pigs and Rats. The long list of different species made me wonder if it really was acceptable).


Edible Toys/Decor:

Farmer's Market Corn Mats & Nature Balls-
(http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4193663#prodTab1 & http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3155595)

Super Pet Grassy Roll-A-Nest-
(http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753358)


Treats:

VitaKraft Dandelion Drops-
(http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3157991)

Kaytee Timothy Cubes-
(http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753565)


Food:

I found Mazuri & Oxbow listed under the FAQs, but we have these two others at work as well...

Sunaturals Natural Chinchilla Food-
(http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3076404#prodTab1)

Nutriphase Gold-
(http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753466&lmdn=Pet+Type)

Are these two acceptable foods to use, as well? In our store we (generally) stock the higher quality foods closest to the front and these two appear before Oxbow and Mazuri, but they weren't listed on the FAQs so I wasn't sure if they're actually any good or not.

I'm still not sure what constitutes as the best quality or most preferred yet, so I apologize if this is effectively a repeat thread and if it is, feel free to delete it.

 

[Stackie]

I wouldn't use the corn mat. I've never heard of anyone giving their chins corn leaves to chew on. Hard telling what the source is- if it came from just some random field hard telling how many pesticides, herbicides, etc. were sprayed on the crop...

Nature balls should be ok, though I'm not sure. It says they're all made out of sisal so I would guess they're ok, but I'd be checking on where they were made.

Grass roll a nest is ok.

No on the dandelion drops.

Timothy Cubes are fine.

Sunnaturals & Nutriphase are not good feeds. They are both loaded with treats. A good feed ONLY consists of pellets.

 

[missjess10475]

I have bought those Kaytee timothy cubes. They're like 5 bucks a pound! You can get a 50 pound bag of alfalfa cubes at a feed store for less than $15. My chins like those better than the Kaytee timothy cubes. I feed mine loose timothy hay and alfalfa cubes.

 

[moose]

I have a Chinchilla and I fed him a VERY small lays barbecue chip. Will that harm him? I know it's not a "suggested" treat, and I won't feed him that stuff anymore, but I don't want to kill him.
Also, I just recently bought him from a pet shop...and he's 8 months.

 

[Jenn]

I wouldn't feed a chinchilla a chip or any other junk food. It is bad enough for us to eat it, and most likely worse for the chinchilla. They really don't need treats at all, but sometimes it is hard to resist that face, so only a small portion of the already listed treats are acceptable. We love to spoil our chins, but we can kill them also with too much kindness.

 

[moose]

Lol okay thank you. I just have fell in love with him. And I want to spoil him rotten but I don't want to hurt him.
Thanks :]

 

[tunes]

Also, I just recently bought him from a pet shop...and he's 8 months.

Don't bet on it. Pet stores don't have a clue how old the animals are that come into their store. They come from a wholesaler who doesn't even know. Your chin could be anywhere from 6 months to 10 years old, and there's absolutely no way they can tell you any differently. If they bred the parents themselves, that's one thing, but very few pet stores do.

 

[moose]

How can I tell how old he is? Is it bad that I bought him from there? Either way I saved him from there. I hate pet shops. Besides I live in a VERY small town and searched for breeders and rescuers...closest place was oh and in and I live in ky.

 

[tunes]

Nope, not bad at all that you bought him there. He needs a loving home too. But there's no way a pet store employee can tell you how old he is, and if they do they are lying. They don't have a clue. They get no papers, even the wholesaler gets no papers. He doesn't care one way or the other. He's just the middle man selling chins to pet stores.

And, nope, there's no way to tell how old he is. A very experienced rancher might be able to guesstimate an age for you, but the only way to know for sure is to have the breeder of the chin give you his pedigree with his birthdate on it.