Food?

[sassyandclassy]

I've been feeding my chin the same food that she was on when I got her. It's Kaytee and I've heard how horrible it is. The particular one I've been feeding her is the Kaytee Forti-Diet.

I want to switch her to a better food but what food would you guys recommend?

Also, when switching her, should I wean her off it?

Thanks!

 

[EternallyCynical]

I use Oxbow with my guy and he LOVES it. Mazuri is also acceptable, and there are one or two other brands that are fine, I think, but Oxbow and Mazuri are all I get up here. YES, you should wean her off it. Generally food should be switched as gradually as possible, usually over a week or so. Start by just putting a small amount of new food in with the old, then 1/3 new to 2/3 old, then 1/2 new to 1/2 old and so on until you are on all new food. Each step should take a couple of days or so. Don't rush it! Proper swap-over of food is important! Good for you for looking into something better!

 

[AZChins]

Definitely get her on something better. You will be amazed at how much nicer her fur will look and how much she will fill out as she gains healthy muscle weight. A good feed does so much for the chins especially after being given petstore feeds that aren't that great and probably are very stale. Remember that with any feed freshness counts since vitamins degrade over time and feed can go stale. You want feed that has no artificial preservatives - good feeds will use vitamin E as a preservative and that's fine.

Mazuri, Oxbow, and the rabbit feeds that have been found to be nutritionally acceptable are all good things to use for chins.

 

[javachin]

Anything Kaytee is terrible. Try getting Oxbow or Mazuri instead.

 

[Bouncer36]

I use oxbow

 

[becky12883]

Find what you can get a constant, reliable, fresh source of. I use Mazuri because I can get it locally. Oxbow is another good brand that is available at Petsmart, it's a bit more expensive. You can order Tradition from Sandi in the classified section here. If you use the search at the top you should be able to find more pellet brands, I'm not sure what all the rabbit pellets are. I think Purina, Manna Pro, and Nutrena are some.

You should transition slowly from the old to the new. Start with mixing in a small amount of the new one and adding a little more new and less old every couple of days.

 

[chinchillachris]

I highly recommend the Oxbow pellets. My chins love the stuff! You can purchase a 10 pound bag for around $17 on a site called Wag.com. Best of luck to you & your chin

 

[Kathy_Bunny]

Kline is really good too, but kinda hard to find if you don't have someone near by to sell it to you since it is privately milled =/ Like everyone else said, oxbow is probably your best option =)